Confused Body Image with no idea of how much weight loss is needed

Hello,

I just joined today and I'm really excited because I usually do all of this stuff on my own but this makes it so easy and convienant for me.

I have a question because lately I've been really confused about my weight/weight loss/body image, et.

I am 22 years old with stage 3 endometriosis.

I have a light daily life but I work out pretty intensely 4-5 days a week.

I'm 5'7.5 and today I got on the scale and it read 168. I knew I had been gaining some weight over the past 6 mo. and even though I never was a big "weigher" I knew I had went up a pant size, but this weight shocked me!

Now this is where I am really confused.....I was shocked at the reading because last week I went clothing shopping and didn't wear above a size 6 in any brand of jeans or clothing, yet when I search on here most women with my stats aren't smaller than a 12? What is going on with me?

I measured my waist because I really am stumped and it was 28 in. and when I plugged it into a basic body fat counter it said my body fat percentage is 16% which is stupendous.....so why is my BMI telling me I'm at a health risk.  Gosh, I just dunno what to think. Any diagnosis or advice? How should I judge how much actually weight I need to lose?

You can't always go by bmi. You more than likely are more fit (have more muscle) than the other girls your height and weight that are a size 12.

In your case I would concentrate on inches.

not to be too forward but judging by your pic you might wana calculate your boobs into ur weight, unless your wearing a miracle bra or something it looks like they're a wee bit bigger than average. It also depends where you shop, certain places vanity size their clothes like crazy.

haha not too forward.

I thought about my chest too. I wear a 34DD...but I've never heard of someone being overweight because of their boobs? And how much do boobs weigh anyhow?

Yea and I considered Vanity Sizing and I do believe this exists...however just 3 weeks ago I went to Vegas and tried on a size 8 Oscar De La Renta gown and it fit perfectly....which lord knows that evening gowns and couture stuff is the true test of how much vanity is in every day clothes sizing. And man when I say I went jean shopping....I tried on like 40 pair trying to motivate myself to get back into my typical size 4's.....which i must have worn at 155? hmmmm.

Anyways...I guess my big thing is I'm thinking at my goal weight of 135, I may look like death. lol. Who knows....I think maybe I'm a freak?

I think you are concentrating too much on numbers.  You are a healthy weight and size.  it's not as if you have tub hanging out everywhere.  Muscle simply weighs more than fat.  Rejoice that you are healthy.  Be realistic.

For me, at my short stature, I have to weigh 110 lbs to fit into a 6.  You are doing well. 

thanks for the responses.....i was just concerned bc when i entered my stats in a BMI calculator it screamed "HEALTH RISK!!" at me....and I've never considered myself one, so I appreciate the encouragement and feedback. Best of luck in your health goals and endeavors.

I hate to be a wet blanket but with a BMI of 26-ish you are technically 'overweight'.  However, it's usually when you get up nearer 'obese' (BMI 30+) that health problems start - and even then it can take many years for these to materialise.  If you're well-muscled it's perfectly possible to be healthy and slightly overweight.  However, you're only 22 and I wanted to caution you that as you get older & lifestyle changes mean you become less active, it tends to get more difficult to retain that muscle tone & 'slightly overweight' can creep up towards 'obese' extremely easily. 

So my suggestion is that you try to keep your BMI in the 25-26 zone if you're happy there, but at the same time keep your food log and see if there are any bad dietary habits you could start to turn around.... eg. too-large portion-sizes, poor food choices.. 

Good luck

Don't believe the bmi calculators. It is grossly inaccurate and based on averages. Muscle weighs more than fat, given the same volume, and muscle is much more compact. If you want an accurate bmi, go to your gym or the YMCA and have them gauge it with calipers. My own bmi was almost 4 points less than what the calulators tell me. I also have really large breasts (36F) and my trainer told me that they add to my weight, but not to my caliper bmi. Disregard the ugly comments about being "overweight". You are beautiful and very, very likely not at risk for any health problems whatsoever. A size 6 for a 5'7" female is very compact and very normal. If you weight train, much of that "excess" weight is probably muscle and if you feel defined, healthy, and happy where you are, dont worry about the numbers. If you want to lose, just make sure your calories are from very high quality, nutritious foods and do more cardio.

Calipers don't measure BMI.  They measure body fat - which is a much more accurate measure of how healthy a person is.  BMI is strictly a value calculated based on height and weight and, as such, should be treated with a grain of salt.

A person can be technically overweight according to BMI but REALLY be beautiful, healthy, thin and muscular.  Many professional athletes (in the more muscular fields) are technically overweight, but they look awesome and are actually more healthy than many average folks.

To the OP: You look great and as long as you stay active, you're likely fine to have a BMI in the 25-26 range.  If you wanted to lose a little weight to get back into the size 4s, that'd be fine too.  You're quite a bit taller than average so that's part of why you're a smaller size than someone who's shorter but weighs the same, and how you carry your weight is an important factor.  As long as your waist measurement is below 30" and you're eating right and being at least somewhat active, you can consider yourself to be in the healthy range.