I'm inclined to agree with Ian. I never actually reached the "normal" range on the BMI charts for my height. But I consider myself a formerly-fat person and I say things like "when I was fat...."
It is not a technical designation or a medical one, but a mental one. It's how I feel. I feel so radically different from how I did in my old body - in strength, stamina, desire to move.
And as a matter of course I eat differently from how I did when I was fat. Even though I sometimes slip up, return to binging behaviors, and have partial regains, getting back on plan now feels like getting my eating back to my normal state, rather than getting back on a diet.
It took several years of hard work but the changes I made in my life and my body have become the new normal for me. And along with that, gradually, came thinking of myself as no longer fat. It wasn't crossing a numerical threshold that did it for me.
This BMI calculator has an interesting feature: it tells you your weight percentile, or how your weight compares to that of other people.
At my current weight, I'm overweight but I'm in the 47th percentile, meaning about half the people in the world are heavier than me and the other half are thinner.
Of course, BMI is a highly subjective (and oft debated) form of measurement. And how you look at certain weight depends a lot on your build, shape, fat-to-muscle ratio, etc. That being said, I find the weight percentile thing very interesting.
Personally, I think I'm going to call this weight loss journey DONE when I no longer feel blobbish and lumpish and jiggly. For me, it's more a matter of fitness and muscle-to-fat ratio than a number on a scale or a size tag.
I checked this chart and am baffeled !!! I weigh 123 am 5' 5" and am 61 yrs old it says I have a BMI of 25 { almost overweight???} and that I am in the 2% of weight range nNOW how can that be??? I have maybe 20 % bodyfat. I run and eat VERY lean???
Because BMI is just a chart that assumes that if you are a certain height and a certain weight, than your fat-to-muscle ratio must be X. It doesn't know your particular circumstances.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Desiderata
Scary that you can weigh less than the majority and still be overweight in this country - that definitely does start to blur the lines of "fat" and "not-fat."
Exactly! And if 55% percent of Americans are overweight, than that certainly skews the data about "ideal weight" and "percentiles" and all that.
I checked this chart and am baffeled !!! I weigh 123 am 5' 5" and am 61 yrs old it says I have a BMI of 25 { almost overweight???} and that I am in the 2% of weight range nNOW how can that be??? I have maybe 20 % bodyfat. I run and eat VERY lean???
I checked the calc with your info and I see 20.5 BMI.
I checked the calc with your info and I see 20.5 BMI.
well not sure What! I was seeing before But yes your calculation is correct. Which is what most other BMI charts show me at. Was a bit confused as I am at and below my original goal and don't have to much left on me to spare to lose and keep my muscle and energy levels up. have been maintain at this for 4 months.
I'd say a combination of factors. If you feel your weight impedes you from enjoying your life or physically doing things (wearing swimsuits doesn't count - I mean things like "adventuring outside" or "going on dates," "fitting in seats"), then you might be "fat."
BMI is a crock for many people and clothing size varies so much it's practically impossible to use it as a measuring tool.
When I was a kid I was told women should weigh 100 pounds at 5 feet and for every inch above that add 5 pounds. This may or may not correspond to ideal weight charts, but for some reason I've never forgotten this "formula".
This is a good website for finding out how your weight compares to other women:
www dot halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm
A good goal would be to be at the 50th percentile or less than other ladies of your age & height.
So, for me I look at ideal weight charts, BMI and percentile rank. All those numbers will vary, but they're in the ballpark.
That website puts me in the 5th percentile. I should be happy, right? I'm not. That darn formula you mentioned was drummed into my head when I was a teenager and for the life of me I can't shake the idea that I need to weigh 105 pounds or less in order not to be fat.
This is a hard one. I didn't believe I was fat and couldn't see it or refused to see it but other people wasted no time in telling me. Since I've lost 7kgs I can't see much of a change, my belly still looks darn fat to me, but other people have commented on my weight loss. I guess you are no longer fat when you can see it or when other people stop perceiving you as fat.
Location: Smack dab in the middle, Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 668
S/C/G: 203.4/170.4/140.0
Height: 5'0"
Quote:
Originally Posted by earthecho
When I was a kid I was told women should weigh 100 pounds at 5 feet and for every inch above that add 5 pounds. This may or may not correspond to ideal weight charts, but for some reason I've never forgotten this "formula".
I've always viewed that theory as complete and utter bullshit, if you'll pardon my French. Going by that formula, my idea weight is 100 pounds (since I'm five feet tall.) I currently weigh 165, but only look as though I weigh about 140. Seriously, I wouldn't even want to try and envision how emaciated I would be at 100 pounds. o_O
I wonder how accurate the percentile data is. For my age, I'm in the 25th percentile for height, which is just jaw dropping to me. As an "older mother" most of the women I know are younger, so I really have no basis for comparison.
yes! that calculator is pretty interesting with regards to percentile, I too wonder the accuracy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vex
Interesting question.
I've had kind of a reverse situation happen to me.
I knew I was fat at 280, but i didn't see myself as fat. That's probably what led me to getting that size to begin with - a lack of truly seeing me.
I wear a 12 right now and FEEL fat, more so than I ever did at 280.
Very strange, this self awareness thing.
Just wanted to ditto everything you just said.
______
I tend to go by BMI for myself, but I think body fat is probably a better way to determine "fat". I am barely "normal" according to BMI, but most people I meet are amazed that I still want to lose anywhere between 10-15 pounds because I'm not "fat" in their eyes.
I am not fat. I weigh more than my BMI says that I ought to, and I have extra fat on me, but I would not be considered "fat" by most people.
That change happened gradually, over the course of a year. It was not really set by weight, although between 140-150 is when I noticed it the most (I have gained about 8lbs in the past few months).
Hard to say. I definitely still feel fat (I am still fat in that I have excess and unhealthy fat on my person). When I was around 142 briefly I was beginning to not feel very fat. Still felt pudgy (probably because I carry weight around my middle).
For me, I think I won't be fat when I can always find something to wear that I a) fit into easily, b) actually like and c) look nice in. Right now I struggle to find anything that meets all 3 criteria.
Also, I have relatively thin legs (not quite an apple, but close), so also when my thighs no longer rub (I really hate that). I think that's the main thing for me. If I was pear-shaped or an hourglass I wouldn't use this criteria, but with my legs (since I don't carry much weight there) it's more than likely to happen without being emaciated.
Also, when someone else can pick me up without a huge struggle. I always feel incredibly fat whenever anyone does or tries. Blech.
I like the percentiles thing not as a measure of "fat" or even of health, but as a way to see where you are in relation to the population. Also, BMI is something I do use as one tool. I'm not really muscular - I'm average, so it's fairly accurate for me.
