End the mystery, how much is a "stone"?

13

Replies

  • TheBakerGirl
    TheBakerGirl Posts: 151
    haha, google it and miss out on this interesting string of conversation? no way! :tongue:

    Love the OP! I'm always wondering this too. I grew up with lbs, but now I live in Ireland and am presented with either stones or kg. I'm so confused, haha.

    I just know that regardless of how you measure it, I need to lose weight!! :happy:
  • Whatamilike
    Whatamilike Posts: 51
    I think the unit of weight measurement should vary depending on whether it is weight GAINED or weight LOST. I tend to gain one stone (just the one) but lose a whopping 14 pounds!!!
  • stephm112
    stephm112 Posts: 297 Member
    I always used stones and tbh didnt know what a lb was before I joined this site. 2.2lbs in a kg. 14lbs in a stone. 6.3ishkg in a stone. Even though I'm english I think everyone should just use kg.
  • KatManx
    KatManx Posts: 168 Member
    The real question is why stones??
    agree. I'd much rather report 62 lbs vs. 4 Stones.

    Maths not being my strong point, but isn't 4 stone = 56lbs???
  • Fridaydalek
    Fridaydalek Posts: 28 Member
    As a scandinavian I grew up with the metric system. I've gotten my head around the lbs, feet and inches to use here, but I've never been able to grasp the stone measurement. (and since the uk is moving towards metric I'll just wait until we all calculate in centimeters and kilos)

    Personally, I'm getting used to working in metric weights. But I think you'll have a long wait until we all do it! :smile:
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    I like stones! I have lost 13ib, but that extra pound when I achieve it will mean a whole stone, which sounds much more impressive
  • oouurr__aayylleeyycan
    oouurr__aayylleeyycan Posts: 149
    I think the unit of weight measurement should vary depending on whether it is weight GAINED or weight LOST. I tend to gain one stone (just the one) but lose a whopping 14 pounds!!!

    Agreed! :D
  • oouurr__aayylleeyycan
    oouurr__aayylleeyycan Posts: 149
    As a scandinavian I grew up with the metric system. I've gotten my head around the lbs, feet and inches to use here, but I've never been able to grasp the stone measurement. (and since the uk is moving towards metric I'll just wait until we all calculate in centimeters and kilos)

    You say we're moving towards metric, but we've been doing that for at least 10 years already and it's not changed yet so I wouldn't hang about!! :) Us English can be set in our ways sometimes :P
  • bio_fit
    bio_fit Posts: 307 Member
    More interestingly, why does the US not use stone? You use pounds and ounces all the time....why not stone too? Just wondering.......

    I was wondering this too!
  • oouurr__aayylleeyycan
    oouurr__aayylleeyycan Posts: 149
    I was taught metric at school, but still can't get my head around using it in terms of height or weight. All the theory is there, I just can't apply it!

    I struggle enough having to convert my weight into singular pounds, let alone kilos. It probably stems from always being weighed in stones and pounds as a kid. Even now, I've never heard anyone over here say 'I had a baby that weighed x amount of kilos'. It's always in pounds and ounces!

    I'm totally with you on this one! Like you say, the theory is there but putting it into context is hard. Same thing about babies too! I think if I ever said to someone "my baby weighs x amount of kgs" they'd look at me bewildered!
  • oouurr__aayylleeyycan
    oouurr__aayylleeyycan Posts: 149
    Stone is a European measurement of weight. It used to vary from village to village before settling on about 14 lbs. It is no longer a "recognized" form of measurement, but is still used informally in some areas. It is especially common in Scotland and outlying areas of Europe. (P.S. I am American, but I am also one of those people to keep handy when you are playing Trivial Pursuit) :smokin:

    It's not just in Scotland (Where I live) it's across the U.K. I was raised half in metric, half in imperial, like most early 20 something Brits.

    Haha, yep!! I agree! Like I said in my post, we were taught metric as well in school, but it was always a bit half-arsed because most of the teachers worked in imperial still anyway just like my parents did! Why fix it if it isn't broken, that's what I think :P

    My children do everything metric at school now, but if you asked my 13yo daughter how much she weighed, she'd give you the answer in stone and pounds still! I don't think it'll ever go, despite what the Europeans try to foist on us. :tongue:

    Haha!! Agreed :D
  • Andaw
    Andaw Posts: 35 Member
    It certainly is "recogniSed" where I live!!:flowerforyou:
  • TheMrsBee
    TheMrsBee Posts: 226 Member
    Stone is a European measurement of weight. It used to vary from village to village before settling on about 14 lbs. It is no longer a "recognized" form of measurement, but is still used informally in some areas. It is especially common in Scotland and outlying areas of Europe. (P.S. I am American, but I am also one of those people to keep handy when you are playing Trivial Pursuit) :smokin:

    Hi, first post. Hello from the UK.

    Yes, a stone is 14lb. But it's not 'informal' at all here. Most bathroom scales bought in this country will be marked in stone/llbs as well as KG. Ask someone here what their weight is and (assuming they don't think you're being rude!) you'll hear the answer in stones/llbs.

    Yup, i'm in the UK too and it's stones everywhere! we all talk in stones/lbs very rarely anything else unless you are cooking and it's grams!
  • Lozzy_82
    Lozzy_82 Posts: 324 Member
    As others have said, here in the UK almost everyone thinks of their weigh in terms of stone. However, I personally tend to think in kg (it's what my scales use and what my doctor uses) or pounds (just from being on MFP). I'm very much in the minority though. If I tell someone my weight/weight loss in pounds or kg they will always ask what it is in stone.
  • TheMrsBee
    TheMrsBee Posts: 226 Member
    Stone is a European measurement of weight. It used to vary from village to village before settling on about 14 lbs. It is no longer a "recognized" form of measurement, but is still used informally in some areas. It is especially common in Scotland and outlying areas of Europe. (P.S. I am American, but I am also one of those people to keep handy when you are playing Trivial Pursuit) :smokin:

    It's not just in Scotland (Where I live) it's across the U.K. I was raised half in metric, half in imperial, like most early 20 something Brits.

    Haha, yep!! I agree! Like I said in my post, we were taught metric as well in school, but it was always a bit half-arsed because most of the teachers worked in imperial still anyway just like my parents did! Why fix it if it isn't broken, that's what I think :P

    My children do everything metric at school now, but if you asked my 13yo daughter how much she weighed, she'd give you the answer in stone and pounds still! I don't think it'll ever go, despite what the Europeans try to foist on us. :tongue:

    Haha!! Agreed :D

    Absolutely, i will always teach my (future) children Stones and lbs as that is what my whole era grew up with, and my parents too. :-)
  • shaybethxo
    shaybethxo Posts: 153 Member
    in the UK, stones is much more recognised than lbs and kg! if i said to my family i'd lost 30lb, they'd be like 'how much is that in proper language?' (meaning stones)
    i'm only just starting to get my head around using lbs, and have no idea about kg!
  • mickipedia
    mickipedia Posts: 889 Member
    I think I'm confusing.. I know my weight in just lbs, stones and lbs and also kilos.. makes it easier to compare to others that way..

    For example I know I'm 133lbs, which is 9 stone 7 or 60.5kgs :)

    My doctors use kilos, I've always known stone, and most friend on MFP use lbs.. I adapt to whoever I'm talking to :)
  • julie4760
    julie4760 Posts: 125
    just like old money 240d to a pound it's a flash back to imperial days.16oz=1lb and as they said 14lb is a stone I like our old system but I still use the metric system.
  • redsteve65
    redsteve65 Posts: 142 Member
    Just to join in - 14 lbs.

    Most people form the UK measure their weigth in stones and lbs. So for example if I am asked my weight I would say "14 stone 10" with the "10" being the lbs. Now thanks to mfp I would answer "13 stone 11"

    When I watch the US version of Biggest Loser my son sits with a calculator to convert the lbs into stones as it means more to us.
  • jaajh
    jaajh Posts: 1,262 Member
    I am English and grew up saying my weight in stones and pounds too (and height in feet and inches). Then 15 years ago I moved to Mali (a former French colony) and when getting my first ID card they asked my height in metres! I didn't know so they had to measure me :-) Same applies to weights - all in kg here, and it took me AGES to get used to it. I finally did, and my scales work in kg. NOW however, I am on MFP all the time and I have to get used t converting into pounds :-) Thankfully I have a useful converter button on my phone that does the maths for me! Why can't we just all choose on method. I'd vote for kg - the metric system makes most sense :-)
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Stones are only used for "people weight", not to weigh anything else. I think we can better visualise weight and weight loss when it's measures in these chunks of 14lbs as it's what we're used to.

    We're supposed to have gone metric in the UK, but we still buy beer in pints, have road signs in miles and use pounds in recipes! Worse, we do cold temperatures in Celsius (brr, it's below zero) and hot temperatures in Fahrenheit (phew, it's over 80)!

    No wonder we're confused! :laugh:
  • psiren28
    psiren28 Posts: 530 Member
    I still talk about my weight loss in stones to my British friends even though I use lbs on here. I can't get my head around kilos at all even though I now live outside the UK where kilos is the way. I have my British scale that weighs in Stones and lbs.
    I can visualise a stone, I can guess someone's weight in stones. Kilos? Forget it! That's for airport baggage :laugh:

    A recent conversation:

    Friend: How much weight have you lost?

    Me: About 60lbs

    Friend: Oh... ummm... well done

    Me: Just over 4 stone

    Friend: WOW!!! That's brilliant!!!

    :laugh:
  • zoodalia
    zoodalia Posts: 294
    Stone is a European measurement of weight. It used to vary from village to village before settling on about 14 lbs. It is no longer a "recognized" form of measurement, but is still used informally in some areas. It is especially common in Scotland and outlying areas of Europe. (P.S. I am American, but I am also one of those people to keep handy when you are playing Trivial Pursuit) :smokin:

    Hi, first post. Hello from the UK.

    Yes, a stone is 14lb. But it's not 'informal' at all here. Most bathroom scales bought in this country will be marked in stone/llbs as well as KG. Ask someone here what their weight is and (assuming they don't think you're being rude!) you'll hear the answer in stones/llbs.

    Exactly, it's definitely still well-used here (in the UK)... my friends and family wouldn't know what I was talking about if I started talking 'pounds' to them.
  • AtticusFinch
    AtticusFinch Posts: 1,262 Member

    You say we're moving towards metric, but we've been doing that for at least 10 years already and it's not changed yet so I wouldn't hang about!! :) Us English can be set in our ways sometimes :P

    Ten years? Try multiplying that by four :laugh:

    British currency went metric in 1971 and schools not only dealt with that but also started introducing other metric units to pupils, for weight, volumes, and lengths (I know because I was one of the confused). So it's really been 40 years and counting.

    Can I just compliment everyone on keeping the comments good natured, it's been fun to read everyone's opinion.

    May be we should all be looking at whatever system they use in China, perhaps that will be the dominant culture in another 40 years, (The UK will still be 'converting' to metric then I bet).
  • Hoakiebs
    Hoakiebs Posts: 430 Member
    The real question is why stones??
    Why not? Sounds better to say 15 stone than 210 pounds. Every measurement is historically arbitrary. Why lbs, Ozs, tons, kilograms? Somebody had to decide on something and I guess the stone the used that day was 14 lbs.!
  • foramanwhohashope
    foramanwhohashope Posts: 90 Member
    Thank god!
  • carlie_carl
    carlie_carl Posts: 285
    Its deffinitly more common in the UK, the majority of people here use the stone measurement over lbs and kg
  • ncw89
    ncw89 Posts: 61 Member
    I think it would be less confusing if people just said pounds. Stones do not make sense to me :-\

    Personally I have had to concentrate quite hard to get used to working it out in just lbs. I've spent my whole life dealing in stones and lbs so trying to divide everything by 14 doesn't work well :-/
  • BoxingCoachMo
    BoxingCoachMo Posts: 420
    i agree with many of my English folk above. We use still use 'stones'
  • Ballybabe1
    Ballybabe1 Posts: 57
    Stone is a European measurement of weight. It used to vary from village to village before settling on about 14 lbs. It is no longer a "recognized" form of measurement, but is still used informally in some areas. It is especially common in Scotland and outlying areas of Europe. (P.S. I am American, but I am also one of those people to keep handy when you are playing Trivial Pursuit) :smokin:

    Are you for real - I am from Ireland and this is the main unit of measurement, stones and lbs, why is it not recognized anymore, did someone forget to tell us ! Its not informal and we are not an outlying area of europe we are a country all of our own and proud of own measurement system. Of course some use KG's but the majority still work with stones and lbs and it has always been 14lbs in a stone. So no mystery there.
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