Ok so my waist is 33-34" and I see people that have 24" 25" 26" inch waists and I personally can not even understand how that is possible. My thigh is 27" alone...

I'm 5'1.5" and weigh 157 but I don't think anyone would guess it was that much.
I don't look big but my measurements just upset me...I don't get how they are so big.

Measurements

Under Bust: 36
Bust: 41
Waist: 34
Hips: 40.5 (Confused, is this at the widest part of the butt? if so, 42.5 then.)
Arm: 11
Thigh: 27

Honestly... people are built differently. And I'm not even talking about fat with this.

Whether or not you need to lose weight is up to you to decide at this point. I believe you're still within the "healthy" range with BMI... possibly in overweight... possibly not. You're a completely different height from me... so yours is different from mine.

But weight aside... people are also just built differently. While one person has a 24" waist at say... 5'6" and 130 lbs (purely guesswork here guys... I really have no clue!!), someone who is the exact same height and weight could have a 28" waist... or even a 22" waist... and so on.

So... measure... but make sure you're comparing to YOU... because if you compare to everyone whom you believe are "perfect"... your body type might not be the same... and then you end up frustrated about how you can't seem to match up.

So yeah... if you feel you need to lose weight... by all means. But don't do it just because you feel as though you "have to" because everyone else is... or because you don't have the right measurements... or whatever.

Just to give you an idea... We have very similar measurements.

Here are mine:
Under Bust: 32.5
Bust: 40
Waist: 33-34
Hips: 42
Arm: 14
Thigh: 25.5

and our BMI's are almost the same (yours: 29.2 and mine: 29.0). Now, when I get to a healthy BMI, even at the very high end my waist is normally above 28" those 20 odd lbs about a healthy BMI really make a big difference. There's something called the paper towel theory here and it's basically that the smaller you are the more you noticed a loss (and others too). Since you're not that far away from a healthy BMI if you do lose a bit of weight you'll see the difference right away.

Good luck!

People are just put together differently, different sized muscles, different places they carry their fat. For example, I weight 174, and am 5'6", but am still in a size 14 pant. Many of the women on here are the same stats as me but in a 10-12. It frustrates the bejeezus out of me!
@runningfromfat - you and i have very similar stats. I'm just curious what size clothes you're in?

I'm roughly a 10-12. It's hard to say exactly because I live outside of the states and sizing is different here but I do have some of my old 12's from years ago and some of those are too big.

Maybe it's also your lower stomach? Do you tend to carry more weight there? Just wondering because of all the low-rise jeans now a days it seems like that plays a bigger role in the size than your natural waist.

ETA: I carry a lot of weight in my upper arms (~14" right now) so I think it lets me get away with wearing a smaller pants size!

LOL, we carry our weight in different areas. I'm wearing a 10/12 on top but a 14 on bottom (sometimes 12).

@undeadwife - It is frustrating and weird! So don't get thrown by other people's numbers. Just follow your program, and watch them decrease

Yep, I think that's definitely it. I really struggle finding tops that fit me well. At least pants are relatively easy (except the evil jean gap that happens at times!).

I agree with what everyone said about being built differently! I'm only an inch taller than you and here's what my measurements are:

Under Bust: 32
Bust: 36
Waist: 27 (29 if I forcefully flub it out)
Spare-Tire region: 35
Hips: 38 (BAM!)
Thigh: 22
Arm: 11

I'm still stuck in a size 8 pant and size 6-8 top! If that's you in your avatar I don't look all that different from the side, and if I had to guess I'd never guess your thighs were 27. It's when I turn around and do a front view that it's like 'Dang girl those hips are outta control!'

I agree with what runningfromfat said! The smaller you are, the faster people will notice even small changes and the faster you body will start to change too.
But in addition to that people's bodies are just built differently! Waistline can be defined by how wide your ribcage is built!

I'm 5'5 and currently weigh 169lbs. My waist is 29 and my hip and bust are both 37, at a bmi of about 28.1.

I know I can get much smaller than that, because my family's built v. small.

A good friend of mine who has a healthy weight and is actually not overweight, her waist is only a little smaller than mine, because she's built differently.

Like everyone said, people are different. I would LOVE 11 inch arms!!! Mine are like 14 and 13.5. It's crazy. They really do look too big for me but aside from lipo, I can't change them. When I am thinner, they are still big. It's hereditary. At this point my waist is about 29 inches which isn't too bad but there is no way in heck I'd wear sleeveless in public. I don't even like to wear short sleeves. I prefer them to come to my elbow.

I have very similar measurements, and I agree-- I can't imagine a waist like that. Those waists are just a bit bigger than my thigh (23.5")! It might happen for us, though, but it's not something you should dwell on, for your own emotional well-being.

I agree-- your avatar looks nice! Don't feel like you have to hit a magic number or waist size. It's way too stressful to try to fit ourselves into a mold that may never work for us.

Same here! Mine are normally 14" but go up to 15" is I'm retaining water (so especially right after a workout). It stinks because the weather is getting warmer here and everyone is wearing short sleeves. I have to wear them too and they just look pretty big compared to the rest of me!

Oh, and I hear you on having a hard time imagining a smaller waist. There are a lot of women here who are TINY but they also have very small bone structure (I swear their shoulders are about half of mine!).