Guest Julia59 Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 TELL ME, IS A SIZE 12 OBESE?!Am I missing something here?Abdomin---"soft supple, and OBESE!"You know---this is insulting. I feel bad for anyone who really is "OBESE"---there is so much prejudice out there. Especially from those who think a size 12 is OBESE. How about ---"plus size"----curvy----Mae West----Marilyn Monroe---ect.................First of all "OBESE" sounds like a cuss word---just very offensive.No wonder woman throw up their food---and have the bones sticking out of their back--------they dare not get up to a size 10 even------what would people think----especially if they think a size 12 is already OBESE.Now I do know this is not everyones opinion that a size 12 is OBESE, but apparently the medical profession considers it obese. I refuse to throw up what I eat---just won't do it, but I can understand why some of us might. The pressure society puts on us to look like the olsen twins is rediculous.WE suffer from POTS, and sometimes other disabling issues, so vigorous exerciese is not always an option, so on average some of us gain about 30 pounds.I have enough to deal with---POTS EDS, Spine issues---ect.-------I don't think getting back to a size 6 is at the top of my list right now. I just want to be able to take a shower, take care of my home, and be well enough to go back to work......Sorry for the rant----but I'm sick of this!!!!!Julie :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoGiuliana Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Did your doctor tell you you are "obese"?I would not think a size 12 is obese except perhaps for a small statured person. Furthermore, if you are a size 12 you have a 30 inch waist. 35 inches is the threshold for obesity (see below).I definitely have a tummy after having my daughter--even though the rest of me is not "overweight" that part of me appears larger than I would prefer-- I wear a size 12 (sometimes a 10). I am also 5'11"...It is so hard when one's ability to exercise is limited. I have been trying to do pilates--I have not seen if affect my waistline as of yet. I hear you regarding pressure on women to lose weight. I doubt you would need to be a size 6 to be a "healthy" size. Perhaps you can ask your doctor what he or she thinks would be an ideal weight/size for you and what recommendations he or she can provide for getting there, considering your challenges. It seems that doctors are not really trained to address prevention with their patients unfortunately (as we all know, I guess).KatherinePerhaps this is helpful...http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/hw252864How do I know if I am obese?You can use a measurement called a body mass index, or BMI, to decide whether your weight is dangerous to your health. The BMI is a combination of your height and weight. If you have a BMI of 30 or higher, your extra weight is putting your health in danger. Where you carry your body fat may be as important as how many extra pounds you have. People who carry too much fat around the middle, rather than the hips, are more likely to have health problems. In women, a waist size of 35 or more inches raises the chance for disease. In men, a waist size of 40 inches or more raises the chance for disease.Note--you can measure you BMI at the above site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunfish Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 first, i am NOT diminishing the issues that go along with the term obesity in society at large, pressures put on women, etc. i am a huge anti-diet proponent (not anti healthy living, just anti obcessiveness), have seen first hand the havoc that eating disorders can wreck on people's lives, etc. so i am not unsympathetic to the issues being raised. you honestly don't want to get me started on my rantings and ravings about diets, eating disorders, pressures for people who are totally in healthy places to lose weight, etc. like you said, doing unhealthy things to attempt to lose weight, i.e. throwing up, is NOT healthier. neither is restricting food intake in the extremes, crash diets, or other extreme things that many try. these things only hurt the body more...physically & mentally/emotionally.i too am annoyed with the fact that i am larger now than when i'm at my healthiest, though at times have also been too small. and the irony for me is that i'm not hardly even able to eat/drink. and yet in the big scheme of things is low on the priority list and there is really nothing i can do about it right now...but i get the frustration.additionally, sizes aren't necessarily an accurate measure of weight. obviously there's a correspondence, but people could be the same height and wear the same size and be a good 30lbs apart weight-wise based on build, weight distribution, etc. of course body composition (muscle vs. fat) also plays a role. nevermind that sizes vary SO much from store to store/ maker to maker that they have limited meaning these days. at a given time i wear clothes in 4 different sizes depending on where they are from; i don't mean when i'm losing/gaining weight but just b/c the sizes vary so much. at one point my weight hadn't changed in years that fit the same but were 6, 8, 10, & 12! obviously my changing clothes didn't change my actual size.but...that said...whether we like it or not obese is a medical term often based on BMI. and for many women's heights, yes, a size 12 could be technically obese. in medical records/notes it's a terminology that may be written with no more consideration than writing that a heart rate of 150 is tachycardic. so while in society at large it is often filled with judgement & negative connotations, to a doctor it likely isn't any different than listing an individual's blood pressure. a professional athlete could even have obese written in records according to BMI, hopefully with a notation indicating a muscular physique, etc, but not necessarily. b/c if a doctor is looking at a chart/graph, obese it could be.i have never been tiny but in the past was incredibly in shape/muscular. even now i am often asked to step on scales more than once b/c i don't look my weight. i am never believed if i simply tell someone my weight as regardless of being at a bigger or smaller point i always weight more than i look. we're all built differently and any standardized chart/system is going to have it's flaws. when i was on my army scholarship i was constantly harassed about being miniscule amounts "overweight", i.e. less than 5lbs "over", despite the fact that my fitness scores weren't a problem and according to any BMI or weight chart i was entirely in the normal range.so...i'm not diminishing the issue and agree that you should discuss it with your doc/NP, but am also playing a bit of a devil's advocate, perhaps giving light to where a medical professional is coming from.anything that's repeatedly making you uncomfortable with your doc/NP though NEEDS to be brought up b/c it will get in the way of your relationship and thus treatment in other ways... melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dionna Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 i get the other 2 eating disorders thrown at me and i have a hard time getting some docs or nurse to give me adequat medical help. they think i am making myself pass out. i am a size 0 but i promise it just runs in the family- high metabolism. so i get treated as if i am one of the "olsen twins". so i take those as an offense as you take obesity. i think all of them are offensive words. i was just letting you know that i understand where you are coming from and i apologize that the doc treated you that way.dionna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia3 Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 As others mentioned, whether or not you are obese at size 12, depends on MANY factors.Size 12 varies from brand. When Oprah weighed 227 pounds, she "claimed" to be a 14 or 16! PUHLEASE.I am 5'3 and have been size 7 to 16. though medium big boned, I carried my weight well, but at my highest weight, I probably WAS obese! That was 20 years agoNow, I am a size 7 or 8.I am sorry the NP has hurt your feelings but like Melissa said, facts are facts as to what things are called.There is a HUGE HUGE movement in this company for instance, to NOT CALL CHILDREN and teens "Obese" because it's not very nice and might hurt their feelings. Well, considering how fat the kids are with their video game/computer/ tv/dvd addiction, it is a SAD fact.Julie I saw a photo of you with your dog from a few years ago and if you look like that now, NO you are not obese!!But let's not tapdance around certain medical terminology is needed.Instead of calling things what they are, we think of less offensive words for obesity. This is sad for kids...what else is there...Fat, porky, chubby? Or when I was a kid "Husky sizes?" It is what it is and we are what we are. So, you just gotta roll with the punches. At least she didn't put MORBIDLY obese!! lol.but usually, Obese is used for folks who look like they carry all their weight in their midsection.So, I hope you can discuss this with your doc or not have it bother you so much.I can think of worse medical terms used on me...like those of terminal ILLNESSES! so while weight IS a touchy issue, and the insanity of Madison avenue and celebs do not help the cause, just try to focus on HEALTH and cholesterol, triglycerides and BP, kidney and liver function, etc.Also, if women would stop BUYING ALL THESE WOMENS MAGAZINE at the checkout CONSTANTLY talking about diet and weightloss and have OTHER TOPICS, the media would learn, we as women are INTERESTEd in other things aside from OUTSIDE looks. Sorry you got your feelings hurt Julie but docs can only put things in medical terminology that is learned.just my two cents.P.s. Here is a link to the article about whether or not to call kids Obese. But what I find MORE DISGUSTING is ALL THE GASTRIC BYPASS surgery doctors are doing...ESPECIALLY ON CHILDREN! As opposed to getting to the emotional issues in adolescents, when life and socialization is SO TOUGH, to do the dangerous Gastric surgery?We dont' even know the long term safey aspects of this surgery. I know a local girls whose friend DIED from this surgery and she was 23....NOT WORTH IT. but to do this to kids who think they can go back to eating fast foods and such. I saw a show on this last year on Disc and was SHOCKED doctors DO THIS on kids.http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/jul/03/d...children_obese/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Size 12 is not even a plus size - it is a regular size. My friend was 130 lbs at 5'4" and wore a size 12 b/c all of her weight was around her stomach (like mine). She wasn't close to obese. Of course people have different body types. I'm no doctor, but I think it would be hard to be obese at size 12, unless you are very short. The topic of weight is one that really gets to me. Around the time I got POTS, I was too skinny. When was diagnosed, my doc kep commenting on how "gaunt" I looked. My mom also still keeps commenting on how skinny I looked around that time. I think both of them were insinuating that I was purposely starving myself (which is far from true because I am someone who LOVES to eat). I wasn't trying to lose weight and in fact I went to my GP around then asking why I was losing weight without trying. Well, (duh) now I realize it was because my heart was beating at a million miles a minute. Now I have gained some weight and people keep asking me if I am pregnant. I'm not happy with my weight, but at the same time, POTS has kept me me from being active and exercising as much as I'd like. It takes so much for many of us just to manage our day to day activities - how can we put any energy into managing our weight? Even normal people have trouble doing this.I would think any POTS specialist should understand why POTS can make us either underweight or overweight. If my doc told me to lose weight, I would tell him that I'd lose the weight as soon as he fixes my syptoms so that I can exercise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawg Tired Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 13 years ago.... when I was at 170lbs... (I'm 5'4")... I went to an orthopedic surgeon due to a work-related shoulder injury. When I got a copy of his report I notice he had described me as "obese"! Needless to say, now days, with me at 280, I would not go in there! He was a poor excuse for a doctor all around... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotleyLori Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 As a person who has always been abnormally thin, I would like to say that people have often felt free to make insulting comments to me regarding my weight. As if it were self inflicted due to an eating disorder. Now I am losing weight against my wishes yet again and wish I weren't. We all as women, tend to be our most severe critics in the weight department and adjectives such as "obese" and "anorexic" immediately offend us. I realize how hard it is to maintain a healthy weight, regardless of which problem we have. That being said, I do respect doctors and nurses who step on the thin ice of reminding us that they are aware of where we are weight wise and where current medical knowledge would like us to be. Weight on the scale does not always tell the tale as some people are more muscle than fat and the tests to determine that accurately are expensive and difficult to administer so they just take the weight and height and assign the adjective.I guess we have to roll with it as just sitting or standing often consumes most of our energy,Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Julia59 Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Thanks for the replies girls.I'm 5ft 4in---medium to heavy frame---miss matched I guess---heavy rib cage, bigs hands, but small wrists, hips and shoulders----and EDS nightmare for anyone who is trying to carry around a heavy rib cage with laxed joints, and a terrible spine/neck. While there is no doubt I could exercise more---noone of the Docs seems willing to really help me find a way to do that. I have soooooo much pain---it's difficult for me to sit up---or type this posting. I can't tolerate pain meds---narcodic type, and I have so much trouble with my guts I'm afraid to try anti-inflammatory drugs.At my worst I was 168 pounds---over a year ago. And I weighed 160 later in the spring when I went to endocrinologist. I just went recently to the Endo---and they said I lost weight, but I told them not to tell me what it was yet. So I weigh less then 160. I still was a size 12 at 168---now my size 12 jeans are getting quite loose.Sophia---I'm about 10 pounds heavier then I was in that picture---I look about the same in person since pictures put about 10 pounds on us. So that is why I posted that picture, because that was the only one I had in my computer that was closest to the size I am now.It's frustrating becaue I can't eat much either. And now I have cut back on refined sugars considerably, adn I have always been careful with fats---so much so I missed out on GOOD fats---thus the really low HDL.My body mass is 28. And yes, all my weight is above the hips. But seriously, it's not that bad. I have no side fat--not even an inch---no back fat, not much on the arms.I always thought obese was----"round"----big girl.Maybe it is used for medical terms---but what an offensive word it is. Just plain hurtful. Especially when your so limited to do anything about it-----I can't starve. I never eat more then a tiny amount of sweets---and I won't give up what I eat---a small piece of choc. That is one of the few pleasures I have left. I seriously doubt that is the culprit of my weight gain. My weight came on slowly after being put on wellbutrin, plus the beta blocker help pack it on also.My husband was so mad when I told him what was written on my records, that he wanted to storm over there and give them a piece of his mind---I told him NO. He knows how personally I take this---he knows how much I hated it when I gained the weight.I know lots of beautiful girls that are size 18/20, 16---14---and 12----they know the risks, and some of them are in better shape then I'm in.I tried to get on the floor with leg weights, and I couldn't believe how that could make my neck still hurt----how did it travel way up there?!My neice got really heavy---and I felt so bad for her. Some people in my family can be cruel---and one of them called her grotesque. At age 21 she went and had a gastric by-pass----May 12th to be exact.She is still a person-------I felt so terrible for her.I also know what it's like to be accused of having an eating disorder-----I carry my weight well, and when I went down to 125 pounds people that I worked with accused me of throwing up my food. I couldn't even eat. When I could---I could only nibble on very little.I really need to quit rambling about this---and just move on. Thanks for letting me vent---and for understanding. I just thought the docs might be more concerned with helping me feel better---so I can exercise. If they are that concerned---then they need to check my arteries---then I would feel less scared of exercising, and find something I can handle---like swimming---if I can ever find a pool thats less then 90 degrees.In the meantime---maybe I'll try my stationary bike again----a little at a time.........julie :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Hi Julia,You are not obese at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia3 Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 JuliaWow. That's amazing they would call you obese the way you look in that picture? some docs themselves must have some eating disorder perception themselves.When the OB GYN I worked with, would write obese as opposed to overweight, it litereally was for pts that were way, more round than they were tall. also they were so heavy in their midsection, he often had to have these pts go on a diet to have elective sugery. The anesthesiologists at the time 18 or so years ago, did not like to do sugery on these patients either due to risk of complications.One of the pts, could not weigh on the office scale (that maxed out at either 300 or 350 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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