First of all, I'm disgusted by some of these comments- especially the ones by men, who really don't get it. As women, we are trained to measure our weight by the half-pound; I'm an ex-competitive dancer and, in that environment, eating disorders were quite common. I struggled with anorexia nervosa, on and off, for almost 7 years; at one point, it got so bad that my dance-coach (who, by the way, told me at 13 that I was too fat to be a dancer) begged me to put the weight back on.

Now, I'm 25 years old, 5'7, and 184 pounds~ I'm a vegetarian, I eat healthy, and I'm also preparing for my FIS exam (fitness instructor certification), so I can teach dance-classes at the gym, where I work out with a trainer 3 times a week. I'm not supermodel-thin, and I've accepted that I never will be... I'm not genetically predisposed to thinness. That said, I've learned that it's not about how my body looks to others, but about what it can do. And it can play a damn good game of tackle-frisbee... :)

This article is very good, and I think the people who are commenting negativly are just in denial and do not want to admit their self esteem issues. Most of the time it isn't about the number on the scale but how your health is on the insiide. I am the size 24 and my sister is the size 4 and on our most recent trip to the doctor, she was diagnosed with boarder line diabetes and my health is perfect. I got the genetics of my moms side and she got the genetics on my dads side, that's why she does not gain weight and I do. But I am so happy and greatful I have a body that does so much for me that my only concern is keeping healthy and taking care of it, so it does not matter my size, as long as I am healthy. But skinny or not, remember eat good foods, and exercise a bit everyday!! :)

I found this article greatly inspiring. The BMI is not always accurate and ultimately, you will know whats best for your body. I am 5'9" and weigh in around 195-200lbs. I am a size 12-14. I eat right, exercise, and drink plenty of water. My waist is 31". I have breasts and hips and would take being voluptuous any day of the week, than be to thin for my frame and trying to live up to a stereo type.Thank you for reminding us weight is just a number and its how healthy you are that matters.

yeah I agree but at the same time, you have to stay active, there is no such thing as eat whatever healthy you won't gain. You have to watch your portions and you have to keep your weight under control. Diet, is just a set meal plan, if you maintain a healthy diet and an active life style, working out at least 3 hours a week, you can then say I am fine. Even the picture used on this article is that of a slim woman LOL, so if you are giving this advice to a fat person who thinks they are dieting for the reasons you list, you are doing a hell of a bad move...some people really need to lose weight if they can. end of story.

I am so grateful that there are articles like this out there! I have been struggling with recovery from an eating disorder - a disorder that started when I was fifteen (now, I am 23). The best advice I ever got was to stop weighing myself. The hardest thing for me to accept was that genetics played such a huge part in my proportions. Equally difficult was the horrifying realization that I was losing muscle mass when I thought that being thinner would make me look more "ripped." I couldn't shop at some of my favourite stores for most of my anorexic years because even the smallest size hung off my body. Looking at pictures of myself as I was then sickens me.

The article makes it very clear that obesity is a problem you work on with your doctor, not with a celebrity in a magazine or an infomercial. Some of these comments really sadden me. Why do all those commenting feel the need to state their height, their weight, and their dress sizes - as if that justifies what their comments say?! And those comments attached to female authors! Newsflash: you don't get to say when someone is obese, or overweight, or fat, or in denial! You especially should not pass judgment in such a passive-aggressive way as an online comment, because you couldn't possibly have seen (or realized you had seen) the commentator in person.

A woman's body mass is the sum of her bones, her muscle tissue, her fatty tissue, her organs, her ligaments and tendons, her skin... "weight" measure can fluctuate depending on what you've been eating and drinking in the past few days or even the day-of-weighing. If you are a solid linebacker for the Packers, or if you are an enforcer in the NHL, you are going to have more muscle and weigh more than the average person your age. And, yes, your body mass and weight measures do increase between high school and a person's early twenties because, even if you do not grow taller, your bones get more mass while they can and the rest of your body changes and grows.

I cannot blame men and women for refusing to accept reasoning from biology: every body is different, so for every bit of evidence there is counter-evidence, and accepting that you will weigh a bit more every year in your teens and early twenties is an acceptance that opposes all the "obesity epidemic" discussions. Does anxiety stop the bad things about which you are anxious from happening? Nope. If this was a flu or cold epidemic, we might be worried about accidentally getting sick, and overcompensate by using antibacterial gel too frequently. What happens? Hands and other dry skin areas are more succeptible to germs sneaking into your body (if your hands are so dry that they crack, those are open sores). The virus or the bacteria become immune or adapt to that saviour, the germ-killing gel. People get SICKER because they are making unreasonable efforts to AVOID GETTING SICK.

I thought this article was a great piece of writing. Then I read a number of the comments to be horrifide by what people call over weight. Before having my 4th child I was a size 10 and 175 pounds. I'm only 5 feet tall. I was extremely active and ate very little. I starved myself to be that thin. Having big bones and a heavy frame I know I'll struggle to get back into a size 10 again.

Some people posting here obviously don't get it. Healthy people come in all shapes and sizes. Someone can be considered overweight--even obese--by the BMI charts and STILL be healthy. BMI is only one tool and it doesn't take into account so many factors (such as muscle mass--which weighs more than fat, gender, ethnicity, age, etc). The BMI was configured by taking a group of people and the people whose weights were in the middle were put in the "normal weight" category, those below were put in the "underweight" category, and those above were put in the "overweight" or "obese" categories. That is where the classification came from. It did not take health into account. Yes, it is true some people in the overweight, obese, and underweight categories are unhealthy, but it shouldn't be the weight that is the determining factor for health status.

We read that women have distorted visions about their bodies, feeling fat when they are in fact just right. But it seems it works the opposite way too.
A person who thinks 200 lbs at 5'7" is not obese is in denial.
Common sense is all it takes here

Interesting article and feedback from others. I just find that it is ironic that this article is squeezed between one called "9 reasons why you can't lose weight" and "the only weight loss plan you'll ever need" I think part of the problem is that we get a lot of mixed messages. The other ironic part is that obesity has been exacerbated by dieting, the very thing we are all recommended to do in order to lose weight! Dieting can actually increase ones risk of heart attack and other weight related complications because the "yo-yo" effect is way more taxing on the body than maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle.

I am 28 years old and I have always been medium sized...not fat not skinny, just right in the middle. Sure I would like to pull off a pair of skinny jeans or feel comfortable in a bathing suit. But for the most part I feel confident and I know my insecurities are not my own, they have been imposed on me by our culture. It's all about balance in all things, mind body and spirit.

I'm 36 years old, 5'5" in height and the last time I weighed I was 150 pounds, which was about 3 weeks ago. I've always considered myself big not skinny, but not too fat as well. I've also stopped obsessing about my weight and I just make sure that I don't over eat, especially chips and soda, which were two on my list when I was heavier. I think the key is just to be yourself, try not to pretend to be someone else and try to improve yourself positively and not to do things in life based on what others might think of you.

I am a 36 year old female, standing at 5'7" and weighing in at 200 lbs. whose weight has been up and down since having my first child, at the age of 21. All through high school I was a size 5. When I became pregnant with my first child I was a size 12 and 3 days after giving birth to her, I was a size 9. When I became pregnant with my second child, at the age of 28, I was a size 12, again. The day after giving birth to him, I was a size 9, again. Today, I am a size 14 and I thought I was slightly over weight, until last week. I joined a group to lose a few pounds and was informed that, by their standards, I am considered obese. This upset me very much, as their idea of a normal and healthy body weight was 5'8" and 130 lbs. I have a large bone structure and will never weigh 130 lbs. I am determined to lose a few pounds, not because someone told me that I am obese, but because I would like to be more active with my children and teach them better lifestyle choices whether it be food or activity choices. I only hope that this group does not inflict low self esteem upon another woman and cause a horrible eating disorder or a negative body image.

I just recently lost 35 pounds and things are much easier done around the house. But to be stick thin, unless you are a stripper or a model, well not important! Just be happy the way your are today, a pound more a pound less, who cares! Go and have a light snack if you are hungry but rarely McDo or Burger King. Drink lots of green tea and eat at least 1 salad a day. Ciao

Theres nothing healthy about needing a prescription for your medical issue. I don't care how great you feel. If your doctor recommends losing 20 pounds, you should. You are a 51 year old women who is 5ft6 and 180 pounds. I can tell you right now that the odds of you living to be 70 years old are very low at that size. All your organs are covered in fat. They need to work extremely hard to perform normal functions when they are smothered in lard. You may "feel" strong but your headed for a quick death. How does 20 years sound to you?

Thank you for this article. I have realized after struggling with weight for most of my life (and after dropping over 60 pounds since last summer due to health concerns) that even though it is recommended that I should lose another 30 pounds, eating healthy and having an overall healthy lifestyle is really what matters. I am comfortable with being 5'5 and 170. I found out I have muscles and I can actually run down the street without panting and wheezing. If I lose more weight because I decide to step up and take another dance class, that's fine by me. If I don't shed a pound that's fine also. So long as I can do all those things I want to do *including a random cartwheel down a city street* and I am healthy, I am happy. Everyone is built differently; media should not dictate our own self image.

People can be living and eating healthy and STILL be overweight. Sometimes there are other issues going on in the body that cause the weight gain. Being overweight and 'happy" is almost an impossibility. When a person cannot bend over without losing their breath, and only 30 pounds over their normal weight, then they are 30 pounds overweight. If people are wanting to keep their weight in check, they will have to watch what they eat - the word DIET should be deleted from the dictionary. Everyone of us should be eating healthy and being careful with what they eat.

But rememmber this doesn't mean you can pack on the pouds without caring.

I am 13 years young and i weigh 130lbs. I do think I am fat. I am doing it for all those reasons above and i do have a healthy lifestyle. I need to lose weight still.

I have always thought that I needed to lose weight because I wasn't that model figure girl. I have been hard on myself for years about trying to be a certain image/or size that was attractive to the opposite sex. Let's face it ladies.... men like slim girls. I am now 37 years old and feel more compelled to look good because I'm getting older. Whenever I lose weight, I say..... if I could only lose just a few more pounds then I'll look even better. I truly believe that women will always struggle with self image because of celebrity thinness and glamor. Wish it wasn't true... but face it.... the pretty thin girl gets the job, the attention, the man, etc. So no matter how much we read articles and Dr. tell us to do for health reasons... come who are we kidding. It's all about the LOOKS. No one tells you after you lost weight you must feel healthy..... they say "wow, are you ever thin, you LOOK awesome."

French women are the thinnest in Europe and 'oddly enough' also tend to live the longest. Excess fat is associated with an increased cancer risk, so the notion that it's 'ok' to pack on a few pounds each and every year after high school is a very dangerous one. As a people we have lost sight of what a healthy weight is and what overweight is. In the future we will accept that a 'healthy level of plumpness' is the same as a 'healthy level of smoking'. Until then gorge till you drop.

Yes I do agree that women today are to focused on trying to look better rather then trying to be healthy. I do not know when media made it sexy to look dealthy ill but sexy to me is someone who is athletic and looks healthy. I do not agree with the one statement saying that you should not try to fit into your jeans from high school . and that you should gain 2 pounds every year from then on. that in my opinion is incorrect. I am 30 years old, have had one child and I am still the same weight as when I was 15. That isn't because I diet . I do not diet at all. i eat healthy, and practice martial arts, as well as split wood, walk and do many strenous phyusical activities to help keep in shape. I am very muscular but only weight 110 pounds. If I was to gain 2 pounds every year from 20 till now I would be 20 pound heavier. Does that seem healthy? If I was 20 pounds heavier I would be way to heavy. So I thinkg that the doctors raise societies acceptance of what weight iss healthy because we can't control the fact that majority of society is overweight, inactive and unhealthy. I think that our view of what is healthy is either to heavy or to skinny. We need to focus on eating a healthy diet as well as keeping physically active and that will cure all of our overweight heath problems. Don't need a doctor to figure that out.

I am in my fifties, too (52 actually). I am 5 ft 4 in and currently weigh about 153 or 154. I still want to get down to 145 or less, as according to the height/weight charts, my maximum BMI should be 25, which would be 145 lbs at my height. I have been going to Weight Watchers and it has helped me. I don't need medication for high blood pressure, just something for GERD as I have a problem with my esophagus. Maybe the lady who is 180 should think about joining Weight Watchers. It's a great program and sensible as well. You can eat normal food, so you don't feel deprived. Also, check you BMI on-line to see what it is, because unless you are a weight lifter, 180 lbs seems a bit high for your height.

Thank you for this article. More women need to learn that weight is not all about fat. I am a 51-year-old woman, and carry 180 pounds on a five feet, six inch frame with medium bones and well-developed muscles all over. Most people estimate my weight at 140 to 150 pounds.

I can walk 6 km in an hour with no fatigue, carry 40 pounds for a considerable distance, and sprint across a busy intersection. I also ice-skate, swim, and ski regularly. My doctor has suggested I should lose 20 lbs for my blood pressure which is slightly elevated but controlled with 1 prescription. But I want to keep my bones healthy, so I am in no hurry to lose those extra pounds. I also fit comfortably and elegantly into classic clothes size 12 to 14 that I have bought over the past 10 years. I have never dieted strictly to lose weight, and am very happy overall with my figure.