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 mean, I know I asked the question but this is a bit much.

I have friends who are much bigger than me and still 'look good' because they have great style. Being able to dress a larger body well is half of the battle in my opinion. I genuinely think if I had long luscious hair, great make up skills and a fabulous wardrobe I wouldn't care that much about my weight.

Sizing isn't standard, and what size someone wears depends on things like the garment's shape, cut and fit (loose vs tight). I wear size 12 sometimes but BMI is 20. So a person that wears size 14 isn't fat necessarily. But classifying people according to what's printed on size labels is really imprecise.

Clothes sizes are pretty meaningless. At an average size 14 / 42, I have a BMI of 24 and my waist-height ratio is healthy, but I am tall and have a large build. Others could be obese at a size 14.

Your waist needs to be less than half your height to be healthy, in terms of risk of metabolic disorders like diabetes and heart disease. This is regardless of your BMI, which is a blunt tool. I need to keep my BMI at 24.5 max to maintain the waist-height ratio, others may need to get it lower.

For me it is, at 5ft 4. Unless I went full body builder perhaps, I can't envisage a circumstance where I could be a size 14 (my current size) and not fat. I'm pear shaped. I have sizeable thighs, hips, some fetching back rolls and a pair of bingo wings.

Currently on a mission to get back down to a 10.

Likely overweight unless tall, and obese if short.
I'm a size 14 and my BMI is 27. It's definitely not muscle, it's fat 😔

Depends massively on build. I'm currently a 14 and am definitely fat but one of my friends is a 14 and she's slim and athletic looking. But then she is 10 inches taller than me with a very different bone structure. I'm short with a very small skeleton and to be honest it takes a fair bit of excess body fat to get me to be a 14. I should really be a 10 or less. My friend is tall with broader shoulders and quite muscular as she plays a lot of sport but she is not fat at all. In isolation dress size doesn't tell you anything really.

My DH also does not want me to lose weight as at my age it would mean saggy skin, older looking face and smaller boobs😁

Fat is not the same as obese which is more like very fat.

I am 5 foot 8, size 14 and definitely fat so working on it.

Fat is a bit harsh, but overweight? Probably.

I’m 5 ft 6 and a 14…. I am definitely fat.

I'm a size 12-14 but I'm short. I don't think I'm fat but I know that clinically, I am obese. Generally I don't think size 14 is fat.

I tend to meet more overweight people than not - so likely yes. Although it does depend on height.

Fat is one of those things you cannot say, even if it is true. Like many things nowadays. Deny the truth to keep people happy.

Go by your waist to height ratio, it should be under half to be healthy, so at 5'7" your waist should measure under 85cm/33".

For me, it is overweight. Clothing sizes are irrelevant these days.

No.

I think clothing sizes have changed too which may be shifting our perception of sizes. My mum found a pair of M&S jeans from the early 90s and passed them to me. They were a size 18 and the waist was 30''. A size 18 in M&S now has a waist of 36 1/4 ''.

Yes, this. I've been a solid 14 in my time. Now between 10 and 12. I have lost a bit of weight but not that much. Dress sizes seem completely arbitrary and vanity sizing is definitely a thing. So don't go by your dress size, go by what you see. A roll of fat indicates some degree of overweight.

I'm an athletic build, 5'11". I look like I'm carrying excess weight at size 14. I'm not fat, exactly, but I'm definitely on the solid side and my face looks softer!

That's because the average person is overweight ie. fat.

It depends on your height and build. I’m 5ft 3 and have a small frame, so if I got to a size 14 I think I would be fat. But people who are taller than broader could be that size and not be fat.

But it's not necessarily. I'm 5'4, I'm currently a size 14. I've lately had a baby and I always seem to store fat for about a year and then it goes. But my BMI is 26... I'm bigger than I would ideally like but not 'very overweight'.

I've got a massive arse and need size 14 trousers while having a BMI of 23 so I don't think it's totally clear cut. That said, I'm sure there are people out there that would still call me fat.

You probably wouldn't. And by the same token, at size 8 I dress in cheap stuff knowing it will look OK, and wear hardly any make up. Because looking 'good' doesn't come down to one characteristic alone. It's a combination of figure, hair, face and presentation. I'm not going to lie, being the 'right' weight for your height and frame does a lot of the heavy lifting if you want to fit our society's idea of what looks good, and makes life easier in many ways. It's really up to you though whether the sacrifice in what you eat/drink and your lifestyle is worth it.

A size 14 waist measurement for clothes is 32 inches (I think!) so if you're 5ft0 this is over half your height and you're gonna look round (fat). If you're 5ft9 it's comfortably under half your height and you will probably look average rather than slim. I'm a 12-14 depending on how well my diets going and 5ft7. I think I look a little overweight at my top size and about right in the lower size. So like everyone else has already said, size 14 is fat on a short person but could be slim on a 6 footer! Think of your average man with a 32 inch waist!

You probably do look good. Friends who are 4 sizes bigger than me look better than me, because I carry my weight around my tummy in menopause. Their weight is evenly distributed.

Health, of course, is a different issue and a size 14 is not a good size for many, especially POC like myself who have diabetes in the family.