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?

Dress sizing is arbitrary.

Funny how people complain about BMI but still cling to dress sizing.

It depends on height build and bone structure. I am 4ft 11 and very petite build so a size 14 would make me obese dm and dsis - I am adopted btw are 6ft tall and a bigger build would be able to carry it off

Me too. I consider myself fat and overweight and not any sort of euphemism for it.

My knees hurt, I feel unhealthy and unfit and I look like a lump in all the lovely summer clothes now appearing. There's no point in kidding myself, I'm fat and I need to stop eating so much.

But fat has no definition - it’s just a nasty insult that bullies use in the playground! At least overweight and obese have clinical definitions.

at a size 14 I am overweight, at 16 I am obese. I am a size 12 now - still overweight. Won’t be normal until 10.

I can say all this without resulting to slang or arbitrary definitions.

The OP is not asking themselves "Do I need to lose weight for my health?" That's a question with a lot of variables including muscle mass and height, which the OP didn't provide. It's a size that is by no means clearly in the unhealthy weight range. A 6 foot woman is going to be very different than a 5 foot woman, for instance. Saying "a size 14 is FAT" is like saying you're fat unless you have a thigh gap -- it leads to disordered thinking. That's my problem with this thread and the question asked.

I am not fat. But I am pre-diabetic at 5'7 and a size 14. I am now a size 10. It's dull indeed to have to watch my waistline. But so does DH. Men care about their health too.

There's nothing deeply interesting about being genetically prone to diabetes and heart disease, I assure you. I am n ot defying the patriarchy by putting on weight. I am just putting myself in an early grave.

The entire problem with the whole debate.

"Is size X fat?"

It depends. The end.

"Am I overweight/obese?"

Check your BMI.

I do agree with that @NonPlayerCharacter . 14 is an unhealthy size for me. For someone else, maybe not.

You're not wrong but as a PP said...the focus is always on dress sizes, which are inconsistent and arbitrary and not universally definable as "fat", "curvy", "gorgeous" or whatnot. BMI is a bit of a blunt tool and not perfect, but it's the only way to determine how healthy your weight is on its own, and you can take into account other factors if you think you'll be throwing it off for some reason.

The question wasn't about health or weight, it was about dress sizes and looks. Sadly, that's how most women frame the question.

I know a lot of men. Men care, and think about, and talk about their weight and appearance just as much as women do - if this wasn’t the case, gyms would lose about 80% of their membership. I think the difference is that men broadly tend far less to ascribe some sort of moral grounding to their weights, as they haven’t been socialised with the same sense of shame or personal failing in being fat that women have. Many women will come up with all kinds of reasons to explain away why they are fat (pregnancy / baby weight, hormonal imbalance, genetics) which avoid acknowledging that they eat too much and don’t exercise enough; whereas DH and my male friends will happily admit that their extra pounds are because they like beer and pizza too much and prefer watching sport on the TV at the pub to running around doing it. They have a different perspective on it due to socialisation.

It really depends where you buy your clothes. I'm a size 14, I'm 5ft 10in. I'm classed (according to bmi) as about 3lbs over weight (I do have 34GG breasts). My jeans are from Mango, I'd say they are spot on for sizing, I have another pair of Mango jeans in a 14 that fitted when I was a size 16 so they're definitely generous. I've recently lost 2 stone, one of the 2 I put on due to being on HRT for a month then stopping, I lost the other by walking 6 miles a day and eating better. Now when I see a dress I like and try it in, it looks good. At a size 12 I look fantastic, anything under that size and I look a bit too thin and it takes its toll on me due to restrictive eating. I'm happy at this size, all my clothes look good.

Actually I've just checked. My bmi is 24.5. I am no longer classed as overweight.

But is this thread genuinely talking about health, or about appearance?

Well, you do have a point @IanCurtisdancing the two have been conflated. I don't look at only one indicator. I look at my BMI, my waist size, and some other stuff. Dress size seems a very poor guide.

And this is the issue I think. People correlate health with weight/size/dress size and never take any other factors into account.

all the slim people I work with are atrociously unhealthy in their lifestyle, but because it’s not “visable” they are left alone.

i follow plenty and larger women on instagram who are physically fit as fuck and all they get are comments telling them they are fat pigs and are gonna die despite the fact they are LITERALLY AT A GYM.

Yes, I think we can all kid ourselves with dress size. A pair of size 12 jeans from 20 years ago will now be tiny compared to a pair of Next size 12s today.

The problem is with weight, especially for women, any discussion involves two very different factors. How healthy one is and how attractive one is. Two entirely different things, but blurred. The OP here is asking if size 14 is fat. Which probably means, is size 14 still attractive? Is it normal? Is it OK, or will I be judged and seen as less aesthetically pleasing because of it? She could also be asking if it is a health risk, but in honesty from the phrasing of the post I'd say that's a secondary concern.
So, the answers would be, size 14 is 'normal' it's highly unlikely in our society anyone will be looking askance at the size of you, and depending on your overall look you may or may not be considered attractive. Without seeing you, it's impossible to say. But being a size 14 doesn't mean you definitely aren't.

I can't quote @IanCurtisdancing as it's already quoting but it's such a good point.

I'm sure I have read that around the mildly overweight end of BMI so lets say 26-28 the jury's out it's actually any unhealthier than being within the 18-25 range.

I'd also point out that a) many women and indeed men of yore were thinner because they smoked and b) my DM who for years has subconsciously boasted about how much thinner she is than me now has crippling osteoporosis which I wouldn't wish in anyone ( although I could really do without her unhelpfully pointing out I'm less likely to get it because I'm not thin (size 14)).

So I get being over a certain weight can't be healthy, but there are lots of other factors as well and it's just too easy to point and judge because someone is a bit bigger than you.

Didn't expect so many replies to this.

I suppose I was asking from the shallow 'do I look fat' for attractiveness standpoint. However as I get older I am more conscious of my health in general. I do eat too much junk and I do drink too much. These things impact my weight for sure but they also impact my general health.

I have young dc and work, also renovating a house and have no family help with the kids. Life is hectic and stressful and I suppose I do use food and alcohol as comfort/treats to get me through. I seem to be constantly running around but I don't make time for exercise per se because frankly I don't enjoy it and I just can't be arsed.

But I know as the kids grow up and I get a bit of 'me time' back I need to address these things, being overweight is one thing but being unhealthy is another.

Appreciate all viewpoints here. It's definitely not a straightforward yes/no answer.

I think if you reduce your treats/alcohol by just a bit and do some clever swaps, it will help.Drink and chocolate only on the weekend? It's what I do, and I am in menopause.

Very similar life to you (no help, been through renovations etc). Exercise definately doesn’t have to be the gym (never step foot in a gym). We try and make our days out based around walks - country parks etc. Also, walking best thing for stress aswell - I always feel so much better after a long walk at the weekend and more able to keep on top of everything at home after getting out and about. Its not easy without any family help - hang in there through the renovations!

Fact is, we are never satisfied. Body dismorphia is real. And many women size 12 feel fat, And many size 10 feel fat. Because the pressure is there, constantly, from the magazines, social media, etc, etc, etc.

On the other hand, we have the recent almost 'bigger the better' and that's ok, as a reaction to the above. So many stars in the media, acting, singing- who are not size 14 chubby- but size 26 and above.

Somewhere, is common sense, somewhere in the middle. Many of you will say size 14 is fat- many will dream of being a size 14. And many will accept that 14 is OK, as long as fit, active and healthy living.

If you're 4'8, yes- if you're 5'6, no.

I was 9st 10 without an ounce of fat left to lose and a size 14 because of my hips & boobs.

Just depends on your body type tho. I'm 5'6, currently a size 14 and weigh 12st2 which is overweight and I would say I am fat

I'm 5ft 3 - when I was a size 14 (trousers), I was within my healthy BMI range, admittedly at the top end, but definitely in the healthy range! My waist and top were tiny though - size 10. I just had gargantuan hips and thighs. My mom used to say I looked like a cut and shut - like two different women glued together.

I'd kill to be a size 14 now! 😂