normal, overweight, obese

nas24

So i've set my goal to the weight i feel my best and feel that i look my best...i still want to have a nice butt and boobs, lol. When i look up what i should weight for my height, it says between 110-140... and my goal is 140, which is borderline overweight to normal. Its interesting to me that the weight that all my family and friends, and including myself, think i look very fit and healthy is considered over weight. I think when i was a size 4 almost size 2 i was 130 lbs... and people never believed me... lol. I don't know if my body just hides it well or what, but i hated the way my body was when i was size 4 because my breast went away and i think women should have boobs and a butt. So i guess my question is... the weight goal that you have set, is it set to that for you to be the right weight for your height? Or is it that for you to get to the weight you feel you look and feel your best?

Melmade

Feel & look your best... but also the place you're most able to maintain. That's what I think...

Cinnamonie

I'm the same way...no one believes me when I say my weight, or that I'm considered Obese. I'm really, in pants, a 12 and occasionally a 14...Isn't that pretty average for the overweight scale? not 'obese'? You can be honest it's ok (Oh, and I'm 5'7'')

I mean, maybe that's just them being nice to us....

I think we all carry weight differently, we must have lots of dense muscles under there that are taking up all this weight

luvlite2

The stuff you read in the books (i believe) are quite misleading. I don't think every 5'2" person is healty and looks their best at 125lbs. I set my goal to where I look and feel my best. I would look sick if I was 125lbs. Oddly enough..when I was 215 I was fine as wine and as healty as a horse and I stand only 5'3". Body composition has a lot to do with it. So, don't go trying to match what the books say you should weigh for your height..Good Luck!

juliapurpletoes

a little bit of both actually! but in the end I guess I focus more on body fat percentage a the best indicator of health.

Sadly over the last few decades, folks have become complacent with being over weight and over fat.......restaurant portions are so huge it makes us feel that's what is correct to eat and our over stuffed lifestyles make it hard to impossible to exercise and enjoy it.

There is so much to consider when trying to find your right weight, but for me it is a combination of health and how I want to see myself in the mirror.

rml_16

I'm the same way...no one believes me when I say my weight, or that I'm considered Obese. I'm really, in pants, a 12 and occasionally a 14...Isn't that pretty average for the overweight scale? not 'obese'? You can be honest it's ok (Oh, and I'm 5'7'')

I mean, maybe that's just them being nice to us....

I think we all carry weight differently, we must have lots of dense muscles under there that are taking up all this weight

Obese and overweight are numbers on the scale not the size of your clothes. What size you wear depends a lot on how you carry your weight. If you carry it evenly, you'll wear smaller sizes than if you carry it all in one place (belly, hips, etc.).

At 5'3", I was on the cusp of obese at 166 pounds. I didn't look 166 pounds, but I can easily be 115 and still look very healthy and good. My friend is 120 and 5'4". She looks about 110 because she's got a lot of muscle.

_gwen

I talk to my doctor during my annual checkup. Everyone is different.

annetterene

I am not sure if my weight goal is what I look the best at because I haven't been that weight since the 6th grade, but I can tell you that I will still be 17 lbs "overweight" according to the charts when I hit my goal.

JEtOH

If you're basing this on Body Mass Index - don't base it on Body Mass Index.

BMI is not meant for use on individuals. There's no science to the idea that height squared and body weight should be proportional. The equation was actually manipulated to fit a data a particular data set for a particular demographic, there's no reasoning behind it.

On a population level it can make some predictions but even these are not powerful. It is only to be as a general guideline when extrapolated over large populations.

Additionally, weight does not increase proportionally with height so as you get taller the equation actually becomes skewed towards recommending lower weights than it should. Use body fat % as a more accurate indicator of your progress and don't worry about BMI!

TNAJackson

My goal weight still puts me at overweight... it's currently set at 165. I felt good about myself and felt like I looked ok at that weight. When I get there, I'll make an executive decision as to whether I want to simply maintain or if I want to lose a few more pounds. 145 would probably be the lowest I would go, simply because any lower and I think my body would look unhealthy. I have a bigger frame. :laugh:

LesliePierceRN

I'm not concerned with what a bunch of "experts" set as a "typical" healthy weight for height ratio.. because I am not in any way, shape or form, typical. I am a short, thick powerhouse, and at a comfortable (no squeezing or muffintop) size 4 I weigh in at around 145 pounds. I'm also 5'2" tall.. I have a butt and c-cup boobs, which I am not willing to give up to drop weight. I am also muscular, and that weighs much more than fat as well. I'm pretty happy with what I've got going on, and can't even imagine how emaciated I'd have to look to drop 20 more pounds! Yuck!

fteale

I am 130 lbs or a bit less right now. Maybe 128. Either way, bang in the middle of healthy BMI wise, and yet everyone is telling me I am too thin. I don't look thin. I still have plenty of arm flab, so I don't know what they mean. Maybe it's because I have very narrow hips, so I look very small in jeans?

Silchi24

I have to agree with Cinnomonie. I to am 5'7 and I do want to weight about 140. Right now I weigh 180 and that is extremly overweight for me.

I have huge boobs and I love them so being 180 right now doesn't enhance that part of my body. I know for a fact that being at my ideal 140 it will make me happy.

Good luck! :happy:

melsinct

Charts, shmarts.

We all hold weight differently, which is why you have to stick with a weight that looks good on you and screw whatever charts say. I am 5'7" and currently weight 147 and am a size 8/10 (US). I see a lot of people on MFP who are my height with a goal weight of 125. I have been 120 pounds (in high school) and I was skinny. Like skeleton skinny. No way would that work for my frame or even be attainable.

Silchi24

Charts, shmarts.

We all hold weight differently, which is why you have to stick with a weight that looks good on you and screw whatever charts say. I am 5'7" and currently weight 147 and am a size 8/10 (US). I see a lot of people on MFP who are my height with a goal weight of 125. I have been 120 pounds (in high school) and I was skinny. Like skeleton skinny. No way would that work for my frame or even be attainable.

I am 5'7" too and I once was 125 too. I hated it cause I never looked health.

stefchica

i hate those guidelines...those were set like back in the 50's or 60's when the average weight was WAAAAYYY different, along with those waist ratio things. It just depends how your carrying your weight and if you want a TRUE body fat reading, you have to get that done somewhere where they know what they're doing, i think you lay in the water and they measure your body fat that way. so depending on your height, your bone structure and density thats how to determine your healthy weight. i go by measurements and just fit of clothes. scale does help yes, but ultimately, if the scale says i'm 180 and i fit into a size 9 jean and no belly fat and the chart says i'm overweight still? screw em....

slimmingdownsteph

I set my goal for 140lbs (I'm 5'4" so pretty much almost the MOST I can be to be "healthy", like you set your goal), but I promised myself that if I ever reached a weight beforehand (or maybe even a lower weight & I'd keep going) I'd stop and just maintain that weight

Because I've been overweight my whole life I've never known what my body would look like at other weights.
This way, I can still have a "goal" to be "healthy", but it can change if I feel like my body is good at a higher weight (for example 160lbs). Just remember you can always stop at a higher weight & just continue to tone. That way, you'll keep your curves & you'll still be fit. Because I agree with you, curves are awesome! haha :)

bcattoes

Goal weights are generalizations and on MFP based on BMI alone. Search for a calulator that includes waist to height ratio (webmd has one). This plus BMI is the best way to determine a healthy weight without equipment or medical tests. According to BMI alone I need to lose one more pound to be a healthy weight. But when I add my waist to height ratio I am at a healthy weight even if I gain a couple of pounds. This is because I have boobs and hips. People who are hourglass or pear shaped can carry more healthy weight because weight in the hips is healthier than weight around your middle. Likewise, someone who is apple shaped may score a healthy weight by BMI alone, but could be pushed up to unhealthy if their waist is too big.

SoDamnHungry

I'm 5'7'', my sister is 5'4'', we weigh the same, and she looks thinner. And it isn't an overabundance of muscle on her part. It just depends on how you wear it.

Espressocycle

I don't know how it was determined what is overweight vs. obese in the BMI charts, but I absolutely think women look best when they are just a little "overweight" on the BMI. Everything I've read says that health risks of extra weight don't really start until you are obese anyway. For me to get to "normal" BMI for a 6'1" male I would have to drop to 185, but my doc says that would be crazy given my frame and activity level. I was on some site that showed you what weight the average person of your sex and height was most happy with, and mine was 198.

danimoon67

I'm 5'7 and am pretty content at 173. I think much of that has to do with the fact that I've come down 100 pounds plus. My doctor was also willing to say that 175 is a healthy, maintainable weight for me even tho on the BMI chart I'm still considered overweight.

ltlane

im 5'1 and my weight is apparently supposed to be 105-130, and 130 is near being overweight. i chose 130 because its on the higher end of the bmi yet considered normal. i have D breast now, back then it was a C(was ages ago, could have been a small C)... God wonder what its going to be like to get there again.... i want to weigh less then 130 but if the breast go i cant do it... i never had much of an *kitten* so to lose the breast as well... there goes the eye candy :laugh:

rml_16

im 5'1 and my weight is apparently supposed to be 105-130, and 130 is near being overweight. i chose 130 because its on the higher end of the bmi yet considered normal. i have D breast now, back then it was a C(was ages ago, could have been a small C)... God wonder what its going to be like to get there again.... i want to weigh less then 130 but if the breast go i cant do it... i never had much of an *kitten* so to lose the breast as well... there goes the eye candy :laugh:

I was a large C cup since I was 10 years old and I weighed 110 pounds through high school. After I had my daughter, they went up to a D (or DD in some brands). I don't lose my boobs as I lose weight. I WISH I did!

I think the BMI scale, considering how broad it is, is a pretty good general idea for the majority of the population. At 5'3", I can weigh anywhere from 103-141 and be considered a healthy BMI. A broad range like that certainly must take build and muscle mass into consideration.

kimiel51

I use the mirror and if I don't like what I see, then I know I need to make changes! It's pretty simple really! Now making those changes is a whole other story!:bigsmile:

linbee83

I think where you feel best, that's fine. I don't listen to those measurement things. If you are healthy, that's what counts. Those measurements are too old anyway. And I agree...we were meant to have butts & boobs. We were made to hold fat in those areas for a reason! My hubby would be pissed if I lost too much of either!

nas24

Yeah i have already talked to my doc about my weight and she instantly stopped me and said that she wasn't too concerned about my weight because all my levels (BP, HR and everything else you can measure) were all healthy. I was the one that choose to make this change because i felt like it was affecting my knees and my energy level. Plus i deal with depression and thought that all of those are things that can be reversed if i just loose some weight and have a healthier lifestyle. I have already notice a big difference in my knees and my depression, so its all for the better.

shakybabe

According to stuff online I should be between 8 and a half and 10 and a half stone for my height (5ft 3 and half).. I'm currently 11st 12 (from 12st 7) ..Wii fit says I should be 9st 3... I'm quite large in the boobs and butt dept...I can't see me getting to 9st 3 or under!

My arms and legs are quite shapely.. All of my weight is around my abdomen/waist though from been sat in a wheelchair for 6 years. I need to lose some to make sitting less painful and to make it easier for when people need to lift me about... I was thinking 9 and half stone would be ok..then in case of illness I have a spare stone to lose before I was considered underweight.

I'd like to get near to 11 by end of this year then I'll have to lose the last stone and half next year (can be my new years resolution!)

jjs22

Like someone said, BMI is used to describe a large group of people in a study. It's a great tool for researchers, because you can't go back to 1930 and measure someone's total body fat. But if you have height and weight you CAN calculate a BMI and try to study health patterns. And in the present, its much cheaper and easier to measure height and weight; nobody could afford to accurately measure body fat for 10,000 people every few months for a decade !

So the results of most large health studies are stated in terms of BMI. That might be a good description of what's healthy for an "average" person, but nobody is average.

One thing that is more of a health concern for men than women is WHERE the fat is located. The fat most of us think of is right under the skin, and usually spread around all over the body. But there's also fat deep inside your abdomen, surrounding your internal organs. Too much of this makes you swell up around the middle, even though your abdominal muscles are on top so it doesn't feel soft and squishy. This kind of fat (called Ventral fat) is much more strongly connected to health problems like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and so on.

Anyway, if you are fit and healthy and feel good about your body, that's fantastic. Set your goals to something you can attain and maintain and feel good with.

skylark94

I HATE BMI charts!

I am 5'4" and have set an inital goal of 145 for myself. The lowest I've been since high school was 142, and at that weight I was training for a marathon and not having to stuff myself into a size 4. I consider myself a large frame with a nice butt and a C cup. 145 is only 1 pound under the BMI range of overweight, but I think it's a very healthy weight for me.

fteale

The thing is, when I was 150 lbs, I thought I wouldn't suit getting below 135. Now I am 128, I can see I still have weight to lose. Not much, but some. You just can't know until you get there.

dad106

I'm 5'8/5'9 and I started out at 180.. Even though that was considered overweight by BMI standards, because I'm so tall, I didn't look overweight. Now that I'm down to 155(about smack dab in the middle of normal according to BMI), I feel like i look "normal" Ie: not too thin but no muffin top or bulging stomach either.

I want to eventually get down to 140 because thats the weight on my drivers license and I would like my actual weight and my drivers license weight to match eventually. I'm waiting to get down to 150 before I re-assess and see if I need to lose anymore. I don't think I will, but I may.