I have always been "chubby"; there has never been a time since my early teens (when I first started paying attention) that I haven't been rounder than was the generally accepted norm. I realize now that what I thought of, back then, as "much, much too fat", was probably just a teen aged perception of imperfection (you know, like when the zit on your face seems massive, even when its not 
), but still, I was never skinny. And over the years, and decades, I have added to that, despite serious and near constant dieting. Only a few pounds a year, but its been quite a few years now. So, anyway, I finally decided that I refuse to go up another clothes size, and began "low-carbing" about 6 weeks ago - and am pleased to say that, rather than buying clothes in the next size up, I am able to zip the jeans that I still have that are a size down. (Perhaps they don't exactly "fit", but they will, very soon 
)
Today I was reading a book ("Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes), and there was a reference to a woman who was 5'4" and 185# who was considered obese. I am 5'4" tall and, up until a few weeks ago I weighed 185#(upper limit for me). Fat, yes; even too fat, but I have never considered myself obese. I think of obese as a person who wears XL clothes (I do not, and wouldn't even if I were to go up that extra size, or 2 or 3), or, say, a woman lacking feminine contours - no hips, no indentation at the waist, just round. There are a lot of such women around here, and, I think, just about everywhere. But, while indubitably fat, I have always had a feminine figure (albeit Rubenesque). So the reference shocked me, and I looked up the clinical definition of obese and found that, indeed, 5'4" and 185# is at the low end of "obese".
Clinical definition or not, I still don't put my (former) self in that category (self delusion is a wonderful thing)
Aside from what the graphs say, what is YOUR definition of obese? Is it a number - x#+y"? Or is it a shape? Or a clothes size? Or something else?
), but still, I was never skinny. And over the years, and decades, I have added to that, despite serious and near constant dieting. Only a few pounds a year, but its been quite a few years now. So, anyway, I finally decided that I refuse to go up another clothes size, and began "low-carbing" about 6 weeks ago - and am pleased to say that, rather than buying clothes in the next size up, I am able to zip the jeans that I still have that are a size down. (Perhaps they don't exactly "fit", but they will, very soon )Today I was reading a book ("Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes), and there was a reference to a woman who was 5'4" and 185# who was considered obese. I am 5'4" tall and, up until a few weeks ago I weighed 185#(upper limit for me). Fat, yes; even too fat, but I have never considered myself obese. I think of obese as a person who wears XL clothes (I do not, and wouldn't even if I were to go up that extra size, or 2 or 3), or, say, a woman lacking feminine contours - no hips, no indentation at the waist, just round. There are a lot of such women around here, and, I think, just about everywhere. But, while indubitably fat, I have always had a feminine figure (albeit Rubenesque). So the reference shocked me, and I looked up the clinical definition of obese and found that, indeed, 5'4" and 185# is at the low end of "obese".
Clinical definition or not, I still don't put my (former) self in that category (self delusion is a wonderful thing
)Aside from what the graphs say, what is YOUR definition of obese? Is it a number - x#+y"? Or is it a shape? Or a clothes size? Or something else?
I think people can be larger than "average" and still be their own perfectly healthy and capable "normal" regardless of numbers on a scale or height. For myself, I'm 5'9, and can't get over 165 without feeling like crap and draggy. When i graduated high school, I was 130, and looked like a crack head I was so sickly and skinny looking. 
