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?

When was that though? In the 80's I weighed about 9st 3 and often needed a 14. Sizes were a lot smaller then.

Oh, and if you want to know whether you're overweight, calculate your BMI. That's literally how it's defined. That's why doctors weigh you and measure your height to see if you're overweight and by how much and don't look at the label on your clothing. Yes, BMI isn't accurate for every individual but it works in the main for most of us.

I’m a size 14 and 5’9. To most people I look a ‘normal’ size in that I don’t have rolls and have a ‘uniform’ shape - no big belly or obvious fat rolls. But I am about a stone overweight. Whether that’s fat or not depends on what you mean by fat, it’s a subjective word.

In the olden days I was a size 12, I have kept a few things from that time for sentimental reasons and because they are lovely pieces of clothing which include a black velvet pencil skirt and a fuschia silk skirt. The latter garment was a present from my mum after my child was born and I went up to what was then a size 14 to allow for some comfort. The waist measurement on the size 14 is 26" and guess what the size 12 is? it is 24" I can remember being 34/24/24 in my younger years and thinking I was fat! I am now proper fat and a current size 14 which makes me sad, but not sad enough to motivate me to do anything about it. So much is to do with how tall you are (I am 5ft 7") with a flat stomach but carry all my weight on my hips and thighs. A mate of mine is also a 14 but looks really slim, she is very tall and has broad shoulders so needs to allow for this.

I wear size 14 in trousers but I have a bmi of 23 so I’m not overweight. Like others say it depends on different factors. Size 14 doesn’t say much apart from you’re not grossly over or under weight.

How ridiculous. I am a 14 and my BMI says I’m not even overweight. Women don’t have to be either “slim” or “fat”. There is a whole lot in between.

I bet you look wonderful x

@LovelyTheresa , an athlete might have very low body fat but be heavy. They won't be 'skinny' but skinny to one person might be someone else's slim.

@NonPlayerCharacter , it is vanity sizing.
but I know I can't convince people of this, for some reason they really want to believe it Has it crossed your mind that you might not necessarily be right.

Yes, generally speaking, a size 14 is 'fat' as in overweight/carrying extra weight.

I think too many people are in serious denial of what is actually healthy in the UK and the US, about themselves and about their children. When I went to school, I can remember 2 overweight children in my year group (small school, 44 children in a year group). These days, it's more like 1 in 4 children from what I'm seeing.

A size 14 in todays sizing is just a number...if you buy a vintage size 14 it will be TINY!!
There are charts on line with the measurements ten/twenty/thirty years ago and the difference is mind blowing.
The average women.
1940's 33 21 33
1960's 34 24 35
These are child sizes now!

Basically you are fat when you have excess fat on your body..it's that simple. Ignore hight or people claiming BMI rubbish.
Take off your clothes and look in the mirror.

This!

To calculate your BMI:

1. Convert your weight to kilograms. Multiply the stones by 14 and add the pounds, then divide by 2.205. So 10st4 is 144 pounds which is 65.306 kg.
2. Convert your height to metres. Multiply the feet by 12 and add the inches, then multiply by 0.0254. So 5ft6 is 66 inches which is 1.6764m.
3. Divide the weight by the height twice. So here you divide 65.306 by 1.6764 to get 38.956, which doesn't correspond to anything very much, and then divide by 1.6764 again to get 23.238, which is your BMI.

"Normal" BMI range is 18.5 to 25.0. Over 25 is overweight, over 30 is class 1 obese, over 35 is class 2, over 40 is class 3 which used to be called "morbidly" obese. There are exceptions (most professional rugby players would count as obese, and very tall people are disadvantaged a bit by BMI in that they tend to be called overweight with a lower fat percentage than shorter people), but it's a useful rule of thumb.

I'm 5'7 and size 16, I have a bit of a tummy on me I always have but since a c-section its worse, always been told I am big boned and struggled with my weight constantly, I'm a size 14 on top though

Most posters obviously not actually reading the thread as everyone is just repeating the same thing over and over ad nauseum 😀

OK I am a 14. 38" bust and Hips, but I have a waist. Who can we compare to?
Do you think any celebrities are Size 14?
How about women footballers? What size are they?

Has it crossed your mind that you might not necessarily be right.

Of course, because I used to believe it. But it's actually not true.

But like I said, nobody wants to believe it isn't true. There is some deep, inherent, great need to believe that unlike chairs, beds, cars and everything else that has expanded over the years to accommodate people getting bigger, clothes have done the same solely to lie to fat women. I've given up trying to convince people of this. They won't believe it. They must believe that the garment industry is in a massive, collaborative conspiracy to flatter fat women. It's very important to them.

But it's not true. It's size inflation. It's keeping up with the changing market. And now that fast fashion behemoths are king, it's getting more and more inconsistent and ridiculous.

I do not know why people refuse to believe this, but I know they do. So on they go. But they're wrong. The clothing industry is not trying to coddle fat people. It's just trying to stay afloat.

Rolls of fat are not healthy- Most women size 14 do not have rolls of fat at all.

We have definitely lost something in today's society- is that extremes are not right- Being thin is NOT healthy- being slightly chubby, but fit and healthy, is probably much better for you. I am 59, and surrounded by friends with osteoporosis, linked to their lifetime obsession and societal expectation, to be stick thin. Never touched any fat, not even a bit of cheese or plain yogurt- and their bones are just breaking up.

Marilyn Monroe and many of the sexiest stars of the 50s and 60s were size 14.

We have also lost the ability to be kind and supportive with each other.

Height matters here. I’m 5 foot 4 and when I’m a 14 I’m generally overweight, because I’ll be around 11 stone then. I’m currently heading down to that from a 16 …
Maximum weight for me should be 10 stone 6, which should be mostly 12 or a small 14.

Normal" BMI range is 18.5 to 25.0. Over 25 is overweight, over 30 is class 1 obese, over 35 is class 2, over 40 is class 3 which used to be called "morbidly" obese. There are exceptions (most professional rugby players would count as obese, and very tall people are disadvantaged a bit by BMI in that they tend to be called overweight with a lower fat percentage than shorter people), but it's a useful rule of thumb.

Really, the main exception are POC. If you are Asian, a BMI of over 23 is overweight. I have been moaning about this lately! I think it's the same for black people.

A friend of mine who looked much slimmer than me and probably weighed less, was certainly a bit taller and much more toned, tried on a dress that I had bought ( a size 12, back in the day when I could fit into such a thing) and was quite put out because she couldn't zip it all the way up, and I could.

I am much chubbier but a smaller frame with a smaller waist and a less broad back. She had smaller boobs but a wider rib cage, wider shoulders and slightly thicker waist, but yput us side by side and you'd always say I was the fatter one. So it can be very deceptive.

Marilyn Monroe was not a modern size 14, at all. It's often quoted, but with vanity sizing, she was more like a size 8?

You're saying that like you think it's not true?

Marilyn Monroe and many of the sexiest stars of the 50s and 60s were size 14.

No, she was not. It's true her weight fluctuated over her life and it's true she went into pinup modelling because she was too curvy for standard modelling. It's also true there are a few photos of her that show her as maybe a touch bigger and more roll-y than she really was. But she was not a 14. She was a very slim but very curvy woman.

Sizing is meaningless, hence why we use BMI as it's a factual, concrete measurement.

In Primary or Tesco, a size 14 drowned me and I could get into an 8 easily, at BMI 22.

In H&M however, I could barely get the zip up on a 16 at the same weight!

It's really not something to focus on given the amount of vanity sizing that exists.

@NonPlayerCharacter , I know people who deliberately shop in shops with american sizes so that they can get into size 12 jeans.

Yes. So what?