Weighing more than you look

DEFINITELY happens to me all the time. I put on 60 pounds within a couple of months and no one even noticed! People actually think I'm lying when I say how much I weigh. When someone guesses my weight, it's ALWAYS at least 30 pounds lighter than I am.

I am built the same way, I have always been told I have a "swimmers" body. Muscular legs, skinny waist, broader shoulders.

I think they need to make a BMI that shows where your weight should be if you are such n such body fat percentage. My body fat has always been good along with blood work!

I'm 5'8" and 180lbs. A lot of people never believe me when I tell them that. But I have D's, and broad shoulders and thick muscular legs, so I assume that's the reason.

Woops meant to quote you in previous post!

Found this calculator online...and the body fat percentage vs lean mass it gave was quite interesting... http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/

I wouldn't blindly trust that - especially not if you have a proportionately small waist. It says I am at 18.6%, and although the last time I averaged mine out (measurements, calipers, scale - took the average of the three) was 23% and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's a bit lower now since I've been doing lots of strength training, I highly doubt it has gone down 4.4% in the past month and a half.

I agree. I don't think using measurements can really let you know how much fat you have. Or maybe I am in denial that I am at least 24%, because that's the number I get on all the online calculators I've tried.

Definately not * blindly* trusting it to be sure...I know there are MANY different methods of measuring...but I do think it offers some basic insight My omron hand held BF tester held says slightly more, about 6 pounds less lean mass...and that is the one I use most frequently and it has been also consistantly going down... Wish I could afford a BodPod or underwater test, but it's not feasable... i DO know that with not that huge of a number change on the scale... about 10 or more different people including one who can not usually really tell too much kept telling me within the past 2 months or so that I was * much smaller* and had lost a * lot* of weight...even though the scale was not really supporting that...and this during a time with a lot of weight training

I have never got a DEXA or anything but I have been told I don't look like I weigh as much as I do. My uncle had gastric bypass and I jokingly mentioned that he weighed less than I do now (he does!) and I think because I am so tall I look thinner than I actually am. None of my fam believed I weighed over 200 lbs. It's annoying!!! I know "big boned" isn't really an excuse.. but I think I am!

People always give me weird looks when I tell them how much I weigh. When I was 165 I had people's mouth dropping open, literally. But I am 6', large frame, so I can carry quite a bit of weight very well. Doesn't mean I want to, however. Sometimes it hurts my feelings a bit when they go,"But you look so good!" because it shouldn't matter if my weight is high, I was a healthy weight range and looked good still.

Last time I weighed [over 2 weeks ago] I was 152, I still don't look like I weigh that much.

It can be a curse or a blessing. I used to use the excuse, "But I'm tall, I can eat more and weigh more..."

I am so glad I found this thread. Was feeling frustrated with the scale. I always gained muscle really easily and have muscular arms and legs when in shape. Most my friends think I have lost 15-20 lbs since I just started really watching my calories on MFP. Hmm try more like 5 which is frustrating because I am working so hard and sticking to my calories. But I remember a few years back the same thing happened. I lost tons of inches and then the weight on the scale came down. Not sure why but that's how it works for me. I have already went down 2 pants sizes and almost everyone around me comments that I have lost tons of weight.

My clothes also fit so much better and I am wearing smaller sizes. So I won't let is get me down and just chalk it up to what most are saying about some of us are just more muscular. I still need to lose 25-30 more lbs to get to my goal but most people tell me that is too much. But 5'7" at 150 would be a good weight for me. My size 9/10 pants are getting loose for me now too. So I wonder what size I will be when I hit my goal. I was about 145 and skinny and a size 4 or 6 when I ran track in HS and I had some killer legs and abs. LOL

It is nice to know that I'm not alone with the curse/blessing of holding my weight well. A friend of mine is easily 25 lbs lighter than me but we wear the same size pants. She didn't believe me when I told her how much I weighed...an advantage if your playing the guess your age/weight games at amusement parks.

That's me....I have always weighed more than I look. I've had doctors tell me everything from bone density to muscle mass (I used to lift a lot while in the military) as reasons for this.

Yes, my dear. You are not alone. I wear between a size 8 and 10 at 5'7" and 170-175 lbs. That is the size I like to be and have never had any complaints in a bikini at that weight..........so...........weight can be important pertaining to psi on your joints; especially being upwardly mobile creatures. However, mass must be accounted for. Take a 3# lean steak out of the meat counter and set it next to 3# of butter and then write back to me re: what you see. I am continually told about the BMI. However, even my doctor asks me to step on another scale from time to time for accuracy. When I went to a weight management group with weekly weigh ins...I was expected to drop to 134 lbs. UNTIL THEY SAW ME AT 165 LBS I have very large bones and am very muscular; although not as before injuring my back. I have added and lost so many pounds since, it's too difficult to count. Hang in there.

Same here I am 5 ft 7, weight 157 atm and wear a size 5/6 jean.

My shoes are an 8-8.5...am I larged framed...no. Parts of me are broad...like my feet, shoulders but my hips are tiny (only reason they measure at 38 inches is my butt) but people peg me at 36 inch hips...and about 130lbs...

I am good with that.

Not sure of my BF%...thinking betweeen 23-25% (waiting on an evaluation).

Im 5 3 and when I was 144 I was a size two as well, I wasn't firm and wanted to lose 20 but no one was saying I was overweight

I'm 5ft 7 and currently 188lb - people are usually surprised when I tell them what I weigh. I think I look slimmer than some of my friends, but they weight a lot less than me. I'd say I have an hourglass shape - so quite even proportions & when I do gain weight - I gain quite evenly over my whole body, rather than in one area. Because of my height & because I stay in proportion - I think I can gain quite a lot of weight before it becomes noticeable.

On the down side, now that I'm trying to loose weight - I think I will need to loose quite a bit, for me to look visibly different. My mum was quite surprised when I said I had 2-3 stone to loose - that just gets me into a healthy BMI range.

I'm in the same boat. 5'2" and currently bouncing between 137 and 140 with about 29% BF. I'm in a size 6 pants, but they are very comfy. I have broad shoulders and a good amount of lean mass so my body composition supports a higher weight. At my lowest I was 125 with about 20% BF and 4's were loose on me. So I'm probably about 10-15 lbs heavier than I look and I take that as a good thing since the only time my weight will be an issue is if I decide to box competitively and need to be in a specific weight class.