# Are you really fat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 28, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594 "2011-12-28T03:26:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/41 "2011-12-29T05:00:12Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Just to clarify and then I’m done: > > I’m pretty sure I’m old enough to be **drew’s** grandmother. > > But I’d be a cool one. > > Now, let’s go eat cake. I know you didn’t mean any offense, I am sorry for insinuating anything otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/42 "2011-12-29T08:10:36Z")
I used to be pretty lean, but then my knees went to shit, I met a girl who likes to cook, spent a decade at a desk job with free snacks and weekly birthday cake, and now I’m just a big fat bastard. I’m back to being able to jog and hike, for what little good it’s doing. I’m trying some additional things I hope will help though. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/43 "2011-12-29T10:48:05Z")
See, I’ve never felt fat. I actually remember remarking to a friend back when we saw the Matrix that there was no way it was real: my internal image of myself is rather skinnier than the real me. And it’s always been that way. In fact, I was expecting this to be the highest option for fat people. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/44 "2011-12-29T12:55:45Z")
Never been fat, although a couple of times in my life I’ve gotten a little overweight but the last time was probably 20 years ago. I’m in my 50s and weigh the same as what I weighed in my teens. Except I’m a different shape now. 😃 Bits of me are sagging and looking squishier. I’m a size 6. But - I usually FEEL overweight. Objectively, I’m not. A touch of body dysmorphia, perhaps. Or maybe I should start working out again to tone up. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/45 "2011-12-29T14:00:38Z")
Got fat in my late 20s. Got fit again in my 30s. I’ve been at a healthy and fit weight for a few years now. My waist size is about an inch bigger than it was when I was a swimmer and springboard diver in high school. And I was also about an inch shorter then; I grew a bit in my late teens, early 20s. So now, nope, not fat. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/46 "2011-12-29T14:01:37Z")
I’m female and I’ve always felt and weighed too thin, although opinions are divided on whether I \*\*look \*\*too thin. People usually overestimate my weight by 10-20 lbs since I have a small-frame and am proportionate. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/47 "2011-12-29T14:08:50Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > See, I’ve never felt fat. I actually remember remarking to a friend back when we saw the Matrix that there was no way it was real: my internal image of myself is rather skinnier than the real me. And it’s always been that way. In fact, I was expecting this to be the highest option for fat people. I would agree that my internal image of myself is smaller than the real me but my internal image is still fat. I suspect a lot of fat people would be the same as me. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/48 "2011-12-29T15:27:40Z")
Hmm. I voted “Other” - I’m a female, and I don’t feel or weigh fat, but I do _look_ fat. I was \*really \*skinny when I was young, but I was never athletic, so I’ve always been soft, and have always had a poochy little tummy. (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked if I’m pregnant, or simply, “When are you due?”) In my mind, I’m still thin (though not bony like I used to be), and I think my weight is still reasonable (a little under 140, 5’9" - BMI 20.5). But over time, and especially post-baby, the poochy little tummy has become a thick, flabby midsection. And it’s even more obvious because I have no boobs, and my arms and legs are pretty slender. I can dress to disguise it somewhat, but I’m always a little surprised and disappointed when I see just how fat I look naked. Not quite as big as this, but close (spoilering mild NSFW link): NSFW [nude painting](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qmlCiRqw51o/TAPj_ENJl6I/AAAAAAAAAA4/R43vfZP9yFY/s320/victorian+nude.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/49 "2011-12-29T17:59:47Z")
I look, feel, and weigh fat. I am 5’2" and about 220 pounds. I was overweight as a teen but then I was only 245 so it was much better than it is now. I feel old and schlumpy and I hate it. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/50 "2011-12-29T19:24:39Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > I know the feeling. I’m gay fat, especially west Hollywood gay fat. Ah yes, the infamous West Hollywood Gay inferior complex. Unless you look like Ryan Gosling, you are a porker. And even Ryan would be just about “average” on some nights at those clubs. I have met lots of people who are most certainly fat, but carry themselves like an Olympic athlete - and many who are not fat but slouch and mope and shuffle like they were obese slobs. Some people fit into their body type better than others. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/51 "2011-12-29T19:36:29Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Ah yes, the infamous West Hollywood Gay inferior complex. > Unless you look like Ryan Gosling, you are a porker. > And even Ryan would be just about “average” on some nights at those clubs. > > I have met lots of people who are most certainly fat, but carry themselves like an Olympic athlete - and many who are not fat but slouch and mope and shuffle like they were obese slobs. Some people fit into their body type better than others. Yep. No shoes, no six pack, no service. I try to not let it get to me though. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/52 "2011-12-29T23:23:34Z")
6’0" and a BMI of 21. Slim, fit and fairly toned. A fortunate metabolism keeps the weight off but it takes work to stay toned. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/53 "2011-12-30T00:42:05Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > I know the feeling. I’m gay fat, especially west Hollywood gay fat. Doll, cut this out right now. Right this second! Okay, sigh, I know I’m starting to seem like your mom, following you around and nagging you about how handsome you are, but you are adorbs! So much so that I’m reduced to using cutesy, annoying, non-words like “adorbs.” I get that I don’t get gay West Hollywood male issues (similar to the way I’d suppose a gay white male wouldn’t get dark-skinned black girl issues), but I hope my tiny internet words mean something when I say you’re perfectly fine. And I’m not one of those internet douches who How-YOU-doins everything that posts a photo and is presumably alive. I also realize as a straight female, my target audience appreciates some curve action more than yours, but this crazy talk out of you regarding your appearance bothers me. It just makes me sad when someone who is handsome and of a healthy weight by any reasonable standard seems to have body image issues because crazy people want you to look like a Ken doll. Feh. I say FEH! Edit: Oh yeah, the OP and poll. Um, whatever. Depending on the day of the week and my mood, my BMI is on the very high end of healthy (24.7+) or barely edges being overweight (25.2-). So at any given moment, I’m usually about one french fry away from being fat, but I’m fine with the way I look and feel weightwise. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/54 "2011-12-30T01:44:28Z")
I feel and look fat, but I’m not fat. I’m a perfectly healthy weight for my height, build, and stage of pregnancy. I feel like a freaking whale, though! (And seriously, at US Thanksgiving - just last month - I was barely showing, then all of a sudden, bam! Belly like Mr. Weatherbee from the Archie comics!:eek:) I voted “other.” ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/55 "2011-12-30T02:57:56Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Doll, cut this out right now. Right this second! > > Okay, sigh, I know I’m starting to seem like your mom, following you around and nagging you about how handsome you are, but you are adorbs! So much so that I’m reduced to using cutesy, annoying, non-words like “adorbs.” I get that I don’t get gay West Hollywood male issues (similar to the way I’d suppose a gay white male wouldn’t get dark-skinned black girl issues), but I hope my tiny internet words mean something when I say you’re perfectly fine. And I’m not one of those internet douches who How-YOU-doins everything that posts a photo and is presumably alive. I also realize as a straight female, my target audience appreciates some curve action more than yours, but this crazy talk out of you regarding your appearance bothers me. It just makes me sad when someone who is handsome and of a healthy weight by any reasonable standard seems to have body image issues because crazy people want you to look like a Ken doll. Feh. I say FEH! I do appreciate it, but let’s be serious. I have a BMI of 28, which isn’t crazy heavy by any stretch but is hardly the best weight for me. I’ve also not adjusted to the idea that in my mid 20’s my BMI was about 19 and I’ve gained about 60 pounds in the last decade. ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/56 "2011-12-30T03:34:25Z")
5’2", 125. I would like to take off 5 pounds to be mid-BMI, but I am healthy as I am. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/57 "2011-12-30T06:41:46Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Hmm. I voted “Other” - I’m a female, and I don’t feel or weigh fat, but I do _look_ fat. I was \*really \*skinny when I was young, but I was never athletic, so I’ve always been soft, and have always had a poochy little tummy. (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked if I’m pregnant, or simply, “When are you due?”) In my mind, I’m still thin (though not bony like I used to be), and I think my weight is still reasonable (a little under 140, 5’9" - BMI 20.5). But over time, and especially post-baby, the poochy little tummy has become a thick, flabby midsection. And it’s even more obvious because I have no boobs, and my arms and legs are pretty slender. I can dress to disguise it somewhat, but I’m always a little surprised and disappointed when I see just how fat I look naked. Not quite as big as this, but close (spoilering mild NSFW link): > > NSFW [nude painting](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qmlCiRqw51o/TAPj_ENJl6I/AAAAAAAAAA4/R43vfZP9yFY/s320/victorian+nude.jpg) That does not look fat at all to me. It looks normal and healthy. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/58 "2011-12-30T07:08:44Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I know you didn’t mean any offense, I am sorry for insinuating anything otherwise. No sweat \*\*Ambivialid.[/B] You were just wondering, and I tried to stumble an answer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/59 "2011-12-30T08:02:19Z")
No, I am not really fat. ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594/60 "2011-12-30T10:09:24Z")
Very fat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-fat/607594.md?page=2)