# What exactly is overweight?



## Charus (May 31, 2017)

Asking this because the overweight label is very annoying.

As much as I avoid eating too much unhealthy food (I try to limit it to cheat days once per month or two), but I still have just those period where I gain weight for no reason.

Generaly I entirely stopped drinking Coke at all (I only do so very rarely those days). I eat burger or two with chips only one or twice in the mentioned cheat days.

However, even with those limitations, there are still periods where I just gain weight for no reason, even if I excersize or not. Currently, my weight is like 68.1 kg last time I checked, and I'm afraid the numbers will continue to grow regardless of what I do to circumvent it. Honestly,. with my height, sites generaly label me as an overweight with that weight I mentioned, and It's very annoying, like It's they bluntly put it like this "Lose weight eat less and move more you fat garbage", despite I put those mentioned limitations on my food intake and trying to move as much as I can. Though I have to mention I dont look fat or overweight in terms of appearance, I look rather properly built just, many complimented me for having a fit body build, but I still do not understand why those sites and weight meters determine me as an overweight.


----------



## Allostasis (Feb 2, 2021)

There are metabolic disorders which may cause gains in weight despite relatively moderate calorie intakes.
I suggest consulting with a gastroenterologist and endocrinologist.


----------



## attic (May 20, 2012)

You could measure waist instead of weight, it gives a better clue about your health, as someone muscular can easily be termed overweight with the bmi measure. There are lists or forms online, here for example (also bmi, but you can look at the waist more):








Calculate Your BMI - BMI Calculator


Your BMI is based on your height and weight. It's one way to see if you're at a healthy weight. Use LiveLighter's free tool now to check your BMI.




livelighter.com.au





But then people are different, and bodies often struggle to maintain a weight they have once had, so I would not worry so much about a few kilos overweight, as long as feeling healthy and able, and as long as it is steady and not creeping up bit by bit (2 kg a year will be 20 kg extra in 10 years)


----------



## Charus (May 31, 2017)

Allostasis said:


> There are metabolic disorders which may cause gains in weight despite relatively moderate calorie intakes.
> I suggest consulting with a gastroenterologist and endocrinologist.


I didnt diagnose with one though. Surprising doctor said it is normal to gain weight through winter, but I'm skeptical about that.


----------



## Rift (Mar 12, 2012)

some people do pack on more weight during the winter - it mostly gets attached to things akin to seasonal disorders... but it's also a polite way of dismissing your symptoms because on average people are more likely to snack and be less active during the cluster of holidays that accompany the season. all of which increases stress and depression which can lead to hormonal imbalances. so, they're not big on ordering tests without greater severity of symptoms because it's common.

there's also medication side effects to consider, diet/vitamin/mineral deficiencies,
and diet - even healthy diets have their ups and downs and may need to be moderated when you're experiencing a plateau ... same goes with exercise. you might just need to change things up in your routine and diet for a little while, and see if that has any effect.


----------



## Charus (May 31, 2017)

attic said:


> You could measure waist instead of weight, it gives a better clue about your health, as someone muscular can easily be termed overweight with the bmi measure. There are lists or forms online, here for example (also bmi, but you can look at the waist more):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Luckily my weight isnt creeping up, it just tends to randomly go either rapidly down (If I dont eat enough food, which I had those moments where I try not to pay attention to my hunger, fasting), other than that my height I find it just randomly going down or up.


----------



## Rift (Mar 12, 2012)

Charus said:


> Luckily my weight isnt creeping up, it just tends to randomly go either rapidly down (If I dont eat enough food, which I had those moments where I try not to pay attention to my hunger, fasting), other than that my height I find it just randomly going down or up.


I'm familiar with that one... you might look into plans where you're eating every few hours. it's a chore but it might help take off the extra poundage.

some people do an on season, off season plan for structuring the focus of their diets and exercises. like for athletes and body builders, they typically break it down into two or more segments of a bulking cycle (for muscle gain) and then a cutting cycle (for fat loss)..


----------



## Vexus (Mar 23, 2020)

I would attribute any weight issues to the modern-accepted diet of grain and sugar causing your body to act like it is starving. Most diets today are 70-80-90% carbs and sugar, and only a small percentage animal protein. I would recommend you think about the last time you ate a big steak; it is probably a rare occurrence. If you instead revert to a more traditional 50%+ animal protein diet (80% would be better), you will not feel as hungry, and thus you will lose weight as your body is getting all the nutrients it needs, not 'craving' real food all the time while only getting grains.


----------



## ilovegoodcheese (Oct 28, 2017)

I prefer a *functional* definition: You are out of shape If you aren't able to run 10 Km in less than 1h, hike 30 Km in one day (flat land), hike 1000m uphill, swim 500m in less than 10 min (indoors or calm water) or climb a V3 wall.


----------



## Charus (May 31, 2017)

.



(Mods, add delete post feature, old PerC had it)


----------



## Charus (May 31, 2017)

ilovegoodcheese said:


> I prefer a *functional* definition: You are out of shape If you aren't able to run 10 Km in less than 1h, hike 30 Km in one day (flat land), hike 1000m uphill, swim 500m in less than 10 min (indoors or calm water) or climb a V3 wall.


Thats misinformed at best. Besides being entirely offtopic and irrelevant, running a marathon alone wont make you a strong athlete, without muscle training (Approriate amount to circumvent the over-the-top marathon running you mentioned) you will just look skinny and underweight instead, you solved one problem but created another one, 'good job'.

Running 10 km in just *less than* one hour seems overkill, dont you think? Besides that, I do _not care_ whether Im able or not able to run a Marathon, I just want to be looking good and healthy to preserve a positive image of myself.


----------



## ilovegoodcheese (Oct 28, 2017)

Charus said:


> Thats a bold statment you got there and general misinformation buddy, just because they are not able to run marathon does not mean they are 'out of shape', I hope out of shape you did not mean in appearance like looking like fat blob, you seem to assume that everyone who isnt a full fledged athlete must look fat like a ball and out of shape


Sorry if I offended you but think is better than any "number", BMI or aspect-based things. These things can be very biased depending you ethnicity and even genetics, plus at the end doesn't matter too much.

Look, the average time for running a marathon (42 km) is about 5 for women (about 4.5 for men). A qualifying time is often 3.5h for women and 3h for men. (all "young" = less than 35 yr, with age running times change a lot). 

A 10K is less than a 1/4 of a marathon, so about 1/4 of the time is pretty reasonable. Everyone can run 10K, doesn't matter your BMI and definitively you don't need to be athlete. That's more for running 1/2 marathons and above. If you simply walk the 10 Km, at normal pace, not running, it takes about 2h. Try it, really, you'll see. Running in half ot that, yes, you need to be on shape, but not the "athlete" shape.

Just to make you an idea, the lead time for 10K are typically about 1/2h. I've several friends that actually do that each day for "just training", none of them a professional runners, they have their professional live and families, but yes they run marathons twice or three times per year. These are athletes.

I also know people running the ironman triathlon, for example one of my ex-bosses. He was 50 yr. old. and was running 20 km per day and swimming 2km. The run is a 4km sea swim, followed by 180 km cycling and a full marathon. "Normal" times are about 12h, the cuttoff is at 15h and the winners are about 8h. These are ultra-athletes, the type of persons that have zero grams of fat in their body.

Here is a good comparison Compare Running Finish Times [Calculator] - 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon


----------



## Charus (May 31, 2017)

ilovegoodcheese said:


> Sorry if I offended you but think is better than any "number", BMI or aspect-based things. These things can be very biased depending you ethnicity and even genetics, plus at the end doesn't matter too much.
> 
> Look, the average time for running a marathon (42 km) is about 5 for women (about 4.5 for men). A qualifying time is often 3.5h for women and 3h for men. (all "young" = less than 35 yr, with age running times change a lot).
> 
> ...


Ah, apologies, yes I agree with you regarding BMI, sorry for taking you post out of context


----------



## Joe Black (Apr 1, 2015)

Charus said:


> Though I have to mention I dont look fat or overweight in terms of appearance, I look rather properly built just, many complimented me for having a fit body build, but I still do not understand why those sites and weight meters determine me as an overweight.


Did you know that "Adolphe Quetelet" (Died 1874) invented the BMI. And his idea of "perfect weight" is based on himself. And he was a skinny, lanky, academic kind of guy who didn't work out. So anyone with BMI greater than his is considered overweight and anyone less than his is underweight. If you work out and have greater and healthier amount of muscle mass, you'll be deemed overweight.

It's was made up out of thin air. There was nothing scientific about it. It hasn't even been peer reviewed since 1874. The formula has been tweaked since, but it's still pretty poor. It doesn't even take into consideration muscle mass, water, ethnicity. Why people still use this sorely outdated method, is anyone's guess. It's simplicity is probably its only appeal.

You sound pretty normal and healthy to me. I'm also told by people how fit, shredded and muscular I look, but the BMIs always say I'm overweight. I ignore them, they're stupid.

I knew I was starting to get overweight when I found it was harder to breath than usual when I bend over to tie my shoelaces. Another friend had this same idea. I feel this is a more helpful indicator of overwight than BMI 😂. I call it the "tying-your-shoelace-test" Someone please feel free to peer review this theory!
(I'm partially joking... I'm not taking it too seriously, but it was a personal clue/indicator to me to get in shape.)


----------



## Meatbun (Mar 26, 2021)

I am actually about the weight (a little higher by a few) and at the same time pretty tall (about 6') so I have the same issue. I try to avoid thinking about it honestly because I have seen and heard of so many disorders that I am worried I will develop one as well. I've heard that the more you focus on what you eat the worse you feel. I'll be honest I have a thinner body type but I think because I eat extremely healthy compared to other Americans. I don't watch my weight as much. I don't do diets and am no vegetarian (pure carnivore over here, but I do have a strange obsession with apples).

I know this might sound preachy and stupid but exercising and eating happy. The body standards for women are just toxic and there is a difference between a healthy body and a thin body. Everyone knows the BMI system is bull. I'm not talking about running marathons or going to the gym everyday, I don't do that! But I do go outside on a regular basis, eat healthy (its easier for me bc I live on a farm producing much of my own food), and do "stretches."

By stretches its not yoga but technically fall under the category of pilates. A regular routine of doing pushups or lunges helps more then people think. Of course, I probably should be more active but I think having a healthy body defeats being considered "obese." Fun fact; you live longer if you're active. My grams could walk till she was about 86 without a walker or any support. At 95 she stopped traveling across the US and is still alive!


----------



## ENTJudgement (Oct 6, 2013)

If you can't see ur abs at all, you're overweight.

People these days are way too lazy and gluttonous to even understand how much physical work the human race had to do back in the day, fact is, if your calorie intake is less than your calorie output, it is physically impossible to gain weight period. There needs to be no further discussion about "I pack on more weight than the average person" B.S.

If you're not working out INTENSIVELY (this doesn't include walking, jogging, yoga and other low intensity activities) at 90-95% of your personal best capacity at least 5 days a week then you're way too lazy and will probably not be in good physical shape.


----------



## eeo (Aug 25, 2020)

Body composition analysis could give you much more useful information than the number on the scales. 



Vexus said:


> If you instead revert to a more traditional 50%+ animal protein diet (80% would be better), you will not feel as hungry, and thus you will lose weight as your body is getting all the nutrients it needs, not 'craving' real food all the time while only getting grains.


Isn't excessive protein intake just as unhealthy and taxing on the body as being overweight? You'll get the same results (curb cravings and hunger pangs) with around 30% protein, 20% fats, and 50% carbs.



ilovegoodcheese said:


> Everyone can run 10K, doesn't matter your BMI and definitively you don't need to be athlete.


I'd recommend everyone learn proper running techniques first.


----------



## Vexus (Mar 23, 2020)

eeo said:


> Isn't excessive protein intake just as unhealthy and taxing on the body as being overweight? You'll get the same results (curb cravings and hunger pangs) with around 30% protein, 20% fats, and 50% carbs.


Yeah, I did kind of leave out the fact that you need protein AND fat, as animal protein is usually reasonably high in fat and I gloss over that sometimes. Not just eating chicken breasts all the time, which will probably leave you hungry as well. You need fatty meat, though, you don't need any carbs at all, period. Steak is amazing; ribeye is almost perfect. Ground chuck is fat-filled and so on. You enter ketosis on a high protein/fat diet, and your body begins spending fat for fuel.

There is the carnivore diet, which is only eating animal products, making sure to get enough fat and not have excessive protein. It is the healthiest diet when you can get the protein/fat ratio correct. Zero carbohydrate consumption required - your body converts fat into carbs as needed. Grains are terrible for people and has been the major downfall of health in western nations and throughout history.


----------



## eeo (Aug 25, 2020)

Vexus said:


> Yeah, I did kind of leave out the fact that you need protein AND fat, as animal protein is usually reasonably high in fat and I gloss over that sometimes. Not just eating chicken breasts all the time, which will probably leave you hungry as well. You need fatty meat, though, you don't need any carbs at all, period. Steak is amazing; ribeye is almost perfect. Ground chuck is fat-filled and so on. You enter ketosis on a high protein/fat diet, and your body begins spending fat for fuel.
> 
> There is the carnivore diet, which is only eating animal products, making sure to get enough fat and not have excessive protein. It is the healthiest diet when you can get the protein/fat ratio correct. Zero carbohydrate consumption required - your body converts fat into carbs as needed. Grains are terrible for people and has been the major downfall of health in western nations and throughout history.


We're approaching this subject from different sides, and that's fine. I am more of an advocate for moderation and following a varied diet that includes foodstuffs from all food groups (carbs don't only equate grains), so I do find ketogenic diet (and others of similar vein) to be a bit too extreme for my taste. I know there have been studies on the effects of keto and there are claims it's safe to do for long-term as well. However, other than allergies and intolerances, I really don't see the need to exclude large food groups that are safe and nutritious to consume. The world is increasingly moving towards lab-grown, plant- or insect-based protein sources, so I can only hope that ketones don't end up having even worse negative effects as these "grains" some time in the future.

On the matter of grains, just for the sake of conversation. Obesity pandemic has become prominent over the past 50 years or so. People were consuming large quantities of grains way before that. Asian diets also include large amounts of grains. Granted, people were more active as well. The issue really lies beyond the consumption of grains, and is more complex. There is too much obsession about weight maintenance at all cost and not enough emphasis on actual healthy behaviors and choices people make. I'd also put more blame on effects of toxins in the environment, subpar ingredients in food manufacturing and psychologically negative pressures that push people to abuse food in excess. Increasing physical activity won't help eliminate all these issues either.


----------



## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

Vexus said:


> There is the carnivore diet, which is only eating animal products, making sure to get enough fat and not have excessive protein. It is the healthiest diet when you can get the protein/fat ratio correct. Zero carbohydrate consumption required - your body converts fat into carbs as needed. Grains are terrible for people and has been the major downfall of health in western nations and throughout history.


I recommend watching Dr. Rhonda Patrick's content on the carnivore diet (some are on the Joe Rogan podcasts) as she can pack a lot of information and present it nicely. You can also read some of that here. No, it's definitely not the healthiest diet, quite the opposite really. Macronutrients is prob the least of our concerns when it comes to health compared to all the microbiome, and the effects of micronutrients in maintaining healthy cells.


----------

