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?

I agree with this. It's not a popular opinion and of course there are some people that are much taller than average, very muscled (I'm talking rugby players, weight trainers, eg Fury from Gladiators) that aren't "fat" at a 14.
But in general, as a normal everyday member of the public, a size 14 is overweight.
I wouldn't necessarily use the word "fat". But overweight and big for sure.
I count myself in that. I'm about an inch taller than the OP and when I was a size 14, I was definitely overweight and bigger than I should have been.

Yes it is.
I am a size 16 and I was 14 before and I was still fat.

Can l ask a question. If you look in the mirror and like what you see, does it really matter ?

I 100% agree.
No one should ever be wearing that dress!

But it did highlight how tiny MM was.

Kim is only 5'2 and aside from her ass, a tiny little woman. Shockingly so in real life.

I have never had a waist marliyn's size despite being on the small size.

She ruined it. It's destroyed now.

It didn't even suit her. Why would it? MM was a completely different size and shape and had a completely different face and colour palette.

I think it depends on what you consider to be fat too.
5'9.. Bit too.squishy in places currently, at Size 10-12. At a size 14, I would consider myself fat but not obese.

God this is depressing. Do you 'have' fat? Probably yes (most people do). Are you happy with how your body works for you? Possibly not by what you've said, or perhaps you're just worried you don't fit current beauty standards, perhaps more accurately you're worried you may be judged by others as 'being fat' or 'obese', as if there could be nothing worse - why are you worried about this? Have you been called fat and it's upset you? Is it a reaction to your BMI (widely proved to be useless)? No-one seems to have asked this - just plenty here who are ready to judge you, so I can see why you may feel a bit insecure. How depressing this is the world we still live in in 2014. Every body is different. Some people have more fat then others. It doesn't define you.

I’m 5 foot 7 and a size 14….i have slim legs and I weigh 9 stone 11 pounds, you would never say I’m fat. It really does depend on bone structure and fat percentage / muscle etc

Whether you consider yourself obese has no bearing at all on whether you actually are. It is the medical term for a BMI of 30 or above. If that's your BMI then you are obese, whatever you think about it. If it's not, then you aren't.

Yes. (I am size 14).

Yes it's mostly overweight, given vanity sizing. I tried on a 1950s vintage size 12 skirt when I was supposedly a modern day size 10 and couldn't do it up!!

Yes, for most women it would be overweight. For a small percentage of tall women with a large build it may not be.

It's not vanity...oh forget it.

I'd like to be a size 14 again lol. My children would consider it bigger than they want. I'd consider it nice and slim. Lots is dependant on age and build etc.

I'm 5 foot 10 and at a 14 I'm the upper end of a healthy weight. About BMI 24.8 so very upper end.
Currently I'm a 16 and overweight.
Do a BMI calculator thing to know for sure about healthiness.
As far as public perception goes 14 was considered horribly overweight by many when I was a teen in the 90s - anything more than a 10 was considered bad. Nowadays there's a lot more acceptance of different body types so I think no, not generally considered fat apart from by the older generation.

In my case, it absolutely matters.

I've posted that at a size 12/14 (and to be fair to myself mainly a 12) I am currently clinically obese with a BMI of 30. The 3 stone weight gain genuinely "isn't my fault" as it's come about suddenly through an illness last year. I could easily excuse myself, say I'm "plump but pretty" and "only a size 12 for goodness sake" and work towards "body positivity and acceptance", call this a "real woman's body" and try and get myself in some sort of trite Dove Beauty campaign.

But here's the truth that I can't "see" in the mirror.

In my 30s, my weight gain alone has led to;

Prediabetes and high Cholesterol, a real worry as both parents had heart attacks and strokes in their 50s, my great grandmother died suddenly in her 40s from a massive stroke and so did two great aunts. All "plump but pretty" between size 12 and 16 by todays standards.

All of a sudden, needing a knee operation due to strain on heart.

Sinus Tachycardia and blood pressure problems.

Breathing and mobility problems.

All through weight gain alone, nothing else.
In the past month, I've worked out I've cost the NHS at least £2000 in appointments and tests.

But, hey, I look "pretty", "voluptuous" and "curvaceous" in the mirror so it doesn't matter, does it?

This is true, except the BMI for obesity can be lower for some ethnic backgrounds.

For all those saying that 14 is fat and we have lost sight of it - this is me wearing a size 14 dress

Very true.
I'm 5'8" and a 10-12, sometimes I buy a 14 for "comfort ".
Is it "fat"?
It depends on height, proportions and also how
"trim" your body actually is.
Difficult question this, always. If there is a "roll of fat" on the belly, then ideally it shouldn't be there.

No, I'm 5'10 and BMI 22, size 14, I have also got one of the infamous thigh gaps

such huge judgement is also question why do you care? Do you have any ill effects or is this just based on ‘looking fat’?
the women with longest life expectancy are in the ‘overweight’ category. The least healthy to be is underweight. Size does not necessarily equate with health. I am not ‘shocked’ about how many calories are in things. It’s usually obvious from the taste and most people need to just listen to their body regarding hunger and not do ridiculous diets and eating patterns. An enormous amount of people used to smoke, some specifically just to keep weight down, or people saying that healthy??

Yes.

I don't understand why some people are taking offense to terms such as obese. It's a medical term with clear health implications. You're doing no-one any good by not using the correct terminology.

Yes, sorry, the cutoffs can change for some ethnicities. The point is, it's nothing to do with what someone thinks or considers obesity to be.

It's also not a mark of attractiveness or human worth. It doesn't mean "ugly". But it's not a subjective judgement.

I'm fat at size 14. I'm 5'9 but when I put weight on it all goes on from the waist up - face, back, boobs, shoulders, arms and stomach. I think if my fat spread out more evenly then I wouldn't feel overweight at that size. A small size 12 is around 12 stone for me and that when I look healthy and slim. Any less and I look bony.