I thought I was taller.

Pricklypineapple422
Pricklypineapple422 Posts: 52 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone else randomly found out they are shorter than they thought? I have always thought I was 5'5", but today I found out I am 5' 3.75". This means that I was initially more overweight than I thought, and I can actually lose a couple extra pounds and still be healthy. A healthy weight for my height is 107 lbs - 144 lbs (for 5'5" it is 112 to 115 lbs).

For over the past decade I thought I was taller than I am. Anyone else experience something similar?
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Replies

  • Pricklypineapple422
    Pricklypineapple422 Posts: 52 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    Pricklypineapple422 wrote: »
    Has anyone else randomly found out they are shorter than they thought? I have always thought I was 5'5", but today I found out I am 5' 3.75". This means that I was initially more overweight than I thought, and I can actually lose a couple extra pounds and still be healthy. A healthy weight for my height is 107 lbs - 144 lbs (for 5'5" it is 112 to 115 lbs).

    For over the past decade I thought I was taller than I am. Anyone else experience something similar?

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    There may, possibly, just maybe, be an old thread around here about me discovering I am not, in fact, 5'4. Or even really close to it. I was not impressed :laugh:

    Once the shock wears off and the short jokes taper off it's not all that bad ;)

    Lol I'm definitely still in the shocked stage. And it's humorous because I started receiving "you're too skinny" comments right when I got to the "healthy" weight range, but really I was still overweight lol. I'll be looking up your post!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Mine was the opposite. A health screening had me at 5'6, a couple of months later the doctor's office measured me at 5'5. I have been 5'4 since I was 10. Even my mother was in shock.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    When I was in my 30s I discovered I was a half-inch taller than I thought. I hadn't had my height measured since I thought I had stopped growing in high school (I had hit 5'3" by junior high, and 5'3 1/2" by high school and when that held steady for a year or so, I figured I was done). So it goes both ways.
  • Pricklypineapple422
    Pricklypineapple422 Posts: 52 Member
    scottyaus2732 wrote: »
    Your spine compresses as you get older.

    For me years of pack marching and running and running with weight saw me lose 2 cm.

    I'm 27 years old, I hope I'm not shrinking too much yet!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    edited August 2019
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    Mines reversed...I measured as 5 ft 4 after always being just short of 5 ft 3. It occured to me it may have been my 110lb weight loss depressuring my spine a bit. Win :p

    I was at my heaviest when I was measured as taller!

    I did almost ask for a recount at my last visit because it feels like the yoga has stretched my spine... Plus, an extra inch would have meant that I was no longer obese.
  • hmhill17
    hmhill17 Posts: 283 Member
    This made me go measure myself. I came out at my expected height. Possible I did it wrong, but since I put myself in as an inch shorter than that anyway, I’m good.
  • jayemes
    jayemes Posts: 865 Member
    I had two different nurses at two different doctor's offices tell me I was 5'7 1/2" when I always thought I was 5'8".
    I said to both at the time "so basically 5'8 " and they both said emphatically no. I think five foot seven and a half inches is literally the most awkward and monotonous height to be.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    concordancia wrote: »
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    Mines reversed...I measured as 5 ft 4 after always being just short of 5 ft 3. It occured to me it may have been my 110lb weight loss depressuring my spine a bit. Win :p

    I was at my heaviest when I was measured as taller!

    I did almost ask for a recount at my last visit because it feels like the yoga has stretched my spine... Plus, an extra inch would have meant that I was no longer obese.

    I'm not sure when I reached my adult height of 5'6.5", but it was before I turned 18. In at least 35 years, I haven't lost any height. Perhaps it is the yoga, perhaps it is because I have not yet gone through menopause with acceleration of bone loss.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    I had always thought I was 5’7” in my 20s but when I was first pregnant with my son the doctor confirmed that I was in fact 5’8”...of course by the end of my pregnancy I was back down to 5’7.5” which is my current height. My arches completely collapsed leaving me flat footed and making me a little shorter.

    I think posture and bone density changes over time affect our height give or take up to an inch.
  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 499 Member
    edited August 2019
    You get shorter as the day wears on - try measuring yourself again first thing in the morning! I had the opposite, always thought I was 161 cm, turns out I'm 163 cm woop woop!
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    I feel like everyone is shorter than they think. Have you ever seen the listed heights for actors or athletes? Chop 2 to 3 inches off their listed height and maybe you get an accurate reflection of reality.

    I go by 5'11, although I'm probably legitimately around 5' 10.5". I tend to be taller than most " 5'11" guys I know because they are legitimately like 5'9". I've considered telling people I'm 6 feet and feel like I could get away with it, but it doesn't quite feel right to me.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Sometimes my doctor’s office rounds up to 5’.

    I once had a nurse tell me I was very good and standing up straight and stretching really tall. Gotta earn every one of my 60 inches.
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
    When I was measured for a job medical 27 years ago I was told I was just under 5'2"
    When I was measured for a routine medical at the doctors two years ago I was told I was 5'3"

    Now I just go for 5'2 1/2" and split the difference :D
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    It definitely says 5'2'' on my license. I don't think I've ever been officially measured as 5'2'' lol. I'm definitely 5'1''. I think it was wishful thinking that I was still growing, but I definitely stopped growing at 14.
  • colorfulcoquette
    colorfulcoquette Posts: 94 Member
    For a very long time I thought I was 5'1", it's even what is stated on my license, but about 15 years ago I found out I'm 5'2". At my physical a couple of weeks ago the nurse measuring my height was being very specific and listed me at 5'2 1/8"

    I guess when you're short people try to give you every little bit they can :joy:
  • durhammfp
    durhammfp Posts: 494 Member
    Every time I have had my annual physical for the past 20 years they come up with a different height for me. I vary between 5'8.75" and 5'10.9" if you believe the medical folks. A few times (at my shortest) they have snuck up on measuring my height when I thought they were just weighing me, so I was probably slumping. A few times I was wearing socks that were rather thick so I was probably measured too tall then. I have gone back and picked out the obvious outliers and averaged the remaining heights, so I now use this average to calculate my BMI.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    I had the reverse happen. I thought I was 5’2.5” and at my last doctors appointment I was measured as 5’3.25”. I call it 5’3” now :)
  • ktekc
    ktekc Posts: 879 Member
    jayemes wrote: »
    I had two different nurses at two different doctor's offices tell me I was 5'7 1/2" when I always thought I was 5'8".
    I said to both at the time "so basically 5'8 " and they both said emphatically no. I think five foot seven and a half inches is literally the most awkward and monotonous height to be.

    try being 4' 11.5" lol
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    You shrink as you get older. I assume the spine compresses plus core weakness can affect posture. My 80 year old husband is now shorter than I am, though he used to be a couple of inches taller. I've lost some height, but not as much as he has. I used to be 5'6.5" but at the doctor's I am either 5'5.5 or 5.6" depending on the day.
  • icemom011
    icemom011 Posts: 999 Member
    Spine compresses and your spinal disks wear out, compress, and otherwise shrink. Ugghh. I was always 5'7", but now i just measured myself and it's officially 5'6.5". Kind of sad about this, but i need a neck surgery after the accident, and my surgeon told me i will regain 0.25". So if it's true, it would bring me a bt closer to my 5'7". But not quite. So how's 5'6.75" for a number, :( ?
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    How do you not know how tall you are? I am not understanding this :D aside from height shrinkage with age. that i can understand LOL

    I'm 5'1 on a good day, standing REALLY straight. most days with normal posture, closer to 5'0.

    I like being short. good thing since i cant change it and do not under any circumstance wear heels.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    I lost close to 2" or else was mis-measured a long time ago. My husband always thought he was 5'10". Our youngest is an inch or two taller than my husband so we guesstimated he was 6'. But when we measured him he was 5'10.5". My husband was devastated. LOL

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