To think I’m not obese at these measurements?

[Lis1992]

I think according to BMI I could possibly be in obese category. I know BMI isn’t always a perfect measure though. I’m 5’4 and around 12.5 stone. Would you call this obese or overweight? I know I need to lose weight but it is a struggle

While it’s true that it doesn’t change the outcome or the situation, it’s understandable that people feel a lot of shame associated with the ‘obese’ label, as obese people are shamed by so many people.

A lot of people seem to want to hold clothing companies responsible for policing the nation's health (and not makers of beds, chairs or toilet seats), but we've tried not making decent products for large people and the nation still got fatter.

What might help here is the media not always using photographs of very very large people when reporting on matters of weight and health. Because there really are a lot of people who think all obesity is morbid obesity and are therefore understandably shocked and in denial when they discover that they are in fact obese themselves.

For all the discourse we have about weight, and the pressure to be slim, it's funny that this message - that obesity isn't sensationally huge - seems to have got lost so badly.

I also think it's always better to focus on positives when trying to effect change, so encouraging people in healthy habits rather than hectoring them is probably a better option. Even if you don't lose weight, you will benefit from healthy behaviours.

I think OP got scared away.

@AutisticLegoLover That’s why I posted a few comments above yeah? 😂

Sorry, I missed it-glad you've not been scared away!

I didn't think race mattered, unless you were talking about muscle mass which is mainly relevant to athletic people and especially men (black men have higher testosterone levels on average so build muscle easier).

I thought there were just higher levels of obesity in the black community, especially women.

@AutisticLegoLover No I’m all good thanks. I asked for honest opinions about the word- my weight I already know I need to address it. 😊

My husband is that weight at 5'10". You're putting the weight somewhere and unless you are very very muscular, you must be carrying an awful lot of fat.

Sorry. You asked

I used to be a General Practice Nurse and I remember this man coming in to my clinic for something like an asthma check. He hadn't had his BMI or BP done in over a year so I did all the measurements. I felt so uncomfortable telling him that his BMI was 30 and that he was classed as obese. I remember being quite apologetic to him about it because he certainly didn't look obese, just tall and solid. No big gut or anything. He took it very well bless him but it's stuck with me and that was 10 years ago. It really brought it home to me that obesity has become so normalised by society.

I'm glad you're feeling positive about making changes OP. I've recently got back into the healthy BMI category and have some more to lose. Come over to weight loss chat and find a thread you like and join in.

OP you are obese if you use standard BMI measurements.

But what is your body type like?
Your shape, size, boob size, amount of muscle all affect this.

I am taller than you, weight less than you and could do with losing a little bit.

Bmi is a fairly blunt tool that doesn't account for muscle. As others have said measurement are a more helpful tool as a guide. In saying that, from what you've said things need to change a bit. Depending on metabolism, age and general health, your path forward is to see what works for you. I had to cut carb, it's what worked for me, my colleague looked at the nutritional value of what she was eating, and changed her lifestyle accordingly. Basics such as cutting processed foods, pre plan meals and batch cook to make life easier on busy days. Whatever path you choose, stick with it for at least 3 months, be aware that you will plateau, make sure your nutritional needs are being met, that it becomes a life change not a diet. Most importantly cut sugar

@Quincythequince I’m a 36B. Pear shaped.

"I didn't think race mattered, unless you were talking about muscle mass"

South Asian men have lower maximum waist measurements to keep to. Doesn't seem to be different for women.

I’m 5’1” and medically obese at 11 stone 3 and a size 12 - 14

I’m not happy with my weight, certainly, but I’m active and don’t feel really big unless I look at some photos and try on clothes from three years ago. Pre pandemic I was 9 stone, a comfortable size ten and looked a hell of a lot better than I do now, especially around my belly and bum, which are now both undeniably massive.

I’m in my fifties so shifting 2 stone isn’t going to be easy but having been slim most of my life I know what I’m missing.

Its the word ‘obese’ isn’t it - its genuinely shocking.

Unless, like me, you lie on your back 😍

Well done you. 👏

Thank you.

I am 5ft 4in and 12stone.
I do however run 6k every single day and completed 3 half marathons last year.
I do yoga daily and an aerobics class and weights twice a week also.
This is in addition to walking my dogs for 4K every day.
I am still considered over weight/obese. I do not touch processed food, sugar. So what to do??
I am not stressing any longer about it. I am 45, have had 4 children and couldn’t be any fitter/eat better or any happier.
we aren’t all super models or even meant to be, we are who we are.

Thats a huge part of the problem. I bet there's no other routine medical information that a HCP would feel so embarrassed about passing on to a patient. If you had to tell them they had high blood pressure or their lung function had deteriorated, it would be presented as a medical fact along with appropriate advice. No shame or embarrassment on either side.
Yet because of the stigma around obesity, even some HCPs see telling people they are obese as an insult.
Until we break that link people will continue to be in denial about this aspect of their health, inventing reasons why the BMI tool is 'wrong', conflating medical weight issues with irrelevances like dress size and appearance, all to avoid that label.
Obesity is a very unpleasant word (the similarly to beast doesn't help) and people can't see it as simply a neutral medical term. Maybe the way forward is to change weight markers, maybe to a traffic light system, so people's weight is 'in the red' rather than they as a person get given a label.

Maybe the way forward is to change weight markers, maybe to a traffic light system, so people's weight is 'in the red' rather than they as a person get given a label.

I think less sensationalist media coverage would help a lot. It's no wonder people are so upset and resistant about it when anything regarding obesity is always accompanied by pictures of people who are really enormous, badly dressed, head cut out of shot and so on. The word has the connotations it has because it's never seen, in the mainstream, in any context other than synonymous with ugly, lazy, unlovable, bad dresser, faceless, about to die of a heart attack at any moment etc etc.

I'm 3 in taller and 2st lighter and I'm definitely not skinny.

We've got used to seeing really quite overweight people as "normal". We don't know what healthy looks like any more.

I don’t know if it will make a difference but my daughter was weighed at school and the NHS also gave us a 3D model (from underweight to obese) and we were asked to select which one we thought matched our child, it was basically asking if we see our child’s weight correctly and it also gave us a prediction of her weight in her later teen years along with adulthood.
It was definitely clear that some parents might not see their child’s weight clearly as the obese image didn’t look like the stereotypical imagery you usually see.

This thread feels like the mid 90s.

According to the BMI scale, yes, OP is labelled obese. But it’s not a picture of your current health or appearance, and certainly isn’t the be all and end all of wellness.

There's an app I have on my phone called 'My Model' (I'll post a pic below) that allows you to create a model that looks like yourself including your body shape and exact weight and then you can put in your target weight to give you a bit of an idea on what you would look like.

I've edited mine to show what I would be at the OP's current weight (I was previously almost a stone heavier than she was when I started) and my target weight (which is actually my current weight) to show the difference. I'm also 5'4 which is the same as OP.

It's actually a decent app for some visual motivation. I think I paid £2 for it years ago.

Its a significant piece of information regarding the OPs health and her livelihood of retaining her wellness into the future.
I think we can, and should, acknowledge that while being medically obese doesn't necessarily mean a person has an unattractive appearance, it is a negative health marker.
It's possible to be body positive in an appearance sense, without denying that obesity brings health risks. Recognition of that risk and desire to achieve a healthy weight is a long way from the 90s trope of under eating to achieve impossibly slim bodies for fashion purposes.