Average Woman Is 5'4" and 140 Pounds: Problem?

[NW-Bound]

... the American guy actually didn't look that porky to me...which possibly reflects that we no longer know what normally healthy looks like...

+1

From the site linked by M Paquette:

The BMI for a typical adult American male is 28.6, according to the CDC, which rates a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 as “normal” and a BMI of 25 to 29.9 as “overweight.” Any adult with a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

The Japanese male avatar represents the average national BMI of 23.7; while the Netherlands avatar illustrates a BMI of 25.2 and the avatar for France represents at 25.5.​

The average BMI of 28.6 means there are roughly 50% of men above it, possibly way above. Yes, I can believe it as I look at typical people in public.

I have never been above 25 (or was it 24), and am now at 23. Yet, I feel "skinny" compared to the average guy. I guess our perception has been collectively distorted. Only when going abroad that we realize that!


PS. By the way, the above statistics and images are for males aged 30 to 39. Do we dare ask what the typical male aged 55-70 looks like?

 

[AnIntentionalRoad]

Having spent the last month in Asia the obesity problem (not just women) over here in the US really got my attention walking through the airport on return. We seem to be turning into over weight cellphone addicted zombies.

Yep, that's also the first thing I noticed at the airport when returning from overseas. (As I type this on my cell phone.)

 

[AnIntentionalRoad]

Weight is relative. I am in my mid 60s, female. i am taller than average --5'10''. Last summer I went in for my annual physical, weighed around 180. I felt I looked good and because my face was somewhat full most people thought I was younger than my true age. BUT my blood work numbers were bad--cholesterol too high, blood sugar high, etc, even though I exercised and ate well. The doctor recommended weight loss. So I exercised more and cut out all the tasty foods and lost 20 pounds. Now at 160 my cholesterol, blood sugar,etc are much better. But I look like a scare crow and I have a lot more wrinkles and look older--some friends have even asked if I am sick.

I doubt if I can keep my weight at 160, I am just not eating enough and I am hungry! But I guess I am healthier. Not sure what the weight answer is for me.

Jo Ann

Try to keep it off and your hunger level will adjust after a while. Also there are foods you can eat a lot of to fill yourself up that are low calorie.

 

[Katsmeow]

5'4" tall and 140 pounds is not overweight, let alone obese. It is a normal weight. It is toward the higher end of the normal range, but is normal and not overweight. (Note that someone can be normal weight, but can be considered obese if the body fat percentage is too high - look up "skinny fat").

Someone asked if this was the median. According to the CDC the mean height of females aged 20 or older in the US is 63.8"

For men, the mean is 69.3".

Mean BMI for females is 28.7 and for men is 28.6. This is solidly in the overweight range which starts at 25 BMI. Obese starts at 30.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_11/sr11_252.pdf

FWIW, a woman who is 5'4" tall and who has a BMI of 28.7 would weight 167 pounds, not 140.

 

[HFWR]

For illustration purposes... Btw, this is percent bodyfat, not BMI.

 

[Nemo2]

My wife, at 5'1", weighs ~103lbs, and we think she's just about right.......if I do a linear extrapolation, (if that's the correct term in this instance), to 5'4" it'd come out to ~108lbs, so 140lbs from our perspective would be close to 30% too heavy.......(then again, I was always lousy at math).

 

[jollystomper]

The problem with the BMI is that without context it will tell you that your are "overweight" while you may be very fit or athletic, or that you are normal weight where you may still be having health problems.

I'm 5' 10", at at the most actively athletic time of my life, my weight was 190 - but my body fat was 12%, I was lifting weights and biking/running daily, playing football, basketball, racquetball, etc. My doctor never expressed a concern about my weight.

I'm older now and have shed some pounds and keep my weight between 175-180 lbs. That has my BMI as borderline overweight But I'm still lifting weights, not running but biking and doing a lot of walking/stairclimbing. My cardio, according to my doctor, is in "excellent" condition for my age. Last year I walked a golf course with a man 15 years younger and slimmer, and he practically had to crawl the last few holes - I was so concerned I wanted to call the clubhouse to send a cart out for him.

BMI is important, but should looked at in context with other factors for overall fitness and health.

 

[Amethyst]

I remember the 5 foot 4 inch, 140-pound "average" woman being cited in the 1970's. Average Woman has expanded quite a bit since then, and so what? A healthy weight and BMI for any particular individual can be anywhere in a fairly large range, and should (I think) be determined in consultation with a Dr.

The trouble with any discussion involving women and weight, is that women are conditioned to factor other people's assessments of their looks into their own self-regard. Beauty is a subjective judgment, totally at odds with any scientific attempt to determine healthy weight. Thus, any discussion of women's weight causes many women to think in two directions at once: "Is this healthy?" and "Will people admire me, like me, or make fun of me at this weight?" The second train of thought is crazy-making and certainly nonproductive.

Amethyst

 

[Dreamer]

5'4" tall and 140 pounds is not overweight, let alone obese. It is a normal weight. It is toward the higher end of the normal range, but is normal and not overweight. (Note that someone can be normal weight, but can be considered obese if the body fat percentage is too high - look up "skinny fat").

This would describe me, although I do not consider myself to be skinny at all. I am currently at the top end of my weight. My BMI is 24.2. I feel better when I weigh about 10-15 pounds less than I do now.

My DH and I are currently doing a Metabolic Syndrome Study at our university. We had many health tests done. They had us get into a Bod Pod machine for body fat testing. I knew that my fat percentage was too high, the last time I was measured several years ago. It is even worse now. It was embarrassing! I can't believe that I have let myself get in such bad shape. My DH's BMI puts him in the obese category, but his fat percentage was much better than mine.

We are now 3 weeks into the strength training part of this study. We are not supposed to do any aerobic exercise for the 8 weeks or it could throw off the results of this study. I am planning on keeping up the strength and adding in some aerobics after the study. I must get in better shape. Heart disease runs in my family.

 

[CaliforniaMan]

This would describe me, although I do not consider myself to be skinny at all. I am currently at the top end of my weight. My BMI is 24.2. I feel better when I weigh about 10-15 pounds less than I do now.

My DH and I are currently doing a Metabolic Syndrome Study at our university. We had many health tests done. They had us get into a Bod Pod machine for body fat testing. I knew that my fat percentage was too high, the last time I was measured several years ago. It is even worse now. It was embarrassing! I can't believe that I have let myself get in such bad shape. My DH's BMI puts him in the obese category, but his fat percentage was much better than mine.

We are now 3 weeks into the strength training part of this study. We are not supposed to do any aerobic exercise for the 8 weeks or it could throw off the results of this study. I am planning on keeping up the strength and adding in some aerobics after the study. I must get in better shape. Heart disease runs in my family.

This study sounds so interesting! Made me google it, seems like a big area of research in this field. Hope you can keep us informed about the results. Probably applies to many of us here, I know I felt better 15 pounds lighter too. If you have any good readings in the field to suggest would be great if maybe you could post some here.

 

[M Paquette]

+1
I have never been above 25 (or was it 24), and am now at 23. Yet, I feel "skinny" compared to the average guy. I guess our perception has been collectively distorted. Only when going abroad that we realize that!

Yup. My BMI is 22.5, and I constantly have people commenting that I look 'too skinny'. There's been one funny side effect over time.

Growing up, as a teen I used to get 'Large' shirts and sweaters, with 'Medium' being too small. Now I find 'Medium' leaves lots of fabric flapping in the breeze, and I often wind up picking the 'Small' items. No, my waist and shoulders are the same number of inches as when I was twenty (which was a goal I wanted to reach in my fitness program). It's almost as though there was some sort of... inflation...

 

[Katsmeow]

My wife, at 5'1", weighs ~103lbs, and we think she's just about right.......if I do a linear extrapolation, (if that's the correct term in this instance), to 5'4" it'd come out to ~108lbs, so 140lbs from our perspective would be close to 30% too heavy.......(then again, I was always lousy at math).

5'1" and 103 pounds is a BMI of 19.5 and is toward the lower end of the normal range (which starts at a BMI of 18.5).

Your extrapolation is not correct though. For someone 5'4" to be at an equivalent BMI of 19.5, that person would weigh between 113 (19.4) and 114 (19.6). A weight of 108 pounds for someone who is 5'4" would be 18.5 the very bottom of normal weight range.

(Yes, I know that BMI is not the best measure for everyone. I think that body composition - body fat percentage - is a better measure. People who do serious strength training can have an obese BMI and a low body fat percentage. But, for most people, they don't fall into that category and BMI is a reasonable proxy).

 

[Mulligan]

+1

From the site linked by M Paquette:

The BMI for a typical adult American male is 28.6, according to the CDC, which rates a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 as “normal” and a BMI of 25 to 29.9 as “overweight.” Any adult with a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

The Japanese male avatar represents the average national BMI of 23.7; while the Netherlands avatar illustrates a BMI of 25.2 and the avatar for France represents at 25.5.​

The average BMI of 28.6 means there are roughly 50% of men above it, possibly way above. Yes, I can believe it as I look at typical people in public.

I have never been above 25 (or was it 24), and am now at 23. Yet, I feel "skinny" compared to the average guy. I guess our perception has been collectively distorted. Only when going abroad that we realize that!


PS. By the way, the above statistics and images are for males aged 30 to 39. Do we dare ask what the typical male aged 55-70 looks like?

NW, I will answer your question....NO I don't want to see what a typical man or woman aged 55-70 looks like! Although 60 year old Christie Brinkley would certainly be worth a peek at!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Amethyst]

"Vanity sizing" is a well-known phenomenon in women's clothing. In the 1980's, there were "Misses size 4-16" and anything bigger was "Women's." Back then, I was a "Misses size 12" and a Medium in everything. I was not, and am not, a small woman.

Then the manufacturers lumped Size 12-16 and Women's into the "Plus Size" category, and created sizes 00, 0, and 2 to replace 4, 6, and 8 at the smaller end of "Misses." Finally, they made Size 4-10 clothing bigger, and voila, all us women suddenly starting wearing smaller sizes without diet or exercise. A miracle!

Many years later, I weigh the same, yet have somehow morphed into a Size 4 and a Small. Nevertheless, the few 1980's "Medium" and "Size 12" items I have, still fit.

Amethyst

Growing up, as a teen I used to get 'Large' shirts and sweaters, with 'Medium' being too small. Now I find 'Medium' leaves lots of fabric flapping in the breeze, and I often wind up picking the 'Small' items. No, my waist and shoulders are the same number of inches as when I was twenty (which was a goal I wanted to reach in my fitness program). It's almost as though there was some sort of... inflation...

 

[RetireAge50]

I wear size 14 or 15 and am not fat. Then again, I am a male and the sizing is for a baseball cap.

 

[Mulligan]

I wear size 14 or 15 and am not fat. Then again, I am a male and the sizing is for a baseball cap.

I am trying to stay vigilant in avoiding weight gain. I don't want to get to the point where I have 3 waist sizes.... 31 inch below the gut, 40 in. around the gut, and 34 in above it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[tinlizzy]

For illustration purposes... Btw, this is percent bodyfat, not BMI.

I'm 5'4" and 140lbs and look exactly like the woman in the middle (30% body fat).

I lost a lot of weight after my son was born and 95 - 110 at 5'4" is almost gross and definitely underweight. 115 felt good but 120 - 125 had men falling over themselves around me. Within 2 years I had settled back into my normal weight of 135-140.

 

[NW-Bound]

For illustration purposes... Btw, this is percent bodyfat, not BMI...

It looks like for men 15% body fat is good, but women need 25-30% body fat.

Anyway, I do not know our body fat, but when going swimming I have to work to stay afloat but my wife could never dive, I guess due to too much buoyancy . Yet, my BMI is higher than hers.

 

[Chuckanut]

Try to keep it off and your hunger level will adjust after a while. Also there are foods you can eat a lot of to fill yourself up that are low calorie.

Just remember that the idea that eating fat makes us fat has been declared as 'misguided' by the Harvard School of Public Health. If you like I think I can find the link. So...... to eat and feel full, it's OK to eat more fat which does serve to satiate our hunger for a longer period of time.

 

[Nemo2]

5'1" and 103 pounds is a BMI of 19.5 and is toward the lower end of the normal range (which starts at a BMI of 18.5).

Your extrapolation is not correct though. For someone 5'4" to be at an equivalent BMI of 19.5, that person would weigh between 113 (19.4) and 114 (19.6). A weight of 108 pounds for someone who is 5'4" would be 18.5 the very bottom of normal weight range.

(Yes, I know that BMI is not the best measure for everyone. I think that body composition - body fat percentage - is a better measure. People who do serious strength training can have an obese BMI and a low body fat percentage. But, for most people, they don't fall into that category and BMI is a reasonable proxy).

I wasn't focusing on BMI but rather, (in an attempt at simplicity), the ratio of inches per pound, (or pounds per inch if you prefer)........my own BMI is currently ~22.1 and I'm quite happy with that; my wife, (both of us work out daily), has a small frame and a 19.5 BMI suits her perfectly.

 

[Katsmeow]

I wasn't focusing on BMI but rather, (in an attempt at simplicity), the ratio of inches per pound, (or pounds per inch if you prefer)........my own BMI is currently ~22.1 and I'm quite happy with that; my wife, (both of us work out daily), has a small frame and a 19.5 BMI suits her perfectly.

I get that. It is just that the way they use to best compare people of different heights is by using BMI.

 

[Dreamer]

This study sounds so interesting! Made me google it, seems like a big area of research in this field. Hope you can keep us informed about the results. Probably applies to many of us here, I know I felt better 15 pounds lighter too. If you have any good readings in the field to suggest would be great if maybe you could post some here.

Sorry, that I took so long to get back to you. I asked the doctor if he had any online links and he said that his study will not be published for awhile. He gave me some paper print outs from other studies, that I have skimmed, but need to read more in depth. My DH's numbers improved quite a bit. Some of mine improved a little, but some did not and were actually a little worse. Probably had to do with what I was eating during this time. We had a couple of family birthdays, including my own, and Easter.

The really big thing that this study did for me, was send me to a cardiologist. I was in the healthy control group and had a very hard time doing the bicycle stress test. They were doing an echocardiogram at the time and it showed that I had aortic insufficiency. The cardiologist said that I also have atrial flutter and was at risk for having a stroke. I went from 0 meds to 2 meds for the rest of my life. Glad that I found out about it, as I would not want to have a stroke!

 

[athena53]

Many years later, I weigh the same, yet have somehow morphed into a Size 4 and a Small. Nevertheless, the few 1980's "Medium" and "Size 12" items I have, still fit.

Amethyst

LOL! I've seen that, too! Somehow I'm now in size 8 jeans, at 5'7 and 130 lbs. I've never worn size 8 in my entire adult life.

Having said that.. I now weigh what I did when I graduated from HS, having lost 17 lbs. a few years ago (the old, boring eat less/move more method). I just feel better even though 147 lbs. wasn't all that bad by most measures. I don't feel fat jiggle when I walk up steps. I cut 2 minutes of my bicycle time (9 mile course) in a triathlon compared to 2 years earlier. I just signed up for a 50K charity bike ride. In the meantime, many of my former HS classmates are grumbling about their health problems (one just posted a recipe for a pie that contains 1,440 calories and 87 grams of fat per serving if you slice it into sixths). They're having a benefit dinner for one who needs hip replacement surgery. He's Santa-Claus shaped and I wonder how much stress that put on his hips.

I try to get out of the trap of being judgmental about what other people weigh/eat, but there are big costs to being overweight and sedentary.
You can get flamed for

 

[CaliforniaMan]

Sorry, that I took so long to get back to you. I asked the doctor if he had any online links and he said that his study will not be published for awhile. He gave me some paper print outs from other studies, that I have skimmed, but need to read more in depth. My DH's numbers improved quite a bit. Some of mine improved a little, but some did not and were actually a little worse. Probably had to do with what I was eating during this time. We had a couple of family birthdays, including my own, and Easter.

The really big thing that this study did for me, was send me to a cardiologist. I was in the healthy control group and had a very hard time doing the bicycle stress test. They were doing an echocardiogram at the time and it showed that I had aortic insufficiency. The cardiologist said that I also have atrial flutter and was at risk for having a stroke. I went from 0 meds to 2 meds for the rest of my life. Glad that I found out about it, as I would not want to have a stroke!

Thanks for the reply and sounds like the study was a great benefit for you, finding a potential future health concern, and the solution! Glad things worked out for you and welcome to the meds for life club. I have been a charter member for a while, so far health is good. Also your post brought back to my attention the weight training I was planning to do this summer, which was getting less attention than planned.

 

[Chuckanut]

Here is an interesting study recently published in JAMA:
JAMA Network | JAMA | Increasing Adiposity: *Consequence or Cause of Overeating?

If you can understand it.

According to an alternative view, chronic overeating represents a manifestation rather than the primary cause of increasing adiposity. Attempts to lower body weight without addressing the biological drivers of weight gain, including the quality of the diet, will inevitably fail for most individuals.

I think they are saying that some ways of eating will drive the body to gain weight thus triggering one's desire to eat more. In other words, one eats more because one is getting fatter. The reverse of the current common thinking, IMHO.