Are you OK with being bigger than the charts?

eminenz2

eminenz2

Cathlete
I am 5'3" and now weigh 154. According to the infamous "Charts" - BMI, etc., I am still overweight and will take at least 15 more pounds (ugh - who wants to work that hard?) to be at the outermost edge of "acceptable".

But I think 150 is enough for me, and a realistically maintainable weight(if 'maintainable' is even a real word).

My oncologist said, "Enough with the weight loss already!"

Are you in the same boat? Are you fit, but still weigh more than the charts say you should weigh? Are you OK with it?

Just wondering.

Susan L.G.
 
To answer the question - yes. BMI should be taken into consideration along with blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. Usually my cholesterol and BP are great even if my BMI reads "overweight."
 
yep, considering how heavy I used to be, my doctor never gives me a hard time. I, of course, would like to have that "last 10" gone. I have accepted that to be my vanity weight and not health weight.

Sally
 
I HATE, HATE, HATE those blasted BMI charts. I, too, am 5'3" and in the 150's. I also have a very long torso and when I sit next to someone who is 5'7" or 5'8", we are the same height until we stand up. I have to think that a torso weighs more than a leg! (At least I am hoping.) I also have a large amount of muscle mass and those charts do not take those into consideration. My blood pressure is very low so I am not going to sweat it too much. The "charts" say I should be 130 pounds but I find that that is too low for me. I am going to strive to lose 10 pounds, call it good, give myself a pat on the back and NEVER look at a BMI chart again!

Cheryl
 
The # on the scale doesn't mean everything. It's just a #. One of many gauges to go by and certainly not one of the more important ones. Your body composition is MUCH more important than your weight. Muscle weighs more then fat. If you are muscular you will be smaller then a person of the same weight who is not muscular. Lots of people, including myself, can get stuck on the # and on wether they are considered "healthy" by this or that chart's standards but we all have to remember...It's okay to be heavier then the charts as the charts can not account for your body composition. I'm sure you are just fine where you are! Don't give it another thought if your doc is happy and you are happy! HTH. :)
 
I wish I could be okay with the charts and the scale. But I, unfortunately, have become somewhat obsessed with the number-thing. Maybe it's because I've exercised consistently since October and my body weight isn't going down (it's maintaining). I had a DEXA scan done a few weeks ago that showed I was borderline obese according to the "charts." I posted the results in another thread. I'm a size 8 and 5'7". It was very discouraging. Also a friend of mine, who is probably an 11 or 12 weighs 15 lbs. less than me and she's probably only 1" shorter than me - what?!?? I know it's muscle that weighs more, but c'mon!! I get focused on the number and it either motivates me or discourages me. But it certainly doesn't make me happy. It's sad, I know. I should be happy with the healthy and robust body that God gave me. I will be when I lose the 15 lbs. :+ In all honesty, I am thankful for what I have - strong legs and a healthy body.

Terri
 
I have to admit that I haven't always been okay with the charts. But these days I don't really pay attention to them. I am 5'3" and weigh 160 lbs, have for 2 years now. 198 was my highest. In the past two years, even though my weight hasn't changed, I have gone from a size 12 to a size 8.

So these days, if a "chart" that doesn't take into account lifestyle and muscle mass, wants to tell me that I am overweight, I say "bring it on chart, you don't scare me!!! I could tear you in a million pieces and throw you in the trash!!". HA! ;-)

I feel the same way about the scale as a matter of fact! :) Since I don't have to wear anything branded on my being that says how much I weigh or what the "chart" says, I could really care less. It has taken me a while to get to that point, but I'm there now and loving it!

Melissa
 
Susan,

Scale weight is not the tool to use, for measuring fat, especially If you have muscle. I suggest to use a caliber. I use an Accu-Measure. I won't be fooled about the scale and I wouldn't take heart about the charts.

What really matters anyway, is if you accept the way you are and you are healthy, then maintain what you have.

Take care,

Janie

http://www.picturetrail.com/janiejoey
 
That's interesting Melissa, because I am 154 right now, and size 10, but you're at 160 and a size 8! And we're the same height. That doesn't make sense, but proves my point that charts are meaningless!

Susan L.G.
 
I don't use clothing size as a guide ever! Have you read about vanity sizing? A size 4 misses in JCPenney's is a 6 or 8 somewhere else for example.

As far as the charts go, I hate to say it, but now that I'm closer to the weight I'm supposed to be I'm starting to think that they were right in my case. I can't say in general because 150 pounds might look good on a certain body type and you can't even tell they are over the charts while on some other person of the same height 150 pounds might look overweight. I say that as long as your cholesterol levels, sugar levels, etc. are okay and you're not currently suffering from joint problems, high blood pressure, or anything like that and you're happy with your weight then leave it alone.

Since we're sharing numbers (I would've never done this last year) I'm going to share mine. I'm almost 5' 5" and I on Sunday I weighed 142 (almost 3 pounds lighter than at the beginning of January). Although a nurse told me that if I wanted to I could stay at 145 I don't want to. I want to be 135 in a couple of months and my goal weight is 125, but that is going to take a long time because I'm losing about 2-3 pounds a month now. Last year when I had way more weight to lose I lost it quick, but now it's very hard. My main reason for having that goal weight is my joints. Since I carry my weight mostly in my lower body and I love my cardio I know that at my goal weight my joints are going to take less impact. I've noticed less joint pain as I'm losing more weight. My doctor told me to take a glucosamine supplement and I'm doing that with great results. He also said that 10lbs less are going to help a lot. I don't *need* to lose them for my health, but if I want to keep exercising (and I do) then he said it was going to be helpful. Another reason is that I want to be able to do more upper body exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, etc. that depend not only on my upper body strength, but my own bodyweight. As my upper body gets stronger and I'm reaching my goal weight I know those are going to be easier. Right now I can do about 20 push-ups on my toes and 1 unassisted pull up and I would like to do more than that in the future.

Everybody has their own reasons for paying attention to the charts or ignore them. Do whatever makes you happy as long as you're healthy. Take care.
 
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