To not understand why people think size 16 is healthy?

[SerenaCat93]

Disclaimer, I am not skinny, I never have been. I have PCOS and have struggled with my weight my whole life so I'm not an armchair Kate Moss judging overweight people, I am overweight myself!

I used to be a lot bigger than I am now but I am currently a size 12/14 depending where I shop. I am still a stone overweight at size 12/14 and I am not a small woman, I am 5ft 8 with broad shoulders. If I got into to my healthy weight range I would be a size 10 on bottom and 12 on top probably. So I can't understand for the life of my why people think a size 16 is healthy? Even for tall/broad women it is still very overweight. It usually correlates to a BMI of about 30.

I used to be one of those people that thought BMI was bullshit because some of us have a lot of muscle/dense bones bla bla but actually it's not. My BMI is 27 and i have a lot of muscle, I'm athletic with huge quads and calves, strong core muscles but being brutally honest about it, I do still have a belly (apple shape) that shouldn't be there and if I lost it I would be in the healthy BMI range. Even with all my muscle mass and dense bones (My body composition scales tell me I have above average bone and muscle mass for a woman my size/age so I'm not imagining it) I would still be in the healthy weight range if I lost my belly.

I saw a post on FB where a woman showed a picture of a model wearing an outfit and then a picture of her wearing it and she's a size 16. She looked fantastic in it, she was beautiful and I'm not for one minute saying that being a size 16 makes someone look huge or that they shouldn't be wearing certain things because that's not true at all. Lots of larger women look incredible and wear fashionable clothes, as they should. This is purely about health. Lots of comments about how the clothes look better on a "healthy size 16" and when anyone pointed out that while the lady looked fabulous, a size 16 is NOT HEALTHY and is actually overweight/bordering obesity for many they were met with lots of laughing emojis and told they were being ridiculous/stupid. Conversely posters were calling the healthy weight model a stick/coat hanger etc. and saying how she looked half starved and was unhealthy, which she absolutely wasn't. She was a size 8, which is healthy and definitely not starved.

I know that size 16 is average in the UK. I thought people understood that average and healthy were different things though. The whole thing just baffled me to be honest so I'm interested in hearing other women's thoughts on it!

Who says it’s healthy? I wouldn’t think a size 16 is healthy in terms of BMI

Depends entirely on height. A size 16 on a 5 foot 0 woman looks totally different to a 5 foot 9 woman. I’d say one is much likelier to be healthier than the other.
Also health is based on much more than weight/size. It’s only one piece of the puzzle.

Size 16 isn’t usually healthy, but then I suppose being underweight isn’t healthy either.

I think some people delude themselves with what’s healthy and what’s not.

Great. Another post to make women feel shit about themselves.

Find something useful to do OP.

What's interesting is women who are overweight are more likely to survive a heart attack or other health crisis that someone fo normal BMI. So I guess it depends what you consider healthy

I have never heard anyone say it's healthy.

It's not enormous, but it's definitely obese for most people.

I think a lot of people are in denial about BMI as well. Yes if you are rock solid rugby player or a body builder it's probably going to be wrong. But most people aren't that muscly.

I agree with you OP, depending on TOTM, heatwave, whether I have been to the loo I am either too of healthy BMI or very lower end of overweight. I am quite muscular and do a lot of exercise but I also have fat bits still that definitely account for still being a little tiny bit overweight e.g. too much fat on inner thighs, belly and upper arms, but it's subtle and not loads of it, but definitely too much. So exactly what you would expect for being a tiny bit overweight

YABU

Height and build and muscle mass matter hugely.

I’m 5’11 and a healthy BMI and size 12. I could probably put on another 2 stone and still be top end of a healthy BMI and I would definitely be a size 16.

Some people are very muscular, or have naturally big thighs/bum/breasts but don’t carry weight in an unhealthy way e.g. on their stomach.

I have a good friend who has to buy size 16 jeans and alter the waist to accommodate her bottom. She is not overweight.

I’m a solid modern 16, 5’9” and a BMI of 27. Some of us really do have big frames, especially at my age (57). I’m definitely still overweight and not healthy enough, but I’m doing quite well. Best to leave other people’s statistics alone.

Clothes size is an incredibly inaccurate way to discuss anything about someone's size, shape, fitness or health. Sizes differ greatly between shops, between styles and cut of clothes and preferred fit - close fitting, loose etc.

You cannot say that size 16 is very overweight bordering on obese for every woman who is that size, or even for the majority. In tops and dresses in particular, bra size affects choice of size for many women. Ratio of hips to waist also affects sizing for women in fitted trousers.

You can be a size 16 and be only moderately overweight (BMI less than 27) or even a healthy weight. You can certainly be totally healthy and even fit at that size.

For example, I am a size 12 to 14 at the moment, I am 5ft 5 and my BMI is in the healthy range. You are a size 12/14 and a stone overweight, so BMI 25 or higher. Both of us are the same clothes size, but only one of us is overweight.

My BMI was 32 at a size 16, never considered myself healthy but absolutely ignored the extent of my obesity.

My friend is a size 16 hips wise, she is also a smidge under 6ft.

Nope. It's a post about how a lot of women don't understand what is a healthy size, which is worrying because people can't make informed choices about their health if they don't know what is and isn't healthy.

I said multiple times in my post that this is purely about health and that the woman who made the post looked fantastic. What more can we do to not "make women feel shit about themselves" than just not talking about health at all?

This.

Fat bashing thread incoming....... ✈

(And a size 16 isn't even FAT. For most people.)

Nothing to see here...

I disagree, based on my own figure. I am 5ft 10.5 ins, weigh 62kg. I am very broad shouldered with wide hips, my BMI is19.8. I literally cannot get into a size 14 bottom. It's all about bone structure. I'm about as far from overweight as it's possible to get. So no, not all size 16 women are overweight and unhealthy!

Have we all LOST SIGHT OF WHAT A HEALTHY WEIGHT IS @SerenaCat93 ?????

😴

I’m 5ft 10 & sometimes need a 14 top particularly in designer brands as i have big boobs.

Why do have so many of these boring threads?! I should know better.

Do you think that your DISCLAIMER that you are 'not skinny' gives you the right to bash and berate others @SerenaCat93 ?

Hint: IT DOES NOT!

It's clearly projection

Thats not particularly fair...the op is commenting on clinical facts not making assumptions on her level of attractiveness,worth or intelligence.

I'm 5'8'' with broad shoulders and a muscular frame. I wear 14s and 16s mostly. I could do with losing a stone or so but I'm not obese and my health markers are pretty good (55 yo).

I have not berated anyone I said the woman looked fantastic multiple times. Are you confused?

@SerenaCat93so if you have seen the error of your ways and now understand more why are you still overweight?

What is decried as “too thin” on MN is almost always a normal, healthy, slender size. I’m a UK size 4-6 (which was a size 8 in the 90s, but don’t get me started on vanity sizing…) and have a healthy BMI and bags of energy. Never thought of myself as underweight in any way. Size 16 to me is absolutely huge, but I know that’s not a popular opinion.

It depends on height. Size 16 on me (5 ft 0) would be ginormous on a 6 foot woman probably not!