Is 5 foot, 170 ok?

arlyne23
arlyne23 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a friend who is 5'1" and 170 lbs. She's 21 yrs old and mildly interested in dieting. Would you consider this overweight? She said BMI isn't that important because it doesn't show body fat.

She should weigh 115 to 129 for a md frame. She thinks she looks fine. I would describe her as a "Cabbage Patch Doll" appearance. I know there are health risks associated with those who are overweight. I really didn't know what to tell her when she told me she looked fine.
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Replies

  • cheetahcub2010
    cheetahcub2010 Posts: 62 Member
    I'm 5' 6" and when I was 170 I could tell i was no longer healthy and becoming over weight. I have a larger fram so I allow myself some wiggle room with BMI. 170 and 5' does NOT sound Okay to me.
  • 2bFitNTrim
    2bFitNTrim Posts: 1,209 Member
    I think she is overweight, but it really doesn't matter what we think. She seems content with herself, so I wouldn't say anything about it. The only exception I might make is if it were someone very close to me, but even then, I'd tread very lightly.
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
    I am 5'4" and I was 177, and obese. So I don't think that 170 is a healthy weight for someone who is that short.

    But you can't make her want to lose weight, she has to want to change for herself.

    And it sounds like she isn't ready.
  • FitBridget
    FitBridget Posts: 30 Member
    She'd have to have a massive amount of muscle for that not to be overweight. That being said, you can't convince someone else that they need to lose weight.
  • hajjcomb
    hajjcomb Posts: 118 Member
    For an NFL fullback that would be fine.

    Sounds like she is overweight to me, as it doesn't sound like she is packing a lot of muscle, like body building amounts of muscle.
  • tasoconnor
    tasoconnor Posts: 426 Member
    I am 5'6" and my goal is to be about 170 which is still overweight considered on bmi
  • Jessicaallen48
    Jessicaallen48 Posts: 36
    Well, Considering the height and weight, I would think that she may be over weight. I am 5'5" and I knew that I needed to lose weight at 160. I am by in no means an expert but I read about visible and not visible fats. I think it is called visceral fat. That the fat that you cannot see. Your body stores this fat around very important organs. Everyone has it but an excess of it can be very significant to your health. The best way to tell if she is healthy and get the right facts about dieting would be to visit a doctor. I hope this helps.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    I'm a 5 foot 9 inch tall male...and I currently weigh 165lbs(5lbs to my goal)...5'1" and 170 is absolutely overweight, male or female.
  • NYCDutchess
    NYCDutchess Posts: 622 Member
    That is VERY heavy for 5'. Now if she is a big booty, big chested girl, maybe she can carry some extra pounds, but I would say not more than 130. I'm glad that she is happy the way she is though, that's better than most as long as she's healthy.
  • cocolo89
    cocolo89 Posts: 1,171 Member
    i was 170 at 5'5 and boy was i fat. i had huge legs =, huge, stomach and not to forget i was outta shape. didn't exercise a day of my life til i finally got motivation to lose weight :))
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Denial
  • NYCDutchess
    NYCDutchess Posts: 622 Member
    I'm a 5 foot 9 inch tall male...and I currently weigh 165lbs(5lbs to my goal)...5'1" and 170 is absolutely overweight, male or female.
    I have to disagree for a male. For a male 5'9 I would say over 200 is overweight. ESPECIALLY if the guy is muscular. But again it's all relative.
  • Corruptkitten
    Corruptkitten Posts: 157 Member
    Unfortunately, unless she is unhappy or presented with health findings by a doctor she probably won't do anything to change her habits and live a healthier life :(
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    I'm a 5 foot 9 inch tall male...and I currently weigh 165lbs(5lbs to my goal)...5'1" and 170 is absolutely overweight, male or female.
    I have to disagree for a male. For a male 5'9 I would say over 200 is overweight. ESPECIALLY if the guy is muscular. But again it's all relative.

    I made no mention as to being overweight at my height(5'9")....I said 5'1". Males can be 5'1" too...

    I do expect I personally may gain at some point for muscle mass and I am just barely into the healthy BMI for my height.(close to overweight BMI)

    eta: I started MFP out at 185lbs, I was most certainly overweight, not by a LOT(25lbs), but I was.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I have a friend who is 5'1" and 170 lbs. She's 21 yrs old and mildly interested in dieting. Would you consider this overweight? She said BMI isn't that important because it doesn't show body fat.

    She should weigh 115 to 129 for a md frame. She thinks she looks fine. I would describe her as a "Cabbage Patch Doll" appearance. I know there are health risks associated with those who are overweight. I really didn't know what to tell her when she told me she looked fine.
    She's not only overweight, she's very overweight. She's also obviously in denial. You can't force someone to lose weight, it's something she has to want to do. You could "agree" with her on the body fat vs. BMI issue and then suggest that she have her body fat tested. There are simple ones, not completely accurate, that you can do just with a tape measure and an online calculator. Seeing her body fat % might be more of a wake up call or at least another ***** in her wall of denial.

    ETA: C'mon MFP, you blanked out the word c-h-i-n-k? Does anyone even use that as a racial slur anymore. Sheesh.
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
    Well, if she feels fine the way she is and "mildly interested" in maintaining a healthier diet, then there's pretty much nothing else you can do about it. Personally, it doesn't sound like she's interested in achieving optimal health.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    If she isn't interested in dieting, she isn't interested in dieting. You can't force her. Good for her for being comfortable with herself. If she feels the need to become healthier (that weight is probably NOT the healthiest for her but who is to say it's "unhealthy" besides her or her doctor) then you can help her.
  • theperfectratio
    theperfectratio Posts: 49 Member
    I'm 5' 6" and when I was 170 I could tell i was no longer healthy and becoming over weight. I have a larger fram so I allow myself some wiggle room with BMI. 170 and 5' does NOT sound Okay to me.

    Ditto here. 5 ft 7 in, and I felt overweight at 165. Even ignoring BMI, she can do an online body fat calculator to give her a general sense of how unhealthy she is. They aren't as accurate as if you're doing it w/a doctor using calipers, but they will still give her a good idea of how many lbs of body weight are actually _fat_ pounds, not healthy muscle/bone/etc.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    Denial

    this.

    she is fat.
    you know it and deep down inside somewhere, she knows it too.
    She's just not "ready".
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    She thinks she looks fine.
    good enough for me...

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