[tajmahalgirl]

I'm not trying to be rude or obnoxious, but I have no where else to go. I am 2o years old and from the us but my b/f is from the uk (indian descent though) I have always been told I'm very tiny I'm 5'3 1/2 and tpyically weigh 102-108 lbs 7 stone 4 pounds to 7 stone 10 pounds, well when my b.f came here he said I was not tiny and that that was average for someone in the uk my age. Is that true? Are british people generally very very skinny so that even rail thin in america is average there? It really sort of upset me and I never worried about my weight before until now, now I feel I should be at 90lbs 6 stone 6 pounds. I'm serious this is not a joke. Please no rude answers. I just need to know what things are like in the uk because I have no clue. Also most of my ethnic herritage is british/scotch/welsh

[Ellie R]

UK / Ireland is just the same as US in terms of everyone coming in different shapes and sizes...there is a tendency to see less of the extremely large people around though...
Given your stats, you would be considered one of the skinny ones over here as well!

Clearly your boyfriend made a not very nice statement in some way to make you feel inadequate (and possibly grateful to him for being with you?)...hopefully this is not a characteristic trait, and instead a once off comment

[2phatinvictoria]

lady! YOU are very small.. dont listen to him. Nip this in the butt before you start to worry about this because you dont have to i wouldn't wish worrying about weight on anyone! If hes not happy with the way you look.. he is no good for you!

[tajmahalgirl]

Thank you for the answers. I suppose it was just because I'm sure europe hears that all americans are obese. Thats not exactly true but yes there are many more here and it's been a problem for a while. But I want stay healthy and I certainly don't want an eating disorder!

[lora m]

At 7 stone 10 you have a body mass index of 18.8. That's pretty low - underweight according to some authorities, on the low side of normal to others. Since you sound like you normally maintain at this weight and don't usually think about losing more, you sound like you are simply naturally slender, but it sounds like a bad idea to try to lose more.

You might be interested to know that 24% of adults in England were classified as obese (BMI 30+) in 2009. Of course there are skinny people here too but walk down any British High Street and you'll see plenty who aren't.

The guy's talking rubbish and I have to wonder why. Does he normally try to put down his girlfriends, I wonder? This is definitely his problem not yours, and if he persists, lose him, not the weight.

[froggie83]

90 lb would be very underweight....i don't like the sound of this guy at all.
it sounds like he's trying to make you think you're nothing special.

[Dippy Chip]

Yes, I have to agree with everyone else - you would definitely be considered very slender in the UK (where, let's not forget, the average woman is a size 16 which equates to a US size 12).

And, whilst I'm not usually the sort of woman who tries to fan the flames of relationship disharmony, I have to also agree with some of the other posters who wonder at what your BFs motive is in trying to deceive you in this way. Because he is DEFINITELY deceiving you in saying that your slenderness is not unusual by UK standards - he is trying to make you feel un-special, and I'd wonder why he feels the need to do that....

[bananapancakes]

I'm from the U.K and I can't think of anyone that I know from your age range that is that small, not to say there are not people out there that small at all.......I just don't know any. Like someone said, they come in all shapes in sizes but you do tend to not see as many extremely overweight people. I'm 28 years old and I wear a U.S Size 6, not sure what that is back home these days but I'm considered fairly small in comparison to most of my U.K friends who are at least 160 or so (originally from Scotland). To be honest 102-108 lbs I'm sure would be considered very slender just about anywhere. 90 lbs in my honest opinion is just unhealthy, assuming you're at least 5 ft.

[tajmahalgirl]

I'm nearly 5"4

[bananapancakes]

Originally Posted by tajmahalgirl

I'm nearly 5"4

Well you are slightly taller than myself, by 1.5 inches and I know I'm small at 125.....so I can only imagine how slim you are. As long as you are healthy and feel good about yourself, who cares......seriously.

[Dinky]

Originally Posted by tajmahalgirl

I'm not trying to be rude or obnoxious, but I have no where else to go. I am 2o years old and from the us but my b/f is from the uk (indian descent though) I have always been told I'm very tiny I'm 5'3 1/2 and tpyically weigh 102-108 lbs 7 stone 4 pounds to 7 stone 10 pounds, well when my b.f came here he said I was not tiny and that that was average for someone in the uk my age. Is that true? Are british people generally very very skinny so that even rail thin in america is average there? It really sort of upset me and I never worried about my weight before until now, now I feel I should be at 90lbs 6 stone 6 pounds. I'm serious this is not a joke. Please no rude answers. I just need to know what things are like in the uk because I have no clue. Also most of my ethnic herritage is british/scotch/welsh

Dear God! I wish we were a skinny race! Take no notice of your boyfriend. We are no different to anywhere else in the world. Walk down a street in any UK city and you will see Starbucks, Mc Donalds, Subway etc and the people are all different shapes and sizes just like the US. Our dress sizes tend to be different to the US but by no means are they very small.

[ValRock]

Uhm... I live in Japan and you *might* be considered average here.

Do not give what your boyfriend said a second thought. He has no clue what he's talking about.

[tajmahalgirl]

hmmm as to Japan. I wonder if that has anything to do with it. He's asian well indian and I've noticed most indians are skinny. But like anyone I'm sure come in all sizes as well.

[Dippy Chip]

Originally Posted by tajmahalgirl

hmmm as to Japan. I wonder if that has anything to do with it. He's asian well indian and I've noticed most indians are skinny. But like anyone I'm sure come in all sizes as well.

Hmm, well I have many friends who live in Japan and Korea, and it seems that in those cultures there is a great deal of pressure on women to be very very petite and slender, so if your BF had been formed by that culture then I could see where he was coming from.

But you said that he's English (albeit of Indian descent), so there's absolutely no way that he could have failed to see that the average British woman is...average! I am acquainted with hundreds of English women and know the height and weight of many of them, and in my entire circle of acquaintances I know of only one woman who is as slender as you are.

So take what he said with a VERY large pinch of salt...or better still, call him on it, and ask him point blank what game he's playing and why he wants to make you feel less special than you undoubtedly are.

If you want to see what the average UK woman looks like go take a look on Youtube, and you'll see plenty of girls a lot bigger than you, which will put your mind at rest...

Oh, and if you don't believe what we're all telling you, check out this article from the BBC, when it says that we're not really 'Little' Britain at all! It says that the average British woman is 5'4" tall, with 38" bust, 34" waist and 40.5" hips....

[tajmahalgirl]

I jsut want to say than you for all the advice and support. I am not just someone looking for attention. I've just always been very insecure and it helps to know the truth. Thanks so much!