About what overweight means?

Question

I am over weight I am 5' 3" and weigh about 190. However I have a flat stomach and I don't feel that I look "sloppy" I am...very well endowed, and I feel that I look rather like Andromeda in this Rubens painting, as far as size...only more, top heavy.
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Perseus-and-Andromeda-Posters_i830050_.htm

I also feel my fittest and I look my best at about 150-155 lbs.

In all honesty if I weighed the 125 I'm "supposed" to I would be a tiny, muscleless weakling. As it stands I am the strongest girl I know. :D

So my question is, why does that little cookie cutter weight/height equation still apply?

Note: All of my doctors say I am fit as a fiddle. Perfect blood work/pressure...not a thing wrong with me according to them. And I DO have a flat stomach...believe it or not.

Oh, I'm 25/female

Answer 1

Overweight simply means that you are above the target weight for someone of your height. Obesity is the result of being overweight combined with a higher percentage of body fat. At 5'3" and 190 lbs you are both overweight and obese. If you feel healthy, then you don't need to lose the weight, but you should definitely consult with a doctor if you're going to try to maintain the weight. Some people are just naturally larger than others.

Answer 2

Don't always look at those weight charts. My bf is supposedly "obese" but he stands at 8% body fat right now.

Honestly, I do think 190 is a little extreme for someone that is only 5'3". You may be strong but you may also be unhealthy. Have your doctor or a nutritionist measure your body fat. That is a more important factor to look at when you are trying to determine whether you're overweight or not.

There are strong girls that are around your height that do weight 125. You can still be 125 without being tiny and muscleless. You just have to have the right training plan and it takes a lot of hard work.

I suggest you speak to your doctor about what is a healthy weight for you since those charts are a lot of times inaccurate. He will tell you whether being at 150-155 is healthy enough for you.

Answer 3

I agree with TJC and Miss J, get your body fat percentage checked. BMI is outdated and does not take into account frame size or muscle mass. You may need to lose weight, but not as much as the BMI charts would indicate.

You don't have to aim for 16% body fat, that is a little extreme for most women. So aim for 18% to 24% body fat if you want to be ideal. Although a body fat percentage of 30% or under indicates you are not overfat if you are a 25 year old woman.

Also check your waist measurement. It should be no more than 32 inches or you may be at an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. I would say 28 inches or less would be an ideal waist measurement. HTH : )

Answer 4

You should lose some weight. Overweight could mean anything, but at 5 ft 3 inches tall and 190 lbs your BMI (body mass index calculates out to" 33.7 (See CDC determination below). By the CDC standard you are carrying too much weight right now. 140 lbs would put you in the top end of the normal range. It is not possible that you would be weak at 140 unless you didn’t lift a finger to exercise. You would no doubt feel stronger. There are serious problems with carrying too much weight. One major problem is that the extra weight wears out the joints (knees hips ankles and spine). Another big concern is Diabetes. When you weigh more than you should, your pancreas has a hard time producing enough insulin in the precise amounts needed from moment to moment. Precise insulin management is what contributes to getting energy to every cell of your body to keep you alive and in working order. Think of yourself as having the pancreas of a 5'3' woman, that has to service 190lbs - its a mismatch. Insufficient insulin means your body fails to get "sugar" it needs to run the machinery that keeps you alive and when it doesn't get it in the right amounts, widespread damage (blood vessels, nerves, etc.) occurs. You won't feel the joint damage and damage from the diabetes until its too late. Your young healthy body can compensate for a lot right now and you don't yet suffer from the ill effects of being overweight but I guarantee you that these things are occurring right now - no matter how good you feel. I am sure you have a beautiful body, but you owe that body respect and care. Your body is obviously taking care of you (you feel so healthy) and you should be taking care of it.

*This is how the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) categorizes BMIs:
Below 18.5 Underweight
18.5–24.9 Normal
25.0–29.9 Overweight
30.0 and Above Obese

Good Luck. I leave you to find out how to lose weight elsewhere; there is already a lot of information on that out there.

* http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/adult_BMI/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.htm

Answer 5

Ideal body weight does not apply to every individual. Although they have those standards, remember they are just an average of some sort. Every person is different. And sometimes a person may weigh more than someone else, but they might look like the exact same weight. Some people just carry weight differently or have more muscle (as we all know, muscle weighs more than fat).

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I think the weight you feel best at is the most ideal. The cooker cutter equation is merely a guideline.

It's true that if you're >20 lb overweight you have excess interior fat surrounding your vital organs (think of wiggly chicken fat). But that's a trade off to feel good about yourself.

But if you're muscular now, you'd still be muscular at 125 lbs. Just smaller muscles overall ... proportioned.

Answer 8

If you really dont like al "flabby" and stuff like that and you do have a fairly flat stomach- the extra weight you have could be muscle. I am over weight too, about 20 pounds over, but I have a flat stomach too, its muscle- most likely. Dont worry- you still should try to excercise if you feel self-consious about your weight. Good Luck! =)

Answer 9

Yea, that is a little bit outdated. I would suggest that you use your body fat % as a guide. Get it measured at a gym and strive to get it down to 16%. Weight is innacurate because when you gain weight you may not nessisarily gain fat, you may be gaining muscle. You just dont know unless you monitor your body fat %.

Answer 10

That's very weird, I'm 5'3" and look like a fatty at 120, I would check the scale you're using. Are you male or Female, that would also be usefull info.