Do I look 3-5 stone overweight?

[Obsesetits]

I know I’m overweight, absolutely.

I also know we shouldn’t take much notice of BMI because it’s a load of rubbish. But I checked anyway to see what a normal healthy range would be for my height/age and it’s coming up with between 6st 11lbs, and 9st 2lbs. I’m 12st 2lbs currently, I have a 5 and 3 year old and until recently had a 9-5 WFH job so I got too comfortable too close to the fridge 🤣

Even as a teen I’ve always had wider hips, bigger thighs and I was an E cup at 14. So I’ve always seen myself as on the curvier side. I’m much more jiggly now after two kids but I cannot ever imagine myself to be 7stone?! I was really shocked to see that I should lose 3-5 stone! I was expecting maybe 2-3.. but over 3 seems impossible without having a breast reduction 🤣

ps… ignore my extremely discoloured bra and non-matching undies.. it was a comfort day 🤣

Oh I missed your height
at 5ft you would definitely need to lose 4 stone min
as others have said we have lost sight of what’s healthy and overweight

trouble is for most peoples when they lose that amount of weight they have the loose skin which can be worse to deal with

I think you’re well in proportion and it sounds like you could get your figure back by being disciplined about snacks and keeping fit.

I am currently on a weight loss plan because I’ve been carrying about 2.5 stone too much weight and it is destroying me knees! It is MUCH easier to lose weight before menopause. Please don’t leave it too long to make a start - you’ll regret it if you wake up at 50 with so many aches and pains.

Start with getting fit and giving up alcohol, white bread/white pasta and snacks - it’s horrible at first and getting started is awful but once you start losing weight you’ll feel so motivated!

I recommend cycling, walking, swimming, yoga, dancing, weights and some basic keep fit - all these can be done very cheaply and often you can involve the kids too!

There is a content creator on youtube called The Institute of Human Anatomy, creating videos about anatomy using cadavers.
This video is about visceral fat.

We are a society need to stop viewing our bodies as being linked to our value. Having fat in our bodies is a fact. Many of us have too much visceral fat. We give too much power to words, and try to dress up facts with synonyms like 'curvy'. We can measure it with BMI, or our weight. The fact is that the amount of fat around our organs causes us humans to experience many medical problems.

OP, like many of us, has too much fat in her body. It can be for many reasons that humans acquire too much fat. But the fact remains, that fat is bad for our bodies... but does not make us bad people.

OP has recognised this, and might act on it. There are few of us who couldn't do more to be better to our bodies - the bodies that carry us around our world to the end of our days, whose functionality is essential to the ease in which we live and the longevity of our human experience. But we only live one life and no one will ever know what our lives could have been if we'd eaten more organic foods or gone for a run once a week.

As others have said, we've all become so used to seeing fat bodies, that a body within ideal healthy range looks underweight to most of us. This applies to our children too. Improving our health can make our lives better, but it doesn't make us better people. The way we look is the least important part of who we are. But making choices that prioritise our health might make life easier for us in the long run.

I'm 5'3.5 and 8st 7lbs, middle of healthy BMI, so I think 7st would be too unrealistic for somebody 5'0. BMI gives a wide weight range though as it accommodates all different body types so you may feel better at the top end rather than lower end of it.

I'm 44 with 4 kids so I think healthy weight is achievable at any age. It just takes more work the older we get

Sorry meant 7st wouldn't be too unrealistic!

We're all different...I'm 5'3". 8.5 stone is the lowest weight I've ever been as an adult...I only achieved that by being incredibly unwell with an awful infection and physically unable to eat. I can't imagine how little I'd have to eat to be in the 7 stone bracket.

I am also 5ft and 10 stone 7. Biggest I've ever been. I have a double chin :( hate having my photo taken

I started weight watchers 3 days ago. Would love to have others to share the journey xx

My DD is 17, she's the same height as you and 7 stone. She is TINY so I don't think you need to aspire to 7 stone.
Maybe aim for a 3-3.5 stone loss, to get you into the healthy BMI range.
I don't think you look bad at all - v curvy, but a nice hourglass with a defined waist - but you would probably look and feel better if you lost weight.

ps. I was obese in April, and after a lifetime of yoyo dieting and the weight creeping up and up each time, I bit the bullet and went on Mounjaro. It's not for everyone, but it has completely changed my attitude to food - I can now see how much I overate & over-indulged in alcohol.. I've lost 29lb so far, and I must say the MJ makes it easier.

Your body looks similar to mine when I was 13.5 stone and I was 3 stone overweight then so yeah. I'm now 11 stone (Mounjaro) and can see the difference massively. You don't realise when you're overweight how fat sits all over your body, it's not just bum/belly/thighs. My face looks so different, my collarbone is visible, my arms look different, even my feet feel different and have lost a shoe size. By the time a person has an enormous protruding belly they are more than just a bit overweight, they are seriously obese, because fat lays down all over your body which is a huge surface area really.

Short answer:Yes.

She needs to lose 3 stone to be healthy, why are you saying 4 stone minimum? And losing 3 stone doesn't lead to loose skin.

Maybe 2-3 stone imo to look like a healthy weight. I do think build makes a difference. At the top of Dh’s bmi range he looks skeletal, bones jutting out everywhere.

If you aren’t interested in BMI look at your waist to height ratio, it’s a much better indicator of health risk than BMI.

I’m 5 ft 6 and 11st 2 after losing almost 3.5 stone on mounjaro ( I won’t start that here though ) .
at 11 stone I’m right at the top of healthy BMI , 25 for ref , if I lost anymore I’d be too thin in my opinion, and that of others who’s opinion I value and trust . BMI is a lot of rubbish , my own GP agreed .
I still have boobs, belly , thighs and curves , I don’t want to be a size 8 , not knocking anyone who is ,
but at a 12/14 I’m happy and healthy .
you know your own body best , but from your photo I would say you are overweight , you know this , but 5 stone overweight I would say definitely not .
As others have said get a stone off and see how you feel

Yes, you could loose 3-5 stone.

With kindness, you can see that fat is a significant part of your body composition. You have a lovely shape, but that shape is because of your structure under the fat and not the fat itself. You will look better and feel much healthier after shedding a good amount of it.

Start with aiming to lose 3 stone (eat high protein and do weights to preserve as much muscle as you can to make sure as much as possible of the weight lost is actually fat). Then, see how you feel and evaluate next steps (lose more vs. maintain).

Im built like you and same height.
Need to get back to stone. 8.5 I was thinking
Well I need to get under 10 stone as was 11 after holiday

You’re a really nice shape. I’m a couple of inches taller than you but apple shaped and at ten and a half stone looked enormous. You definitely don’t need to lose five stone! I lost two stone and am now a size 8. I look slim but far from skinny. Remember the range includes really slight women who would look big with even just an extra stone

Sorry, dont know what happened to my post
Need to get under 9 stone ideally
At least under 10
8.5 I was pretty thin.

I lost 3 stone and while my loose skin is not that obvious unless you're looking for it, it is there. My skin type (dry with eczema and psoriasis) may have something to do with it but it's true.

OP my advice is to take it step by step and keep checking in with how you feel. But yes I would say that the range you've quoted is not unrealistic.

We all carry weight differently. I looked like you at 15 stone. Now I’m 12 stone 13 and look slimmer. I ignore the guidelines though. At my lightest (gym 4x pw, no booze, eggs and grapefruit 2x per day) I never got below 10st 5, and was a size 10.

Totally honestly? Yes you do look like you could lose some weight but 5 stone is unrealistic. That would put you at an almost underweight BMI, which is exactly where I am now although I’m taller than you, and even though I’m a “healthy weight” in all honestly I look (and am) ill! I have literally been mistaken for a crack head when visiting a recovery centre for work… that was embarrassing for all concerned!

I wrote out a long post and lost it!

I am the same height as you and have recently lost over 3st. I started at 12st 2 and now 8st 10. I have never been lower than 11st 7 as an adult, and have been overweight since being a pre-teen. I could never have imagined being 8st something as it sounds so light to me, but now I look back at photos I can’t believe how big I really was. I was completely blind to it as I’ve never known any different, and being a size 12/14 seemed very normal to me so I didn’t feel ‘big.’

I had a very similar build to you. Hourglass with larger hips, bum and legs. I didn’t think it was possible for me to be on the slimmer side and thought it was just my build. I now still have a slightly hourglass shape but realise most of it was just pure fat around my hips and bum, rather than my bone structure.

I feel incredible now. I wish I’d been able to do it years ago and not spent the past 25 years overweight. It’s amazing from a vanity point of view but also my mobility has improved so much even though I haven’t really exercised bar walking the dog. Even just losing 1-2 stone made a huge difference. I can walk up a hill without getting out of breath, hop up onto the kitchen counter to clean the tops of the cupboards without even thinking twice about it, last week I jumped into the boot of the car to fix something with no effort at all. It really has been life changing for me.

At 5'3 7st would probably be underweight for you. OP is three inches shorter though so 7st is within range for her.

I did say though that BMI gives a wide weight range and she might be feel better at top end rather than bottom end ie a BMI of 24 rather than 19

I couldn’t agree more. I really like my actual shape if I’m honest. But I am carrying too much fat which I’m aware of.

I used to be a snacker, and it’s hard not to with two kids.. I just wasn’t strict enough on myself. And some mental health issues destroyed my motivation. But recently found out I have suspected hyper mobility issues and the big point I’ve read is that people with HM have had to work hard to stay at a healthy weight and exercise to help with the symptoms. I’m definitely more symptomatic the heavier I’ve got so I really want to work hard to get my weight down.. save my hips and knees at least 🤣

Thanks all! Really appreciate all of the comments. Setting my starting point to when the kids go back to school/nursery and going to start getting on track to shift some weight!

I’m not necessarily an unhealthy eater, but I’m a terrible snacker. My usual meals are mostly salads, fish and veg, and I eat a ton of veg so I know it’s possible to shed it without having to hard-core diet. I just need to stop Bladdy snacking and move around 🤣

Sorry just re-read your posts and got confused. I am 5ft 3 so taller than you, so you could definitely be in the lower end of the 8st range. But as others have said, people carry weight very differently. You do look very similar to how I did at your current weight though so basing my opinion on that 😃