Size and BMI question
 

So lately, I've discovered that most of my Larges are too large. I think I'm basically into Mediums now. I think its a little strange, though, since this morning on my scale (my ticker is my WW weight, that gets taken at night) it said 165.4, which is 1.4 above the weight for a healthy BMI. Just wondering for those who are in that range - what size did you wear when you entered it?

I'm pretty sure the last time I lost this weight, I was a medium at about this point, so it SHOULDN'T surprise me, but it still does :)

Edit - I realize shape has a LOT to do with fit, ie where you carry your weight. I'm just interested in other peoples' experiences :)

I am 5'7 and when I was in the 160's I was wearing a size 7-8 in jeans and size large shirts. I am now at goal and still wear some size large tops and a few mediums depending on the style. I now wear size 4-5 in jeans. I think my BMI is 22. It really all depends on your body build. I carry more weight in my upper body.

Well, my BMI is not that low, but BMI is a crappy measure in many ways. All it is is a height/weight ratio and doesn't take body composition into account. Two people could be the same height and weight, but if one of them has more muscle and less fat they could be smaller than the other person and wear a different size. Last fall when I started weight training more seriously my weight stayed constant, but my body comp must have changed -- I both added more muscle and lost fat -- and I went down a clothing size. My BMI as the same, but I was physically smaller...

Also, clothing sizes vary so much. Like Lily, I'm all over the place. I'm a medium in some items, large in others and XL in others...

Yeah I realize all that about BMI and shape. I was just wondering what other peoples' experiences were :)

I'm in the Overweight range and I wear a large. In the obese range I wore extra large. I think a lot depends on your body build, not just BMI. Also, if you are larger in the middle vs. larger in the hips or all over, your sizes can vary a lot. :yes:

jay

Yup, it's all a bit random, especially with the vanity sizing. I'm 5'9 and when I gain weight, I carry lots of it in my upper body. I pretty much have to be below 150 to wear a medium.

Clothing size is such an unreliable measure of success since there is such a wide variety in sizing between different brands. BMI is a poor measure but Body Fat % is much more reliable.

I wear a size medium on top...but I'm still technically in the "obese" category as far as my BMI goes. I'm 190 lbs. size 14 jeans and mostly medium tops. I carry most of my weight in my lower half.

I could have a BMI of 12 and I wouldn't be able to wear anything but XL tops. I'm "blessed" with being very top heavy (still a DDD after losing all the weight that I have). I wear a size 12 in pants, it just doesn't make any sense at all.

I'm about to hit my healthy BMI (1 more lb to go!)

My size varies wildly, so I did a bit of research online using my measurements & the size calculators:

Wal-Mart: size 6 / Small
Old Navy: size 4 / Small <--hahaha, vanity sizing at its best
Levi's (US): size 6 / Small

I imagine I'd probably wear a size up from these, though, as I prefer somewhat loose-fitting clothes; these would probably be pretty snug!

Hmmm... very interesting, maalisse. See, I'm 5'5" and just in the few pounds started wearing a size Small and 6/4s in pants and I'm at 135. I'd NEVER fit into that size at 150!

Well....I am in about a size 8 pants and a size 10 shirts. So...at the moment I must be more top heavy. I wouldn't really say it is my boobs per se...but just i guess my upper arms are still a little bigger than they should be and all of the fat around my ribcage and back has not gone down yet. I just entered the healthy weight a couple pounds ago.

I'm not sure I believe those measurements, to be honest! After thinking about it: my waist/hips are 26"/36", but my waist is pretty high up on my body. I'm not sure that low-rise pants with a "26.5 waist" would actually be all that comfortable on me. To get a more accurate measurement, I'd probably have to measure my waist quite a bit lower down.

There's only one way to figure this out: it's shopping time! ;)

Hmmmm....

I'm about 143 pounds at the moment, 5'6 and a Australian 10 (US6) on bottom and Australian 8 (US4) on top.

My waist is 26" and my hips are 38"

My BMI is 23

and my body fat percentage is 21%-22%

I just buy what fits :P

When I hit a healthy BMI I was at size 9. Top wise i've always been a sizle L or XL because like MOM2QJandT I have larger breasts (36 DD at the moment). It seems like when I shop in the states i've always been smaller sizes (are we different up here?). My healthy BMI had me at a 7 and I fit size medium/large in the US. If only we were like that here!

I have to agree that sizing is a variable measure - I have a size 2 Isaac Mizrahi skirt, a size 4 Ann Taylor dress, I'm mostly into 6's and 8's generally, but still wear 10's in a few things. Very frustrating - men would not put up with these kinds of shenanigans!

My BMI is in the normal range, 23.4, but as already noted, it's not a consistent measure, since we all carry our weight differently.

Lyria and maalice, you ladies who are about my height and 10-15 lbs heavier than me are making me mad at my body because my waist is still 28.5" - and you guys are at 26". Stupid apple shaped body. Why is my belly fat so hard to get rid of? I bet I'll have to drop another 10 lbs before I have a 26" waist. I'm envious.

You're only an inch taller than me and wearing the same jean size and smaller tops than me? My BMI is about 28 right now, and yours around 31, there must really be no correlation between BMI and size! And you must be pretty fit to be wearing such small sizes ;) At that weight I think I was in size 16w pants and XXL or XL tops.

Kilketay...I'm envious of you!!! I only got about 14 pounds to drop to get to your weight and doubt that my waist will be a 28.5. Mine is like a 33 right now. I'm only dropping half an inch a month and about 5 pounds a month. 5 pounds, 3 times, half an inch, 3 times...only gives me about a 31.5 inch waist. How depressing!!!!

Aw hon, I bet there are parts of your body that I wish I had, too. With comparing bodies, it tends to be a bit of a "grass-is-always-greener" thing because we only see the things that we wish we had...and I guarantee you that were we standing side-by-side right now, I'd be saying "Man, I wish I had her _____ and _____ and..."

Besides, a 28.5" waist is nothing to sneeze at!! I have a very fit, very healthy friend who would kill to have a waist that small! (She's built like an H, and she's always commenting about my waist...whereas I would kill to have her legs, arms and boobs...ahhhhh, why can't we ever be happy with our body types? :lol: )

I'm happy! :) You can be, too! You can't change your type, but you can change your size and shape with weight loss and exercise. That's as good as it gets! (short of surgery...)

Jay

My personal experiences:
at my all time high 250lbs, I was in a size 24...now lost that, went to 135 into a size 6...
leveled out about 150 and was in 8/10.
This time I bounced to 215 in a size 16
down to 160 in a size 8/10 and now at 170 (ish) I am in 10/12 I have always been either a Large or Medium shirt depending on the style/manufacturer.

The biggest unexpected hurdle of weightloss, I'm finding, is trying to get an actual handle on what I actually look like. I'm beginning to think that I see myself through a funhouse mirror! I guess the key is to learn to shift the magnifying glass from the parts of ourselves that we dislike to the parts that we're proud of...?