BMI approaching obese

[GalGadont]

So spurred by another thread on here I’ve used the NHS BMI calculator, I knew I was overweight but horrified to realise I’m now approaching obese (height about 5.5 & 1/2 and weight 12st 11). AIBU to be a bit surprised that’s categorised as nearly obese? I’m a size 14, still fit into some of the clothes I wore when I was a healthy weight, don’t have any difficulty fitting into plane seats etc. I definitely know I need to lose weight, but I’ve always thought of ‘obese’ as meaning really huge. Feeling very chastened right now!

This is what I mean by saying we've lost sight of what's healthy.

Being able to see your face bone structure and ribs is not necessarily gaunt and underweight, especially at the top end of a BMI, and obviously when you've been overweight for a long time and lose a large amount this can be aging as skin doesn't recover and shrink back fully.

Looking lean and slim is now seen as 'skinny' when it's actually just healthy. Even the thread proves it with OP struggling to see herself as obese, when that's what she is (as I was).

🤣 I'm not sure it was like that but I know they all want to lose weight. I think it was meant with best intentions though

Build has to come into the equation somewhere.

It does. That's why there is such a large range for a particular height.

Yeah, people kept telling me that losing back to 65kg at 170cm would make me too skinny. Funny that I was the curvy one always in that weight compared to slimmer friends. None of us looked ill....

I suspect there are several issues here. One is that people are people no matter what their appearance and so shouldn't be discriminated against. Period.

Two is that clothing sizes over time are a hopeless measure. I found a dress pattern from the 50s on ebay the other day and 12s had 24 inch waists...

Three is that we judge ourselves by the people around us so if they're bigger than ideal then that is our Normal and we might not notice if we are creeping up ourselves.

Perhaps adults should all be aware of their ideal weight range?

I say this as someone with a family history of T2 diabetes, heart disease and strokes. I am currently on the fast800. At 50 I was obese and BMI33.4. I lost 6 st and got to BMI21. It took me 5y to put on 3.5 st again (overweight) and I'm now back down ~2 of them and BMI 24. I am already getting the comments of 'oh you look too thin.' Which I'm ignoring. I'm going for BMI21. Middle of range.

We all need to support each other in our broken society.

I think it depends a lot on whether you look ‘obese’ or bigger as to how you carry your weight and how tall you are.

I am 5 foot 11 and I can gain a stone and it really isn’t very noticeable because it spreads out on my body more if you see what I mean? Whereas someone who is 5ft2 gains a stone and it’s a lot more noticeable even though both our BMIs could be 29 for example. Its the only benefit I’ve found to being a taller woman l tbf.

Also I’ve got mates who gain weight on their bottom half only and their top half is very slim/skinny so if they were to wear a dress that flares out you’d have no idea they were overweight.

BMI is a pretty useful indicator IMO, it only doesn’t work if you are a body builder or something. However for me personally my preference is for my bmi to sit around 24 and then I’m a size 10/12 - I feel like I look very skinny when I got under that (possibly due to my height making me look lanky etc). So it’s preference too.

I'm 5'4" and at the moment I'm feeling chubby as I've put weight on recently. I've just weighed myself, I'm 10st5. So my BMI is ok, just. But i know a healthy weight for me around a stone less than I am now.
We've completely lost sight of what is "normal" re weight. Obese is not not being able to fit into plane seats or going on a TV programme about being super-sized.

Someone I know was told by their cardiologist that if there are bits that wobble when you jump up and down then you need to lose weight. I think that's quite a good measure!

Sometimes we need a little shock like that to make us do something about it. Yes, obese is not the same as morbidly obese. Yes, you really are obese. But you should also know that losing the weight has massive benefits and it's never too late. You're in no way alone in this. Check out the weight loss groups on MN.

Someone I know was told by their cardiologist that if there are bits that wobble when you jump up and down then you need to lose weight. I think that's quite a good measure!

Can you clarify?
Unless someone is solid then jumping up and down will make parts of the body wobble.

I mean this pretty much includes everyone aside from elite athletes.

I have wobbly bits. Maybe I need to tone those up, but I absolutely do not need to lose any weight.

I am 5 foot 11 and I can gain a stone and it really isn’t very noticeable because it spreads out on my body more if you see what I mean? Whereas someone who is 5ft2 gains a stone and it’s a lot more noticeable even though both our BMIs could be 29 for example. Its the only benefit I’ve found to being a taller woman l tbf.

This doesn't make sense.
For these 2 people to both end up BMI 29 by way of being a stone heavier, the shorter person would have had a lower BMI to start with.

But anyway, of course if you are taller you have more leeway when it comes to weight gain and how much you eat.

Yes sorry I didnt word it well, but I meant that a bmi of 29 at 5 ft 11 and a bmi of 29 at 5 ft 2 despite both being the same amount of ‘unhealthy’ in BMI terms can look very different because whilst you are technically equally overweight it’s likely the 5ft11 person will still look slimmer because of weight distribution.

Realistically, the category of "people who have bits that wobble when they jump up and down" is going to include pretty much all women with breasts. I bet that cardiologist was a man!

One of my friends lost quite a bit of weight fairly quickly a year or so back. I don't know how much but I'd imagine the loss would have taken her from overweight to healthy BMI. She did look quite gaunt in the face after losing the weight but she maintained the weight loss and now her face looks perfectly healthy. I guess it just takes some time for the skin to and fat to be redistributed when someone loses quite a bit of weight quite quickly.

Someone I know was told by their cardiologist that if there are bits that wobble when you jump up and down then you need to lose weight. I think that's quite a good measure

That's so stupid. Everyone 'wobbles' if they jump up and down.

I presume they meant something other than boobs. And not every slight movement but an actual wobble!

I just jumped up and down. The only bits I feel actually wobbling are my boobs and a slight bit on my stomach. And my stomach DOES need toning up.

That's different than needing to lose weight though. My thighs and bum wobbled even when I was slim because I did naff all exercise to keep them firm.

No, I could definitely lose half a stone and my stomach would look better for it