How big is too big?

kittenkiller · 21-03-2005 9:13pm #1

How fat is fat?

We've all got diffferent views on fat (the dove campaign brought that to light), but can anyone actually pinpoint how fat is fat?

You see people going round with a roll hanging out of their size 12's.
Are they fat or just oblivious to the fact that they're probably a size bigger than what they're wearing?

Then there's that guy who couldn't leave his house for years cuz he couldn't fit through the door.
He's lost countless pounds, he's still quite big, but is he not 'fat' anymore cuz he can walk unaided?

Just curious!

*adele* · 21-03-2005 9:15pm

It really depends on how the person carrys their weight

dewsbury · 21-03-2005 9:17pm

From a male perspective big is beautiful - skinny is a little bit boring and uneventful !!

...how big ?? you decide.

Matthewthebig · 21-03-2005 9:19pm

Its all relative. Do you mean overweight, unfit, dreesing in clothes too small what. There are people who would probably be considered overweight who wouldn't be. and visa versa I've got a belly which makes me "fat" but I am not overweight. According to the BMI charts, which was invented by a insurance company in order to asses(sp?) life insurance afaik, says that if you have a BMI of 25 you are overweight, and 30 is obese. The problem is that what is considsered fat is decreasing each generation you look at these classic pieces of art and the women are curvy and bigger! then the it has decreased ie the heroin chic that was popularised by the super models! the amount of teenage girls who are normal to underweight who think they are overweight is ridiculous.

Matthew

whiskeyman · 21-03-2005 9:20pm

its all about proportion!

kittenkiller · 21-03-2005 9:44pm

All valid & very diplomatic points, but what happens when a double chin starts hanging & the wiggle when you walk keeps going when you stop??

simu · 22-03-2005 1:56am

Fat is when stuff that shouldn't be wobbling wobbles.

Agent Smith · 22-03-2005 2:00am

woohoo, watch that blubber fly!

/me slaps stomach

Magic Monkey · 22-03-2005 2:40am

"If it jiggles, it's fat."

Regarding your initial question, defining what it is to be "fat", in peoples common understanding of the word (the term overfat sounds better, overweight is erroneous) would be "a certain level of bodyfat that is aesthetically displeasing", simply put. That is: pot bellies, love handles, flabby arms, double chins, and so on. Moreso a combination of these things, rather than a solitary one, i.e. if you hadn't a pick on you yet had a small double chin, you wouldn't be labelled "fat".

iguana · 22-03-2005 10:19pm

Aesthetically it is about proportion. I'm only 5'1" so if I went up to a 12 I would start to look fat. My friend is 5'7" and looks great at a size 14.

However if your weight impairs your mobility and health, then you are too fat.

Wez · 23-03-2005 3:25pm

I think too skinny is ugly on a girl. I'm no chicken myself (6 foot and 14 stone) although I'm planning a very active summer. I hate seeing girls that haven't got anything see wobble. I know it sounds weird, but my mates agree. If a girl is chubby (to an extent) it's much nicer than skinny imo. I'm gonna slim down/tone up this summer, but I don't wanna go too skinny as I don't think it's good looking. I'm aiming for maybe 12-13 stone (crosses fingers)

Aurther Hugh · 23-03-2005 4:41pm

I disagree, girls should stick to the size ten and lads should be a bit bulky

dudara · 23-03-2005 4:47pm

Weight (as in the number on the scale) doesn't matter, what really does matter is

"If it jiggles, it's fat."

If that is the case for your hips, stomach, etc, then it might be time to look into fixing it.

*Page* · 23-03-2005 4:55pm

your too fatwhen you get down on the floor on your back and cant get back up again

Magic Monkey · 23-03-2005 6:34pm

Or you're a turtle. A fat turtle.

whiskeyman · 24-03-2005 12:38am

you're too fat when you look down and can't see your feet....

kittenkiller · 24-03-2005 5:01pm

whiskeyman wrote:

you're too fat when you look down and can't see your feet....

Ooooorrrr... You've got HUGE b

bs!!!!!!

Ms Beanbag · 24-03-2005 10:16pm

Maryiln Monroe was a size 16 :eek: and she was pretty short...

kittenkiller · 25-03-2005 8:32pm

Fair point ms beanbag!

Although, sizes have gone up considerably since the time of the delectable ms. monroe.
Still, even if she was a size 14 or even 12, it's bigger than most of our current sirens!

OfflerCrocGod · 25-03-2005 9:24pm

Aurther Hugh wrote:

I disagree, girls should stick to the size ten and lads should be a bit bulky

You're wrong, skinny sticks are off putting; a little bit of something to hold on to is much nicer ( I don't mean flab! ).

po0k · 27-03-2005 12:34am

A Soul to Squeeze

Simu summed it up perfectly though.

Chinafoot · 27-03-2005 11:02am

sure a size 14 is the average size in ireland as far as i know.

again its all about how you carry it....a mate of mine put it perfectly;
"i dont care how much i have....so long as it doesnt move"
which is fair enough.

attitudes like "girls shoud stick to size tens" are the reason that there are so many girls out there with major issues with their bodies.

i like guys to be big because i'm no skinny-minnie myself....but i've never gotten any complaints so far.

guess it all comes down to personal taste really.

Aurther Hugh · 27-03-2005 11:17am

peachypants wrote:

sure a size 14 is the average size in ireland as far as i know.

again its all about how you carry it....a mate of mine put it perfectly;
"i dont care how much i have....so long as it doesnt move"
which is fair enough.

attitudes like "girls shoud stick to size tens" are the reason that there are so many girls out there with major issues with their bodies.

i like guys to be big because i'm no skinny-minnie myself....but i've never gotten any complaints so far.

guess it all comes down to personal taste really.

Meaning it's all down to personal taste as long as you worship the fat ?!? Well my personal taste is that I'd cry if I had to stoop to a size 12

Sangre · 28-03-2005 2:50am

And thats why your life is pathetic and meaningless.
Well go figure, you thought it was the fact you couldnt get a boyfriend all this time.

nlgbbbblth · 28-03-2005 5:50pm

I find skinny women so unattractive - for me curves are essential.

Anything between a 12 to a size 16/18 is ok with me.
Some 10s can look good but not tall ones.

when we were in school (1980s) a guy in my class said if you were going to date a flat-chested girl you might as well date a man.

we laughed at him then but maybe he was right all along.

And which of us was crippled then
And which of us more painful?
A woman pumping iron or a liberal Hell's Angel?
Before the accident when I careered akimbo
Through your plate glass window

And as I lay in agony from a thousand savage cuts
You privatised the hospital and you wished me luck

And across my leather jacket it says 'Sex for the Disabled'
And across your macho breasts 'Get fit for life'

DrIndy · 28-03-2005 10:18pm

I'm tall and thin and I prefer the same.....

But its not all looks though - don't want to sound cheesy, but for me, personality/intelligence rates high on my list......

Scarinae · 29-03-2005 9:05pm

Matthewthebig wrote:

you look at these classic pieces of art and the women are curvy and bigger!

I know what you mean, it's unbelievable! I know everyone says "I'm unaffected by advertising blah blah" (including myself) but when I was studying Greek art I found myself thinking "Oh my god, Aphrodite is a bit chubby". Which is weird, since Aphrodite was the goddess of love and was meant to be the most beautiful and desirable being in existence
Look at ads for most stuff, and you'll find the women have flat stomachs, stick-thin legs and no chests - this tends to be ads for beauty products aimed at women, such as Nivea or whatever. However, ads aimed at men tend to show women with large breasts in revealing-ish outfits

Aurther Hugh wrote:

I disagree, girls should stick to the size ten and lads should be a bit bulky

It's people like you that cause eating disorders. What if a girl is 5'10", should she still be a size ten?

neuro-praxis · 29-03-2005 11:33pm

I'm almost 5'11" and, at my build, if I were to strive for a size 10 I'd be more than a stone underweight. Which would require some extreme-effort-starvation.

...nah.

Not to say that I couldn't do with shifting a few pounds. That's why I'm at WeightWatchers. Which I highly recommend to anyone here looking to improve their eating habits and physique.

Chinafoot · 29-03-2005 11:48pm

Aurther Hugh wrote:

Meaning it's all down to personal taste as long as you worship the fat ?!? Well my personal taste is that I'd cry if I had to stoop to a size 12

see you clearly didnt read my post correctly.

i did not say that its personal taste as long as you "worship the fat"....also i find it quite disturbing that you see anything over a size 10 as fat. If thats the case then surely it is you who is worshipping the skeletor-look? yes on some people a size ten might be perfect....however as the others have pointed out it depends on things such as height etc. to look at someone and deem them "fat" because they arent a size ten is tragic to say the least.

theres a difference between stating your own personal taste and making comments like "girls should stick to size tens".

it may be a tired argument, but in recent years that has been the image projected onto young women by television and advertising etc....and it is also a major factor in the amount of young women suffering from eating disorders and other body issues.

Aurther Hugh · 30-03-2005 2:40pm

What I was trying to say was that, it's all fine and grand if your personal taste is a liking for people who are overweight but if, like me, you think that girls/women these days are a bit too comfortable accepting fat that that's not a valid opinion, I know that might offend people but I've read posts on this thread saying people find skinny girls v unattractive, so what's the diff??? I think too many women are too quick to make excuses for the fact that they are heavy, and just eat too much unhealthy food. I know there are a lot of unattainable ideals in the media..in fairness most of these women are far smaller than a 10 anyway.

kittenkiller · 30-03-2005 5:59pm

Aurther Hugh wrote:

I think too many women are too quick to make excuses for the fact that they are heavy, and just eat too much unhealthy food. I know there are a lot of unattainable ideals in the media..in fairness most of these women are far smaller than a 10 anyway.

Whatever happened to BLOKES doing similar?

Your whole focus is on womens sizes, what about men?!

Chinafoot · 30-03-2005 6:20pm

Aurther Hugh wrote:

I think too many women are too quick to make excuses for the fact that they are heavy, and just eat too much unhealthy food.

thanks for that mate....best laugh i've had all day.

so you mean to say that if we all stop eating too much unhealthy food the weight will drop off and we'll all be size tens?? wow! i'm amazed nobody came up with this before! :rolleyes:

obviously, yes there are people out there who are overweight because they are unhealthy....but thats not applicable to everyone.

there are people who are a size 14 and are not overweight....due to their build. you dont seem to be getting the point that not everyone above a size ten is overweight.

one of my closest friends is a size 14 and is in no way fat. she is very tall and has a fantastic figure.

there is life beyond the size ten and its not one full of fat.

Karl Hungus · 30-03-2005 6:58pm

Aurther Hugh wrote:

What I was trying to say was that, it's all fine and grand if your personal taste is a liking for people who are overweight but if, like me, you think that girls/women these days are a bit too comfortable accepting fat that that's not a valid opinion, I know that might offend people but I've read posts on this thread saying people find skinny girls v unattractive, so what's the diff??? I think too many women are too quick to make excuses for the fact that they are heavy, and just eat too much unhealthy food. I know there are a lot of unattainable ideals in the media..in fairness most of these women are far smaller than a 10 anyway.

I'm sorry, but this is just total garbage. You seem to be blurting out the opinion that anything over size 10 is automatically "Overweight" or "Heavy" or that if a girl doesn't stick to said size its just letting themselves go.

You are simply talking ****.

Aurther Hugh · 30-03-2005 7:05pm

nlgbbbblth wrote:

I find skinny women so unattractive - for me curves are essential.
[/I]

I find fat women unattractive- for me a size ten or less is essential

How is my opinon different from the one quoted?? And I do think that girls in general should take a bit better care of themselves instead of eating like men in some kind of femenist statement.

Aurther Hugh · 30-03-2005 7:07pm

kittenkiller wrote:

Whatever happened to BLOKES doing similar?

Your whole focus is on womens sizes, what about men?!

That's a fair point but men's weight is not as central to their self-image, lets face it.... it's not such an issue

Karl Hungus · 30-03-2005 7:07pm

Aurther Hugh wrote:

I find fat women unattractive- for me a size ten or less is essential

How is my opinon different from the one quoted?? And I do think that girls in general should take a bit better care of themselves instead of eating like men in some kind of femenist statement.

Your opinion is different from the one quoted because you are maintaining some garbled illusion that anything above size 10 is obese.

Aurther Hugh · 30-03-2005 7:11pm

Karl Hungus wrote:

Your opinion is different from the one quoted because you are maintaining some garbled illusion that anything above size 10 is obese.

Obesity was never mentioned, just that a lot of girls are bigger than they should be! And I'm not sure that it differs from the "garbled illusion" that all girls should be curvy or bosomy.

Karl Hungus · 30-03-2005 7:21pm

Aurther Hugh wrote:

Obesity was never mentioned, just that a lot of girls are bigger than they should be! And I'm not sure that it differs from the "garbled illusion" that all girls should be curvy or bosomy.

This is bordering on sheer stupidity.

How is this statement:

girls should stick to the size ten

Comparable to this opinion/personal preferance:

I find skinny women so unattractive - for me curves are essential.

Is it that hard for you to differentiate between a person saying what they personally would prefer, and making a statement that "a lot of girls are bigger than they should be"?

paulcr · 30-03-2005 7:21pm

A stone is equivalent to how pounds?

maccydoodies · 30-03-2005 7:35pm

14 pounds = 1 stone.

1kg = 2.2 pounds

BTW I failed maths in my leaving!!!

Matthewthebig · 30-03-2005 7:37pm

14 pounds.

And Aurther Hugh do you think that bones are attractive are you one of those people who thinks that ribs that stick out and no tits is attractive?

Personally give me a girl who is curvy and has everything in proportion.

paulcr · 30-03-2005 7:40pm

Thank you for the conversion table.

OK where I live most of the women are around 7 to 9 stone range. How does that compare with the women there?

nlgbbbblth · 30-03-2005 8:57pm

maccydoodies wrote:

BTW I failed maths in my leaving!!!

Honours or Pass Maths?

nlgbbbblth · 30-03-2005 8:59pm

Matthewthebig wrote:

And Aurther Hugh do you think that bones are attractive are you one of those people who thinks that ribs that stick out and no tits is attractive?

.

ugh!

Aurther Hugh - do you find famine victims attractive?

btw - for me curves are essential. Just personal preference.

Jekell · 30-03-2005 9:09pm

Aurthur Hugh likes skinnier, other people prefer more curves.

What's the big deal? Some people like blondes, some brunettes

I personally like bigger, bulkier guys - no offence to all the skinny guys!

Aurther Hugh · 30-03-2005 10:33pm

Jekell wrote:

Aurthur Hugh likes skinnier, other people prefer more curves.

What's the big deal? Some people like blondes, some brunettes

I personally like bigger, bulkier guys - no offence to all the skinny guys!

Jesus...thanks! That's what I'm trying to say!! Famine victims...size ten ?!? Not sure what kind of a famine they fell victim to. I just think that a 10 is an ideal...my ideal. That's all!

BTW...someone in the range of 7-9 stone would prob be at the very very most a size 10 if they're an average heigth, say 5'6 or there abouts.

Aurther Hugh · 30-03-2005 10:36pm

Matthewthebig wrote:

14 pounds.

And Aurther Hugh do you think that bones are attractive are you one of those people who thinks that ribs that stick out and no tits is attractive?

Personally give me a girl who is curvy and has everything in proportion.

So what if I do?! I don't think that bones are attractive but dont think that big fat curves are either. I don't know why this is proving offensive.

newgrange · 30-03-2005 10:47pm

7 stone at 5' 6" should be in hospital.
Do you have any idea just how thin an adult would have to be to be 7 stone?

There is a reason why you cannot donate blood if you are under 8 stone - because under that is rarely a healthy weight for an adult.

paulcr - you are in the US surrounded by people who weigh 7 to 9 stone? I'm amazed.

Jekell · 30-03-2005 10:51pm

Aurther Hugh wrote:

BTW...someone in the range of 7-9 stone would prob be at the very very most a size 10 if they're an average heigth, say 5'6 or there abouts.

mmm, have to disagree with you there though...
I am 5'1, 8 stone and a size 8
If I was 5'6 and 7 stone I would be a skeleton

Dizzyblabla · 30-03-2005 11:19pm

go here to calculate BMI's - http://www.weightwatchers.ie/WWI_Wrapper.aspx?SiteId=12&Page=1017842

if you were to be 5'6 and 7 stone, even 8 stone, you would be underweight, someone 5'6 should be about 10 stone to be in the middle healthy range...

Now in saying that, Aurther Hugh is quite entitled to like skinny girls, some people think that skinny is gross, other's think that fat is gross, it is a matter of personal opinion at the end of the day.

We don't have the right to say that a skinny person is ugly if we are not a size 10 or less ourselves... But then just because you don't like something yourself should mean that you can dismiss someone elses opinion.

Of course there are exceptions, if the person is genuinely ugly though! heh heh!

Matthewthebig · 31-03-2005 1:13am

tbh the BMI index is pretty messed up it was created by insurance companies and takes no account of muscle. It is rough idea but i wouldn't take it as gospel some of the rugby players in my school are technically obese according to that. so yeah

How big is too big?

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