Have people's concepts of normal become too fat?

Cheeky_and_Geeky

Okay, hold the phone for a second here. Someone said the UK Special K girl is fat. That would be THIS girl?



Really? Again, THIS girl?



Fat?

Definitely not fat!

^^agreed! Very healthy looking

grrrlface

I'm a UK size 10 with 25% body fat... I'm not anywhere near 'thin', 'skinny' or what I would consider fit and normal. (A flat stomach and nice toned thighs and arms would be nice )

My body has the potential to be a lot smaller and fitter (as does everyone's). I'm aiming to be UK size 6 - 8.

Yet my friends and family tell me I'm getting too thin.
These are friends and family who I've seen put on weight over the past couple of years especially so now I really do look a lot smaller in comparison.

My boyfriend's mother is 7 and a half stone (105lbs) at 5'1", UK size 6 and I think she looks fabulous! Not too thin, and she's so fit! (She kicks my *kitten* at Insanity and she's an amazing runner!) She achieved all this in the last year and looks fab though other people say she look anoexic! (Which is bull!)

Charity2001

And this is exactly why having plus size models, clothing stores & the like have got to go. People now complain if they get charged more on a plane cause they are fat. They complain if there is no 'flattering' clothing to fit them in their size. They complain then when exercise equipment is not built for their weight.

It's become a world of fat people, an nobody bats an eye at it.

This view is just too extreme IMHO. Those who are overwight still have jobs and need to look professional. Airlines want to charge extra? Fine, let 'em. It's an incentive to lose weight. I've never heard the exercise equipment one, to be fair. But I walk outdoors as much as possible.

To the original question, define "normal." Average? BMI in a certain range? Pounds per inch of height? There are different body types. And "average" fluctuates. BMI is widely eschewed as not enough data to be helpful. Weight is the same...are those 100 pounds fat or muscle? There are too many variables, and we never know someone's motivation for gaining weight. Or losing for that matter. Be supportive, love your friends and family, and let everything else go.

Cheeky_and_Geeky

I have a 4.5 year old son, Kynan. Everyone tells us he is "too small". It didn't bother us until he started school this year, when we noticed bc a lot of people pointed it out infact he is smaller than other kids, not a lot smaller, but smaller none the less.
So we talked to his doctor about it...this is what she said. "He is perfect. I just weighed him and measured him. He is average for his age, he is exactly where he should be for his weight and he is a little bit above average for his height. Please keep in mind that Kynan may in fact be smaller than the other kids in his class, that's okay actually that is better than okay. The numbers for child hood obesity, in fact obesity in all ages is alarming. Obesity is an epidemic...Chances are the people who keep pointing this out to you need to realize that in fact their children might be overweight."
It was at that moment that I realized that society's perception of NORMAL is not infact normal at all.

This is so true. A couple of weeks ago I was with my daughter and 9 month old granddaughter for her dr visit. She is a healthy little baby girl, with a round belly and arm and leg rolls, like little babies have, yet she is only in the 30% for her weight. My daughter was concerned with her being underweight, but then the dr pointed out that she was fine, it was just the other 70% of babies that were OVERweight. Today, it is normal for a 1 yr old to weigh 30 pounds or more. Yikes. This is why we have 10 yr olds topping the scale at 200 or more. This generation desperately needs better education on health and nutrition, and what is a healthy weight and lifestyle, but unfortunately, most of their education on this subject is taught by their overweight and sedentary parents.

My 2 1/2 year old is in the bottom 5% weight & height wise. I had to take her out of daycare because other kids were bullying her. She would have to play with the 1 year olds (and most were still bigger than her). She eats all the time but is built like her dad (he's 5"10' & weights 129lbs). I'm afraid she will be bullied for being so small. I was bullied for being big. Most of my siblings & parents were at healthy BMIs.

I was obese & sedetary but my kiddo is still tiny. Now, I'm healthy & active & go out & play with my toddler all the time. Most of the moms at the park are bigger than me. I do not think all overweight parents are teaching their kids bad habits. Although, yes I was much worst before, now I'm still at an overweight BMI, but I'm still active with my child & teaching her to eat better. We only eat fast food once a week now that I'm not working & it all evens out financially. I think most people know what healthy eating is but lack the time to cook. In the US, we live a very fast paced lifestyle & many homes don't cook enough anymore.

Lulufifi1994

I havn't read all the posts on this thread because wow - 9 pages? However one comment in particular struck me - the one about how 'curvy' now seems to mean 'obese'. I'm curvy, but I can still fit in a 10/12. Curvy means hips, bum and boobs. Not flab rolls. I think the real issue about my country (UK) becoming desensitized to obesity is how much it's costing the NHS, not just in weight-related illness and care but also in equipment. Beds etc. are all having to be built stronger.

Koldnomore

ive noticed that too...when people see i am eating a salad instead of a burger and they automatically think I am self conscious or that I am trying to lose weight ....but in fact its the opposite. I dont want to gain weight, and I dont want to become another statistic. People are people. I dont like to call people fat because everyones body is different...but what I can say is that people have chosen pleasure over health, and it will be the downfall of our society.

That's it right there... It has nothing to do with 'fat/skinny' the standards HAVE changed. It used to be normal to look 'healthy' now for whatever reason the focus on health isn't there anymore. There never seems to be time to cook, or teach children/adults to embrace physical activity. The TV/computer is now the babysitter and the focus seems to be on doing what you enjoy or getting the most out of life to the exclusion of everything else.

seltzermint555

I know when I'm where I'm to be (BMI / Hgt-wght) I am told I need to eat! I've been called fit - when I know I'm not! I gained 65 pounds being here caring for my daughter and everyone thinks I'm nuts for trying to take it off. I do believe we have 'learned to accept' the new skinny. I find it frustrating when I watch videos from the 60's & 70's Heck they gave Mama Cass a rough time for being 'fat' but today she would be average. The people during that time (footage from the street - not celebs) were thin / more fit but something happened. Yes, mentality has changed.

Pretty sure Mama Cass would NOT be considered average even now. She was over 300 lb. Adele gets soooo much flak for being heavy and I bet she's around 200 lb.

seltzermint555

I do think this is true.

It is a big reason I allowed myself to get heavier and heavier. I live in southern Missouri which is not even one of the named "fattest" places in America...and still I look around and see the majority of women my age are actually larger than I am now at size 18. Even when I was much heavier, I felt pretty average and normal. Honestly when I have traveled to metropolitan, "chic" areas I still see the same thing...lots of very heavy people everywhere. I was 307 at one time in my life and I was rarely the fattest woman in the room even THEN!! Astonishing, really.

If you are able to move/walk around freely, haven't been diagnosed with COPD, diabetes, etc, and have never used a "Mart Cart" then a lot of America would say you're just fine even when morbidly obese. That's scary.

However, I happen to think all of the body love stuff is a very positive thing. But health is #1, and the reality of obesity causing health problems can't be swept under the rug in all of the body love.

I definitely don't agree with people who say "get rid of the plus size models" and other such nonsense. There are some people who are just big. I'm talking about the 6' tall athletic girl who is a size 12-14 and is super fit, active, etc. No reason to try to make everyone fit one mold. The focus ought to be health IMO!

ldrosophila

And this is exactly why having plus size models, clothing stores & the like have got to go.

Uh so...what are heavy people supposed to wear? Anyone over a size 14 should wear a mumu or a bed sheet? Wow. You think that will make someone keep a healthy weight? No, it will just make them home bound because they have no clothing fit for public. Shame on you.

It's a conspiracy to get us to go naked, and I'm willing if that's what they really want. You can stare at my glorious naked body and see my rolls, boobs, butt and worship me like the venus of wilendorf.

I'm not sure there has been a change the social media still pushes for very thin models.

Brandi92809

I totally agree! My situation: I went to Korea where I became the thinnest (and healthiest) I have EVER been in my entire life. When I came back to the US I thought "OK everyone here is fat so I don't have to worry about my weight, no one cares here" so within a month I had gained about 60 pounds...... Yup that is my story! (Now I am big just because I am lazy, no other reason).

abberbabber

And this is exactly why having plus size models, clothing stores & the like have got to go.

Uh so...what are heavy people supposed to wear? Anyone over a size 14 should wear a mumu or a bed sheet? Wow. You think that will make someone keep a healthy weight? No, it will just make them home bound because they have no clothing fit for public. Shame on you.

Perhaps if there were LESS of an emphasis on fat clothing stores it may encourage people to lose weight in order to wear better stuff.....

just sayin.

:huh:

I'd love to know where you are that there are sooooooo many "fat clothing stores". Because for reals, I need to come visit. There are exactly two in my town, the local Target has about 3 racks in the "plus size section" and in most department stores, the women's section is seriously hard to find.

seltzermint555

I live in a small Midwestern city - seriously not a huge metropolis - and there are 7 specialty plus size clothing stores in my area and every single department store has a large plus section. Some of them even have two or three - junior plus, plus casual, and plus dressy/career wear. Target does have a rather small plus section, I'll agree with that. But every discount retailer and even off-price stores and thrift stores have big plus sections now. As well as more than half of the fashionable teen boutiques now go up to size 20 or 24! This did not used to be the case.

I love it because I have an issue with Lane Bryant/Cacique and try to avoid shopping there whenever possible. Fortunately for me, it's very easily avoidable.

Morninglory81

I had a recent experience where I was hit wih how skewed my perception was. I am 5'10" 160lbs and estimated that my bf% was around 26-28%. I had my bf chacked and I am at 32%! I was shocked that my perception was that far off. I look at people around me and I am slim in comparison so I naturally felt like I was closer to athletic than I truly am.

So in answer to the op question my personal concept of normal is on the heavier side. It has made me question what I see as acceptable and made me doubt what I see in the mirror.

BinaryPulsar

I don't understand how people can say that they shouldn't have plus sized clothing stores. There are all different sized people in this world and there should be clothing that fits and is flattering be made available to everyone. There are all kinds of reasons why a person could be at a larger size, why make it more difficult to find nice clothing. Having a whole store just makes it that much more pleasant and easy to shop (less stuff to sift through to find what a person is looking for). I do not think this in any way contributes to a weight issue. This is an old thread, btw.

peachfigs

I'm not sure... I'm from the UK too and I think in the US they tend to class 'healthy' as slightly bigger than what we'd class it as.

Their clothes sizes are bigger for a start...their size 10 is our 8, etc. Not sure if that means anything but I think in the UK we value a slightly thinner body than the US does.

lilacinfinity

I had a recent experience where I was hit wih how skewed my perception was. I am 5'10" 160lbs and estimated that my bf% was around 26-28%. I had my bf chacked and I am at 32%! I was shocked that my perception was that far off. I look at people around me and I am slim in comparison so I naturally felt like I was closer to athletic than I truly am.

So in answer to the op question my personal concept of normal is on the heavier side. It has made me question what I see as acceptable and made me doubt what I see in the mirror.

Slim does not necessarily equal low body fat, though. Some slim people, women especially although men too, have a body fat % that would put them in an unhealthy range. They're just slim because they have very little lean mass (i.e. muscle) with the fat.

bowbeforethoraxis

I had a recent experience where I was hit wih how skewed my perception was. I am 5'10" 160lbs and estimated that my bf% was around 26-28%. I had my bf chacked and I am at 32%! I was shocked that my perception was that far off. I look at people around me and I am slim in comparison so I naturally felt like I was closer to athletic than I truly am.

So in answer to the op question my personal concept of normal is on the heavier side. It has made me question what I see as acceptable and made me doubt what I see in the mirror.

I'm 5'10" 220 lbs and my bf is 28%. I am 48 lbs overweight according to BMI charts, but have an average bf percentage.

I definitely look fat, I feel fat, and I want to lose weight and slim down, but that just goes to show that you can't tell what's going on in a person's body just by looking.

jaz050465

see many cultures its different. Body types are different. In most of Asia, you can be fit (AKA, low body fat %, have a 6 pack etc) and get called fat. You HAVE to be stick thin to be considered not fat here.

I personally say, who cares. Just be happy with your body. Nobody ever got a body that EVERYBODY around him/her were happy with. So why try to fit into what others thought was good looking eh?

I agree with this.

And being from the UK, I do not think it's considered normal to be fatter there at all, but I'm from London where every one aspires to be very thin. Apparently, in northern parts of the country the average sizes of people are bigger.

I agree. In live in Fife in Scotland now and I notice a huge difference when I go back to London to visit family, generally people are thinner there. I joke that where as in north West London, every other shop on the high street is a nail bar, in Fife, ever other shop is a bakers!!

lilacinfinity

Do you think people in those cities like new york and london are generally slimmer because of more use of public transport and walking rather than driving? I feel like that would contribute a lot to it!

jaz050465

Do you think people in those cities like new york and london are generally slimmer because of more use of public transport and walking rather than driving? I feel like that would contribute a lot to it!

I think to a certain extent, its self perpetuating. I'm amazed when I see a group of teenage girls going out clubbing locally who have obviously spent hours on hair, make up and shopping for an outfit, but they are all really big. But because they all ( or the majority) look like that- maybe they don't care.

jaz050465

I'm not sure... I'm from the UK too and I think in the US they tend to class 'healthy' as slightly bigger than what we'd class it as.

Their clothes sizes are bigger for a start...their size 10 is our 8, etc. Not sure if that means anything but I think in the UK we value a slightly thinner body than the US does.

This is probably a very stereotypical view, and I'm basing it on USA film and TV, which I know, is ridiculous, but the impression I get of the USA is that its quite polar, people are often super fit and thin, or very unhealthy and big.

chazerlaa

I honestly do think that as a country (at least in the UK, being a member of said country) our standard of what is average and "normal" has become extremely sloppy. It's ridiculous, I find myself unable to shop at a lot of clothing shops because even their lowest sizes are huge on me, some shops are still ok, but I've found that some places (im looking at you tk maxx and new look) have ridiculously large clothing sizes in relation to what size they are saying they actually are. Also I've noticed that since I've lost the weight people have started expressing concern as they feel I am becoming "too thin". To be honest I just think that everyone else is becoming too fat.

seltzermint555

I'm not sure... I'm from the UK too and I think in the US they tend to class 'healthy' as slightly bigger than what we'd class it as.

Their clothes sizes are bigger for a start...their size 10 is our 8, etc. Not sure if that means anything but I think in the UK we value a slightly thinner body than the US does.

This is probably a very stereotypical view, and I'm basing it on USA film and TV, which I know, is ridiculous, but the impression I get of the USA is that its quite polar, people are often super fit and thin, or very unhealthy and big.

Actually yes. As an American I'd agree with this somewhat. I know a lot of women who are size 4 and a lot of women who are size 22. I don't know a whole lot of 12's. Even though I am still very much a big plus size woman (tall and size 18) I am starting to feel the "pain" (not painful at all) of being in a weird middle ground where things in plus stores are cut really wrong/big for my body and everything in the lower sizes is never going to fit over my hips, shoulders, etc. There is a huge middle ground of "average" from say 6-12 that I think not that many women I know even fit into.

fitOsaurus_Rex_we_changed

i definitely think peoples concepts are skewed! i'm 5'2" and 138 (which is still overweight in america by 2-3lbs) but people tell me i'm 'tiny' and 'skinny' and dont need to lose weight. i stopped talking about weight loss to the people around me because, after losing 25lbs and getting to a size 4/6 no one thinks i need to lose more weight. i think as long as you are healthy, of mind and food intake, then your goal body is your goal body and it's no one's business to comment on it. you wouldnt walk up to a fat person and call them fat and tell them to stop eating so why would you walk up to a smaller person and tell them that they are skinny and need to eat...TOTALLY RUDE IMO!

spookiefox

On the contrary, I believe people's "concepts of normal" have become too thin.The popularity of VLCDs and the fact that MFP needs a "rule" against encouraging them demonstrates that our focus on weight in the west IS NOT out of a concern for healthy. In fact, you have to be pretty "fat" before you are "fat" enough that it's IMPOSSIBLE to be healthy at your weight. Any focus on weight that isn't about health is about appearance, and people who judge based on appearance are not worth wasting your time with.

Edited for grammar.

CollieFit

Our (UK) obesity levels have DOUBLED in the last 25 years. Hence someone who is now in their 40s would have a different idea of what the "normal" population around them looked like in their twenties than today's twenty year olds.

http://www.noo.org.uk/NOO_about_obesity/trends

When I was in school in the late 70s / early 80s there were maybe 2 or 3 fat kids in my class of 30. Today it's nearer 40%!!

Studies have also shown that parents do not recognise obesity in their own children and think their child is a "normal" weight when it quite clearly is not.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12226744

People who are at their ideal weight will soon be in the minority and no longer considered "normal" but perceived as underweight.

The heavier people get the more the "average" weight will shift across. However, "average" is not necessarily normal nor healthy.

KombuchaCat

Definately, I think especially here in the U.S. I'm currently 5'3" and 155 lbs, not yet within normal limits and there is most certainly extra fat that still needs to come off to be healthy. People tell me all the time that they "don't know where it's going to come from." Seriously? Also I've notice especially in the last 5 years or so people are not dressing appropriately for thier body and I think it's because in general they just don't see themselves in reality. I'm not saying if you are overweight you need to wear a moo moo, but just be mindful.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Yes, and daily exercise is abnormal.

Yup, especially when you're not trying to lose weight. It's like, if I don't have 30+ pounds to lose, why am I trying to eat healthy or exercise?

Holly_Roman_Empire

i definitely think peoples concepts are skewed! i'm 5'2" and 138 (which is still overweight in america by 2-3lbs) but people tell me i'm 'tiny' and 'skinny' and dont need to lose weight. i stopped talking about weight loss to the people around me because, after losing 25lbs and getting to a size 4/6 no one thinks i need to lose more weight. i think as long as you are healthy, of mind and food intake, then your goal body is your goal body and it's no one's business to comment on it. you wouldnt walk up to a fat person and call them fat and tell them to stop eating so why would you walk up to a smaller person and tell them that they are skinny and need to eat...TOTALLY RUDE IMO!

Yeah, I get that. If a thin/fit person went up to an overweight/obese person and said "you don't need to eat," there would be an uprising!

joolywooly33

I agree with the OP. I also think never exercising and eating junk food is 'normal'. No wonder the average dress size in the UK is now a 16! It is not, no matter what anyone says, normal or healthy to be fat!