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Old 03-12-2014, 07:19 PM   #21
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I am 5'5" and weigh 125lbs. (I wear size M.) I am Asian.

My ideal weight (after the Dr measured my wrist and some other body parts years ago when I was 35) was supposed to be 107lbs or 117lbs. (I cannot remember the exact number but I was a couple of lbs over the ideal weight and I was very thin.) I used to weight about 104lbs in my 20's and probably 110lbs in my early 30's. I looked thin, but healthy.

So at 125lbs, I weigh much more now than I did then, but If I weighed 107 or 117lbs now, I would look too thin and sickly, although I looked fine with lower weight when I was younger. I would look too heavy however, if I weighed 140lbs now or any time.
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Old 03-12-2014, 07:46 PM   #22
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So, how many of the men reading or participating in this thread can spot the 'statistically average American in this image:
Attachment 18372

Heh.

See here: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/mens-h...ky-f8C11394082
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Old 03-12-2014, 07:46 PM   #23
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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.
There can be no debate that we have a serious problem. What gets me is how women just accept obesity and aren't angry. But we as a nation are so far from knowing what is actually healthy food, it's only going to get worse.(Of course men are included.)
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Old 03-12-2014, 07:49 PM   #24
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Just keep eating highly processed factory food, and stop wondering why you are overweight.
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Old 03-12-2014, 08:34 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by M Paquette View Post
So, how many of the men reading or participating in this thread can spot the 'statistically average American in this image:
Attachment 18372

Heh.

See here: The 'real' shape of the American man: Dudes, you're porky! - NBC News
Not a man, but this was kind of chilling---both because Americans are less healthier than many other countries and because the American guy actually didn't look that porky to me...which possibly reflects that we no longer know what normally healthy looks like...
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Old 03-12-2014, 08:45 PM   #26
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... 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?
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Old 03-12-2014, 08:53 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by zinger1457 View Post
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.) :-)
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Old 03-12-2014, 09:00 PM   #28
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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.

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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.
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Old 03-13-2014, 02:06 AM   #29
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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.
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Old 03-13-2014, 07:54 AM   #30
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For illustration purposes... Btw, this is percent bodyfat, not BMI.

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Old 03-13-2014, 08:12 AM   #31
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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).
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Old 03-13-2014, 08:20 AM   #32
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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.
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Old 03-13-2014, 09:20 AM   #33
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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.

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Old 03-13-2014, 11:38 AM   #34
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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.
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Old 03-13-2014, 11:54 AM   #35
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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.
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Old 03-13-2014, 01:10 PM   #36
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+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...
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Old 03-13-2014, 01:24 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by Nemo2 View Post
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).
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Old 03-13-2014, 01:27 PM   #38
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Originally Posted by NW-Bound View Post
+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!


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Old 03-13-2014, 01:40 PM   #39
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"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

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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...
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Old 03-13-2014, 01:53 PM   #40
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I wear size 14 or 15 and am not fat. Then again, I am a male and the sizing is for a baseball cap.
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