14'4 to 7'
Need to post pics online so can copy to MFP Blog as an experiment.
Shocked at weight classifications (from my MFP blog)
As far as I know words like obese and morbidly obese have been in common language, only recently - ladt 2-3 decades as obesity as spread. I grew up knowing I was usually fat, maybe short times of being chubby or curvaceous. I decided to research the obesity terms and what they meant for me. What would if had meant for me if I had been classified then. I was shocked to find I had been seriously fat.
Now on the one hand, it is difficult to know whether these harsher classifications are based on good science or how many studies are paid for by diet food companies etc. For example it may be that its healthier to be the old normal BMI of 27 instead of the more recent 25. We just cant know. Studies are confused, changing all the time and misreported by sensational news headlines. Waist size seems to be a better guide but that doesnt help me because even though I always kept a waist except when i was about 9 when i looked like an egg, I fear my waist would also tell the same unhealthy story as my weight classification. On the other hand, though some of you would say I was not usually that severely obese, I always hid it - never tight clothes and my face mostly didnt put on as much weight. I am also tinyer than I or anyone would have i imagined without the fat. I have always been able to overlap my fingers round my wrist which should have told me how small I was. The fact is at 7 stone plus a stone of lost muscle due to arthritis, at 17 1/2 stone, i was carrying an extra 9 1/2 stone person around. At 14 stone I carried a 6 stone child around. For most of my life. No wonder my knees and hip needed to be replaced!
I have looked back at the few fat photos I have and I dont hate them. In some ways the rounded shape looks better than the skinny upper body I now have. But I feel better standing on my arthritic knees. I didnt notice this really till I got under 8 stone. Health wise another stone of muscle, and 1/2 stone of fat would be a good backup for illnesses and that is my aim. Unfortunately 90% of the fat goes to the stomach - this can be seen in a photo of me at 8 stone with largish pot tummy that has now almost gone. Without expensive viceral fat scans, I dont know if, that matters. Viceral fat, the deadly fat atound our organs can still be there anyway if I dont exercise enough.
So the external fat me I think is over. So the worry of certain health issue, being called fatty, being the fattest person in the room or amongst my friends is over. I wasnt always obsessed with being fat but it was a big part of my life. Now learning about eating healhily with tons more fruit and veg than ever, cooking my own versions of my fav processed treats, worrying about old age illnesses, all this takes up the time left free of fat worry - yes I am still the same person.
The table below shows how I spent most of my life overweight and obese. I am so lucky I am so healthy or perhaps one can be healthy and overweight more than we are told. This might depend more on ones genes or how much exercise one does. I dont think we know for sure yet.
Weight classifications for me (Stones)
1. normal 7-9'6. - not normal range since 7yrs old, except maybe a few weeks at end of diets, now so far its been over a year, the longest time in my whole life.
2. overweight 9 1/2 - 11'4. - overweight mabye 10% of my life 9 1/2 -11 towards end of diets
3. obese class I. 11'5 - 13'2
4. severe obese class II. 13'3 - 15'
most of my life spent as obese or severe obese - i ranged between 11-14 stone
5. super obese III. 15' plus. - 2-3 years in my 40s in a very stressful job i went up to 17 1/2 stone. Thankfully? the beginning of arthrits took away the job and lost me 3 stone without trying.
6. morbid obese class IV= obese class II or III PLUS associated health probs - eg diabetes, heart, blood pressure etc. -
Never - i have been lucky with genes i guess. Even at my highest weight and most non active, I always had good blood pressure, lowish pulse, flexibility, etc. even into older age.
