Is a size 14 fat?

[bubblebutt88]

I know it's dependent on the individual and a lot of variables - height etc but generally speaking would you say it's 'fat?' I am a size 14, I don't think I'm huge but I have a big roll of fat around my belly (thanks c-section and pizza) and I do feel like my face looks a bit bloated at times.

I'm certainly not thin or toned but I wouldn't say I'm obese either. I know id look and feel better if I dropped a dress size but at this time in my life with young kids, a demanding job and lots going on I just can't find the energy to focus on weight loss.

What are your thoughts?

Five three and over nine stone is not 'skinny', even if it is all lean muscle.

fucking hell this thread is a mess.

Depends on the height and body fat %.

In my case at 5'1 then yes without a doubt. I've been a 14 in trousers after kids and I looked and felt big, even a 12 is too big for my frame. It's also worse because my top half doesn't gain half as much weight so I don't even look like a nice hourglass. My BMI was in the overweight range too although not obese.

I'm an 8 now and look a lot better, my BMI is in the healthy range.

Perhaps if I was absolutely shredded with huge muscles I would be in a 14 and not actually have a lot of body fat but that is definitely not the case.

You've obviously asked the question because you want us to tell you: Don't be silly, of course you're not fat!
Without knowing your height, weight & body-fat percentage it's impossible to say, but from your description of yourself "not thin or toned" and "a big roll of fat around my belly" it sounds like you could be carrying more body fat than may be healthy.

Sometimes I only need size 14 because of my boobs (my weight fluctuates), but usually I am fat when I need size 14 clothes. I am really short though.

For the majority of people, yes they would be fat.
I'm 5ft 2 and a 14 and am obese. Someone taller might just be a bit overweight.

At 5foot6 I'd be fat, in the medically obese category if I was a 14 in any brand.

As per PP of you have rolls of fat....well then you're fat. You can literally see that.

I know my weight is tipping too high when my rolls stop being excess skin and start feeling firm (oh and my face becomes a moon)

This is sadly the sort of delusion we have developed. If you are 5'3" and a size 14-16 you are very overweight

We have as a society lost sight of what a healthy weight looks like.

Rolls or fat are not healthy. Excess fat on the mid section in particular is very unhealthy.

It is very dependent on your body composition. I am size 14 and my BMI is about 26.5, however I am a rower and I am very muscular and quite lean, I don't have rolls of fat. I do have a very big frame and I look less heavy than I am (I once won £10 at the guess my weight man at a fair, he made me empty out my pockets to prove I wasn't cheating!)

On the flip side, society is suffering with an obesity epidemic. Telling people that they are not overweight when they are has just skewed everyone's view on what healthy looks like.

Currently we are under much more threat as a society from obesity than anorexia.

"Size 14" is fairly meaningless, because sizes vary so widely and have changed so much over the years. As PPs have said, height, weight, and build are more accurate than size in determining whether someone is overweight. Even then it can be tricky.

I'm the same

I have to agree. This kept me overweight for a long time, everyone pretending fat isn’t real to stop being becoming unwell by going too far the other way or hurting feelings.

absolutely no one is advocating being tiny that I’ve seen on this thread most people have said 10-12 is in a better range - and that’s usually healthy for an average height woman

Unless you are pretty tall and broad, then yes. I mean it's not huge but it's certainly not slim. Especially these days. If you tried on a size 14 dress from 30+ years ago, it would be more like a size 10-12 today.

Body fat percentage and waist circumference are much better ways to determine if you are overweight. Try not to focus on it, just in case you're worried. I bet you still look great. The health part of it is important to address but you can still look amazing regardless of size.

Yes it has to be overweight I think. I don't know any size 14 people who I would say are slim

Does it make you feel superior, calling random strangers on the internet "deluded"? What a nasty, spiteful post.

I think tbh size 14 clothes are pretty big nowadays.

I'm 5' 3", just into the obese BMI category and am only a size 12-14 depending on the item. Tops and loose summer dresses etc, 12s fit me no problem. Trousers I would need a 14.

I’d be fat if a size 14, depends on the person but it’s not thin

Stop telling women what to call themselves.

Not everyone has a problem with the word fat. You might prefer them to use the word 'overweight' when talking about their own weight, but that's not your call to make.

At 18 I was 8st 7lb, a size 14 and 5’2”. I had a 24” waist, 36 bust and 36 hips. If you think size 14 is fat you’re probably contributing to the body image problems today’s young women have. Stick thin isn’t healthy unless it’s your natural default.

Has anyone said 'We've lost sight of what a healthy weight is' yet?

The trouble is women do tend to store fat on the stomach.

I've had 2 c sections and I can not shift the overhang no matter how thin I get or how much I do in the gym.

I consider myself to be pretty fit and strong, I'm running a 10K race in 4 weeks, half marathon later in the year and lift heavy weights 3 days a week. I'm a size 8 roughly, healthy weight and BMI yet have this blob of fat that will not go away! I think I could be underweight and the strongest woman on earth and I would still have it!

It so much depends on your height and build. I am 5'3" and 10 stone, so mildly overweight. I am size 12 (or 10 in some shops, depending on the cut).

At size 14 I would look fat. But that might not be true of someone else my height and weight, that is why the BMI ranges are so wide.

I don't need to read the thread to know the answer is yes. There'll also be "vanity sizing" (not a thing, it's size inflation to keep up with a market where people have got bigger - yes, sizes have increased, no it's not done to flatter fat women, but I know I can't convince people of this, for some reason they really want to believe it), some sort of horrible recipe for a "healthy" snack (tastes like it was scraped off a cow) and yadda yadda, you know the score.