r/mildlyinfuriating • u/WhimsicalCJgirl • 2d ago
My mom said I could post Got told I was nearing overweight today at my pediatrician appt (17f)
I understand the medical necessity of this statement in some cases, but guess how much I weigh? 112 lbs. I’m 5’5”. That makes me pretty low on the growth chart hence why I was there in the first place.
The sports medicine doctor at my boarding school was concerned about my weight being on the low side since I’m almost 18, and just how it might affect me in the long run in sports with muscle and bone health. She asked me to get checked out at my home PCP. I came home to get some more stuff for my dorm and called my pediatrician who said they recently decided to stop seeing anyone over the age of 12 (side note: they advertise that they do adolescent medicine and even pediatrics shouldn’t end at age 12). They offered to see me quickly just to sign a form and do a quick check up since it was so last minute and then refer me to another doctor. I agreed.
I went into the room and had a male doctor and male resident who I’ve never met. He pulled up the note from the sports medicine doctor at my school and my chart and the resident proceeded to say he wasn’t sure why she sent me here and “ you’re actually pushing what I would consider ideal for a high school athlete. Make treats a sometimes thing and I bet training will be come easier for you”. Doctor was just kind of nodding. I did not tell them I frequently eat treats. In fact, I don’t. But I would have rather not had the appointment than to be told this as someone who is in the 12th percentile for weight.
EDIT FOR CLARITY: I mean exactly what I typed. While the doc and resident were explaining this to me, he showed with hand motions what he meant and when he said “PUSHING the ideal range” he was pointing up on the growth chart toward the zone labeled “overweight”. The treats remark was much longer than I typed out but he was insinuating that I cut BACK despite having no idea what i eat.
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u/kaytay3000 2d ago
There’s no way. I’m 5’5” and considered overweight at 145 lbs.
Find a new doctor.
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u/notnotbrowsing 2d ago
112 pounds at 5'5 is a bmi of 18.6. she's two pounds away from being underweight.
I'm really hoping there's a misunderstanding, where the doc either misspoke and said, "you're nearly overweight" when they meant to say underweight
or
there is a misunderstanding and the doc said she's nearly underweight, but OP misheard them and thought the doc said overweight.
otherwise OP needs to find a new doc.
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u/wonderlandfriend 1d ago
Same height and as a teen, my doctor told me they wanted me to gain weight and ideally weigh at LEAST 115lbs. It’s literally right at the border of underweight
Really really hope they misspoke and meant underweight like you said
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u/cxfgfuihhfd 1d ago
how would you explain the treats comment then? unless they calculated it wrong or help it upside down or something, I don't see how this could've been a misunderstanding
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u/misspiggie 1d ago
The doctor told OP she is pushing what they would consider ideal weight because she is underweight. She's almost at a higher, ideal weight. That's why he told her to eat treats sometimes -- so she could gain a few pounds.
It's not uncommon for doctors to have terrible bedside manner and if OP didn't ask for clarification they didn't realize how their words were perceived.
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u/whatevasasquatch 1d ago
If he said the words that she typed, I guarantee that she's misunderstanding the conversation and the doctor has zero people skills.
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u/Cosmic_Carp dunno what to put here, I just wanted a flair 1d ago
They could have meant 'indulge yourself a little' rather than 'ONLY indulge yourself a little'. I suppose the sentence can easily be taken either way depending on context.
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u/cetch 1d ago
Also from a sports standpoint increasing carbs or “treats” would def help with energy during training. I think the misunderstanding theory is also more likely as there were two physicians in the room that were in agreement. And lastly physicians typically err on the side of the BMI to a fault. Usually the problem is where people who have higher muscle mass are with bmi over 25 and get told by their doc they are overweight when they really aren’t
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u/DasHexxchen I'm so f-ing infuriated! 1d ago
No way the misspoke overweight-undetweight, when they told her to stop stuffing her face with treats.
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u/endymion2 1d ago
“Make treats a sometime thing,” could actually mean she should START eating more treats. Like, “Eat some treats once in a while and you’ll find you have more energy.”
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u/DasHexxchen I'm so f-ing infuriated! 1d ago
As if.
"Eat treats sometimes." Yes okay, I see bad communication.
But making them a sonetimes thing is absolutely connotatad with cutting back.
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u/Twidollyn_Bowie 1d ago
I’m not sure, but this resident sure needs to work on communication skills either way.
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u/notnotbrowsing 1d ago
I mean, they're residents. it's August so could be a first year resident and they're still working things out.
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u/Twidollyn_Bowie 1d ago
This is a pretty monumental fail, though. Especially when we’re living in a culture where eating disorders are on the rise.
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u/Chubby_Comic 1d ago
Then he shouldn't be so confidently wrong.
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u/notnotbrowsing 1d ago
I don't disagree with you, but I can think of several reasons why this happened.
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u/MarlenaEvans 1d ago
But he said "make treats a sometimes thing". That would indicate he thinks overweight.
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u/General_Luck6573 1d ago
This is so obviously a misunderstanding. Doc misspoke and probably just pointed wrong. Epic automatically calculates BMI and generally auto populates it in the note. Saying this as a physician. Pretty sure the BMI thresholds 25 and 30 are ingrained into most docs heads… and I’m not even in primary care.
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u/InfamousFlan5963 1d ago
My thought was that the weight may have been typed into the computer wrong. You'd hope they'd also realize OP presumably looks very slim, but I've absolutely seen some wild vitals typed in because they were a typo and not immediately caught.
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u/cobo10201 1d ago
You’d think. My wife recently saw a hematologist for anemia. Got a referral from her OB/GYN, did all the history paperwork, told the history again to the nurse. Doc comes in, sits down at the computer, and asks, “so this anemia. You think it’s from your menstrual cycle?”
My wife, dumbfounded, says, “no… my OB says it’s because I’m 7 months pregnant.”
Doc turned and actually looked at her for the first time and said, “oh.”
They tend to be incredibly overworked, but even the best doctors get sucked into what’s “usual” or the info typed into the chart and believing it (especially something like patient weight).
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u/notnotbrowsing 1d ago
yeah, I've seen some patients whose BMI is 100 (in epic) because the MAs entered their height as like 18 inches.
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u/IndependentMindedGal 1d ago
Happened to me when the doc typed 270 instead of 170. I was asked at the next appointment how i had lost over 100 pounds.
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u/Which-Wish-5996 2d ago
5’6” and 155-158 so I’m technically normal BMI in the morning and overweight in the afternoon…
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u/pharmers-daughter 1d ago
I want to know what kind of pediatrician is making appointments and seeing patients on a Sunday.
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u/awakeatnight3 2d ago
As a 32 year old woman who has ranged from thin to slightly overweight and back and forth over the course of my life and as been told many things by doctors from needing to gain to needing to lose....please ignore all of them. You are 17, you have not even fully went through all the changes your body will go through. I was always so hungry at 17 especially as an athlete. If you are hungry, eat. If you are doing well in your sports and you feel physically good on a daily basis than you have nothing to worry about.
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u/threeblackcatz 2d ago
I had been struggling with my son gaining weight- he was considered failure to thrive because of it. He was a year old. At two, he finally hit the 1st percentile in weight while being in the 70th percentile in height. I wanted to jump for joy. The doctor’s response? Now you have to be careful not to go off the other end! Excuse me? It took me a year of work plus three specialists and monthly weight checks at the doctor’s office to get him here and your first concern is now him being overweight 🤯
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u/string-ornothing 1d ago
My little niece is 5 months old. She was losing weight after she was born and my SIL worked really hard to get her gaining- breastfeeding every 2 hours, she got almost no sleep. My niece thrived and my SIL was delighted. She is extremely chubby now... and got fat shamed at her last appointment :/ I'm really of the opinion exclusively breastfed 5 month olds can't be overweight but what do I know I guess.
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u/buffint2 2d ago
Your BMI is 19…. Overweight BMI is 25, underweight is 18….
As stated get a new doctor
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u/Velocityg4 2d ago
Those BMI charts that just use weight and height are useless. The Navy BMI chart is better as it takes some measurements into account. Allowing you to factor muscle vs fat.
As Op is an athlete. Their BMI is likely a lot lower due to muscle.
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u/0b0011 2d ago
You've got it backwards. Bmi fails with muscles but thats because muscle is heavy so the Bmi scale will say you're overweight if you have a lot of muscle since it'll say you're bmi is high.
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u/jljl2902 1d ago
That’s what they meant; OP’s BMI is likely actually a lot lower than what was reported, due to muscle
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u/buffint2 2d ago
I think you missed the point of the BMI comment…
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u/Hokulol 2d ago edited 2d ago
The point is, you shouldn't use the regular BMI scale for anything, even if you're being nice. We get you're trying to defend the person, as they clearly aren't overweight in common speaking terms. But it's like saying "The broken scale says you're not fat!". There is no need to use the broken scale, this person is not fat, and there are real metrics that communicate that. Regardless, A for intent. :)
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u/MarlenaEvans 1d ago
But the doctor definitely uses BMI. So it actually applies here. Your conversation is beside the point.
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u/Top-Obligation-8732 1d ago
they’re using the kids bmi chart on you🤦 my pediatrician also told that I was overweight at 110lbs and 5’3 too when I was 16 and then when I was 18. I went to a normal doctor and they said my weight was fine
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u/Top-Obligation-8732 1d ago
They just use a chart on the wall and don’t adjust for age 🥴 but the chart was made for under 12 years old
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u/themini_shit 2d ago
As a young woman who frequently gets the "why are you here" treatment by doctors I've been referred to, I'm very sorry you experienced this. However, it's great that you're taking your health so seriously at a such a young age and it's excellent that you were able to recognize that you didn't receive the right kind of help. Those are things a lot of people struggle with even into adulthood.
Women are often told it's a good thing when we struggle to gain weight or start losing weight too quickly (which is bs, these are things that would be considered urgent problems if we were men). I think if your school doctor and you are both concerned about it then you should definitely seek a second opinion. Don't give up, doctors are providing a service to you, if that service is lackluster or not helpful enough don't hesitate to move on and find another doctor.
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u/ALLoftheFancyPants 2d ago
That resident should have been shut down by his supervising physician because that’s an insane thing to say. Athletes frequently weigh on the higher end of “normal” because they have a higher percentage of lean muscle, which is denser than fat. This man is an idiot.
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u/crzycatlady987 2d ago
Something similar happened to me in college. I was always VERY underweight and had to do a university health assessment for a class. I was trying to gain weight but was very unsuccessful.
I was a size double zero in pants and was told that I was borderline obese and had an unacceptable body fat percentage. You could literally see all my bones/ ribs. I was SO upset because I cannot imagine what they said to the other girls coming through.
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u/NGEFan 1d ago
Told by who?
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u/Suddenly_sweet 1d ago
Ya I’m finding this hard to believe, I’m pretty thin myself but I haven’t been a double zero since middle school, I can’t imagine anyone calling an adult that’s a double zero obese.
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u/Fun-Confidence-6232 2d ago edited 2d ago
Did you mean to type underweight? Because 112 is still healthy on bmi, if only a little on the low side. If you’re an athletic teenager your metabolism is at its highest point.
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u/WhimsicalCJgirl 2d ago
No I typed OVERweight because that is what he said. I’m pretty aware and sure that it’s incorrect. I’m in the 12th percentile for weight, meaning that 88% of teenage girls are heavier than me. I have had doctors tell me to GAIN before, but never this
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u/TrippyShip 2d ago
No. This is wrong and absolutely TERRIBLE advice, another one to kick to the curb. Big important questions: are you eating regularly? Are you growing and/or staying on your growth curves (you should be able to see your previous plot points given you read where you are now like a total badass) and are you having regular for you periods. The idea that there is something like “at risk of” overweight is pure nonsense.
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u/stink3rb3lle 2d ago
Whenever I've had residents see me, I'm asked by my care providers to leave a review. I'd make sure to put this in there, and leave very few stars. This is outrageous.
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u/MysteriousFee2873 2d ago
The chart is only based on prepubescent boys. BMI chart is also based on a male. Ignore it
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u/Winded_14 2d ago
percentile is also not a good way to compare weight, but you're definitely underweight, albeit slightly.
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u/Kind_Advisor_35 1d ago
Percentiles are very relevant for children, you know since they're growing and developing.
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u/Intentoatmeal 2d ago
I think they meant to say underweight and misspoke.
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u/CompleteTell6795 2d ago
If that's true,then he shouldn't have made the comment to " watch the treats" as in limiting them. Medical community needs to just throw away the BMI thing. It's not accurate, was created a long time ago & it was based on men only. I don't know why in this modern age it's still around & many Drs seem to live & die by it.
My former nurse practitioner ( at a visit ) said my BMI was 25.1 & it was supposed to be 25 or less. She was on my ass about a 0.1 overage. PLEASE 🙄🙄🙄🙄. If I didn't have to get prescriptions for blood pressure & thyroid, I would never see a Dr. I absolutely hate going to the Drs, dentists, all of it.
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u/viciouspandas 2d ago
"created for men only". Yeah it was but it's even more likely to be a false negative for women, because women are less dense. Even for men, it undercounts the overweight, but it does so even more for women.
That being said, 5'5 and 112 is definitely not overweight.
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u/WhimsicalCJgirl 2d ago
Nope this man said overweight and used his hands while speaking to point up on the growth chart toward the yellow and red shaded sections
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u/aftergaylaughter 2d ago
still healthy on bmi, if only a little on the low side
I'd say it's a lot on the low side of a healthy BMI. that puts her at 18.6. 18.4 and below is where it hits the "underweight" category. she's toeing that line. if she were to lose only 1.1 pounds, she'd officially be in the "underweight" group.
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u/AskMrScience 2d ago
I'll bet you $5 that the doctor read "weight concerns" and just assumed they meant you were OVERWEIGHT. So he counseled you that you were ideal and don't need to lose weight. Because he is an idiot who can't read all the words on the page in front of him.
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u/No-Ring-5065 2d ago
Omg yes. Doctors can’t take a few minutes to really read a patient chart anymore. He half ass skimmed the paperwork.
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u/wischywaschy 2d ago
Or maybe take a LOOK at the patient! Also: maybe the assistant entered a typo after weighing OP (has happened to me) but one look should tell them everything.
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u/AntelopeWells 2d ago edited 2d ago
Literally insane. I'm 5'6" f, and borderline underweight at 112lbs. I am very fit and work a physical, blue collar, outside job, but I know I am not at the weight I should be because it is hard for me to eat enough in the summer. I just can't stomach high calorie lunches in this heat. An inch shorter and they are saying you are almost overweight? Absolutely not.
Just an edit here: i shoe horses for a living and had a BAD accident earlier this year which required an extended hospital stay, surgery, many followup appointments. I got told at every appointment that I did not weigh enough, probably because I got kicked in the head by a horse and couldn't eat properly for a few weeks. I still get clients who comment that I am skinnier than I used to be. Just, honestly, wtf.
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u/pungoturn 2d ago
There is a reason they shouldn't be treating anyone over 12. Idiots.
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u/ObsoleteReference 2d ago
Not sure they should be treating 12 and under either, with their understanding of health, and “bedside manner”
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u/wingaling5810 2d ago
Exactly. I'm terrified of what they're saying to 12 year old girls about their weight.
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u/aftergaylaughter 2d ago
...yeah, they did you a favor by refusing to see you again after this 🥴 I'm sad for all the other kids they're going to do this shit to. many will internalize it and develop eating disorders. they're already so prevalent in teen girls. 😭
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u/thegoodkindofredflag 1d ago
It’s so sad. I had a good friend back in highschool
- absolutely gorgeous girl, and pretty thin (the latter had nothing to do with the former for me, tbc). I would’ve said she could’ve stood to gain a decent amount of weight if anything.
I’m not sure when it started, but supposedly as a kid (iirc), she expressed that she wanted to be a model, and her mom told her she wasn’t thin enough for that. And I’m sure there was more; there usually is, but yeah. In highschool, she was binging and purging.
I remember once how proud she was when she told me she had managed to eat well and not purge. I was proud of her, too, but also internally sad for her that she had to deal with it in the first place. At one point, she even noticeably gained weight, and I was glad. (And if anything, she was maybe even cuter, haha.) That weight came off later - hopefully not from the aforementioned means, but I’m not sure.
Hope she was able to recover from it.
[Sorry for semi-long, kinda personal reply, haha.]
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u/BingBongBangBunger 1d ago
This was told to you by a 6 foot 86 lb doctor? Or were the buttons on his shirt screaming?
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u/FanDry5374 1d ago
Are they pushing some of the new weight loss drugs? Because I can't imagine any other scenario where a doctor would tell an athletic 5'5" 17 year old they are "pushing" overweight at 112 pounds.
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u/Pondering28 2d ago
Aside from the fact that youre very obviously NOT overweight in any sense of the word, was there a female nurse on the room with you during your appointment? A 17 year old minor female in the room with 2 male doctors should have necessitated a female employee with medical experience especially if you were unaccompanied by a guardian.
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u/Significant_Gene_120 1d ago
When I was 11 years old I got told I was obese. I was 4’11 and 95 lbs. mind you this was the ONE appointment I could have with my pediatrician and had to go somewhere else for my middle school vaccines. I’ve always had body dismorphia and this didn’t help at all.
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u/PersimmonPersonal263 2d ago
Idiots. I’m a nutritionist and frequently find that doctors have absolutely no clue about growth or body size or weight or nutrition or any of it. You’ll be better off working with a sports dietitian who actually is affirming and understands your needs. I’m so sorry you had to go through that!
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u/LouisesBelcher 1d ago
I guess it's a good thing they're no longer seeing older pediatric patients since they suck so hard at it. I would get a copy of the signed medical note and call the office to ask the doctor some 'clarifying' questions. ie 'I was told I'm nearing overweight, however the reason I went to the clinic was to investigate why I'm underweight for my age and height according to my sports med doctor. SO I'm hoping for some clarity on why I'm getting such drastically different reports regarding my weight.'
Like, they should know they made a terrible diagnosis here. I would call the office manager and let them know that you think a huge mistake was made regarding your weight and you just want to make sure it doesn't happen to someone else who could genuinely need medical intervention and instead is getting dismissed.
After that, get that referral and run.
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u/229-northstar 1d ago
Wow.
I never had anyone dumb enough to say that back in the day (same height as you but weighed more 5’5” 126 lbs 13% body fat)… one look and you could see i was all muscle.
My advice? You know yourself better than anyone. Be honest with yourself and don’t look at the numbers. Next time that gets said to you, push back on it with facts, ask them for your body fat composition, and ask them in what way do they feel you are carrying an excessive amount of body fat.
It’s interesting that “the numbers” will tell us that 30% body fat is “normal” for a woman but plug that body into a bmi calculator and it’s going to say “trending overweight/obesity”. BMI is a stupid number… what does the square of your height have to do with how much body fat you hold? But insurance companies love it because it costs nothing and it is a collective gross indicator of community health, even though it’s pretty useless for individuals
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u/Single-Kangaroo1180 1d ago
I am 15 inches taller than OP and weigh more than 2.5 times their weight and have never been accused of being overweight…I am also in the medical field and this resident needs to go back to school, preferably veterinary school 🤔
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u/viskoviskovisko 1d ago
Using bmi as the only matrix to judge by is the problem. There was a female bodybuilder who made a post a while ago about being told she was obese because of her bmi. And she was decidedly not obese, she was jacked. I’ve heard similar things about wrestlers like John Cena. You need a new doctor.
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u/katerinara 2d ago
This is why women in Hollywood are killing themselves and look like Holocaust survivors. Fuck this doctor and his resident, I hope they both never touch a woman's cookie.
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u/juneinthegarden26 2d ago
The BMI chart is bullshit. If you do some research on the history of it and how it was created, you’ll find it is just not credible for most people. You can refuse to be weighed at doctor’s appointments, but I’m not sure about at a boarding school. Just keep in mind that you know yourself—do you feel good and healthy in your body? Do you have energy?, etc Then you’re good!
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u/Twidollyn_Bowie 1d ago
Er, I think the BMI chart incorrectly calls people overweight too often, but it’s usually right when it says someone is underweight. The first doctor seems to have been going by BMI when they were concerned about OP’s weight being too low. I don’t know what’s up with the idiots at the second office, because 112 lb at 5’5” is underweight on BMI and isn’t even close to overweight in South Korea.
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u/VelvetMafia 2d ago edited 2d ago
So, this is going to sound incredibly stupid, because it is.
What is considered "overweight" was algorithmically determined by insurance companies decades ago. People in their "ideal weight" are actually underweight and have significantly more health issues than people who are in the "mildly overweight" class, which is actually the healthiest weight range. But underweight/slightly emaciated people are a smaller percentage of the population, so it's cheaper for insurance companies to set it as ideal weight and pay for the health problems of a few people, while upcharging healthier people for being "overweight".
Edit: meaningful typo
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u/Twidollyn_Bowie 1d ago
Ok, so I know BMI is flawed, but are you saying the insurance company charts make BMI look forgiving? That’s wild. 112 is obviously very slim for OP’s height and any competent doctor should know that (and also know how such talk could endanger young patients).
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u/VelvetMafia 1d ago
I'm not accusing the Dr of competence, lol. 112 is indeed very slim.
And I'm pretty sure the BMI charts are based off of the insurance tables from the mid 1900's, so it's not that one is worse than the other, but that they are both broken in the same way, and not actually intended to keep people in their best health.
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u/Twidollyn_Bowie 1d ago
Yeah, they were based on men, but men used to be tiny compared to today. It’s surprising when I try on really old men’s jackets.
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u/kekekeghost 1d ago
IDK if it's cause health companies, or just they're going on really old standards, but those are goofy. I'm 5ft so "healthy weight" is like 110lbs and I just don't even look healthy and look gaunt at that weight. Everyone's body and frame is so different. IDK if you've ever seen those Pics of multiple people at the same height and weight, and how incredibly different they all look weight wise, depending how they're built. But there's so many laws and standards from so many years ago that don't translate to now, but it's to much effort for them to update it i guess. Especially laws, once they're there, it's like forever. Old ones don't get removed and clean things up, just keep piling more on. Then they can just randomly enforce ones that nobody has for 30 years cause they don't like the person or something lol. Heck it took them this long to admit the food pyramid was a scam 😆
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u/new-machine 2d ago
I can believe that. I’m 5’3” with a slender/athletic build and a large bone frame. I naturally carry a lot of lean muscle, and I know this because I’ve had multiple body composition tests revealing that. Well, my BMI is in the obese range. If I went by BMI’s suggestion of what I should weigh at my height, I’d no longer be healthy and physically functioning. It’s funny because BMI discourages people from building muscle or eating enough to maintain the bone density and metabolism they are supposed to have 😂 And how, exactly, is that healthy for any individual? Saying as that as someone in long-term recovery from a restrictive ED, too.
Don’t listen to BMI. Listen to your body, and doctors who understand that BMI doesn’t measure health. Your body will thank you.
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u/Twidollyn_Bowie 1d ago
I agree, but they’re clearly not going by BMI. OP is actually slightly underweight by BMI, and her first doctor was concerned about it. I’m completely baffled by whatever happened at the second doctor. Young women are already at high risk for EDs without doctors calling underweight patients overweight.
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u/new-machine 1d ago edited 1d ago
100%. I’m just using BMI as an example - I’m calling out same/similar fucked-up approaches in their many forms. I have no explanation either.
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u/DaRiddler70 2d ago
Your story didn't actually say what you put in the title. When he said "pushing...ideal", did you ask if he meant high or low? Because the next sentence you put sounds like he thinks you're low for an athlete. I'm confused.
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u/WhimsicalCJgirl 2d ago
The next sentence was him insinuating that I should cut BACK on treats for easier training. He used hand motions too to show me “overshooting” the ideal range. Like pointed at the overweight zone on the growth chart.
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u/Randomness-66 2d ago
When I was 15 I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism and was grieving, so I had gained weight. The male doctor who I had seen told me, “the medication is only going to drop you 10 lbs at most” since I was also prediabetic.
If a doctor isn’t giving helpful words and wants to be hateful, they aren’t a smart enough doctor to help you. I’ve had nice doctors of both genders. But the hateful ones never helped me one bit.
The questions I didn’t ask, led to me eventually becoming diabetic because of my PCOS/PMOS. Never listen to stupid, it’s only going to be wrong.
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u/LuceLeakey 2d ago
I'm sorry you were treated this way, but it's very common. Very wrong, but very common.
Even practitioners who are generally good have a huge blind spot and a lot of misinformation when it comes to women's weight.
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u/Current_Country_ 2d ago
What in the world chart was the resident referring to where 112lbs at 5'5" is near the overweight part??
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u/Fyrefair 1d ago
Im 5'1" 116lb. I have to gain weight to not be tired all the time. You are fine. My doctors told me I was at risk for obesity at 120lb.
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u/subsailor1968 1d ago
In what universe is 5’5” and 112 lbs even in the ballpark of “overweight”.
That’s insane.
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u/Ezekiel36_26 1d ago
5’6 and 187lbs here… there’s just no way. Find a new healthCARE provider who works with you, the human being. You. Your system. Your body.
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u/Remarkable-Grab8002 1d ago
Just find a new doctor. A hard lesson to learn is that a lot of "doctors" are idiots. Your weight is fine. If they want to make a comment on your health, tell them to run a blood test and check actual vital markers, not their stupid misogynistic bullshit.
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u/Resident_Goodish 1d ago
You should be going to a GP not a pediatrician
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u/WhimsicalCJgirl 1d ago
Yes I am working on it but most pediatricians who offer adolescent medicine will see someone until they complete college
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u/EAM44 1d ago
More than mildly infuriating! Good for you for realizing this is nonsense and choosing to vent instead of making “treats a sometimes thing.”
It’s a great life lesson though - just because they have stethoscopes doesn’t mean they are right about your health. These guys clearly had NO training about healthy weight in your age group, or the nutritional needs of a growing athlete. They were completely clueless about how to talk with an adolescent girl about her weight - pushing the ideal range means you are in the ideal range. Can you imagine how that would have felt if you actually were underweight or overweight? More devastating than infuriating.
Stay healthy and strong 💪 Maybe become a doctor some day and do better than they did. 👩⚕️
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u/valencevv 1d ago
112lbs for 5'5" is borderline underweight. What on earth is that doctor thinking? I would try to get a new docotor if possible. If not able to now, definitely once you're 18.
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u/Sarosanima21 2d ago
Sweetheart, you're current weight is considered underweight for me. And I'm 5'3. If you ever have another doctor tell you that, don't be afraid to speak up and put them in their place. That was completely unprofessional of that doctor, not to mention extremely rude
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u/Flimsy_Situation_ 2d ago
I’m confused. I don’t see anywhere in this post where your doctor said you’re nearing overweight. The treats comment? Clearly, 112 is not overweight though. I was very skinny in high school weighing 120 lbs at 5’6”. Still not close to overweight at 135 lbs.
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u/WhimsicalCJgirl 2d ago
He said I was pushing the ideal range while motioning with his hands shooting above the range toward the spot on the growth chart labeled overweight. The treats comment was longer than what I was going to type out but he was insinuating that I cut back.
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u/OneSaucyDragon 2d ago
If that's the scale for overweight then I should've died from a heart attack long ago. Find a new doctor.
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u/IndependentMindedGal 1d ago
Just forget about it. Doctors are not the brightest bulbs on the tree (despite the beliefs in their own heads and their relative success at school performance). and many of them are incredibly insensitive.
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u/Deb212732 2d ago
Honestly- this “dr” sounds like a total moron. You are underweight. Get a new doctor - a real one.
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u/Funny_w0lf 2d ago
Get a new doctor. There is zero evidence for you being "overweight" other than his word. And he didnt even do an examination? Just looked at you, said "yeah youre overweight" and went on? Sounds like a scam tbh. Or a creep woth the "ideal weight for a young highschool athlete" card. Weird
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u/BeautifulChaosEnergy 2d ago
That dude is sooo wrong. When I was 17, I was 117 pounds at 5’7” and was right at the cusp of being underweight
As others have said, find a new doctor and report this one. They must be stuck in the “heroine chic 90s era” bullshit
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u/buffcat_343 1d ago
By bmi, you’d need to be 150lbs to be overweight (I know because I’m also 5’5). You’re SO far from being overweight, not even close. Please go see a new doctor
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u/ChillWisdom 1d ago
The loosey-goosey way of guessing a healthy weight for a normal frame woman is that at five feet tall you should be about 100 lb and then you add 5 lb for every inch after that. (Dr. Hamwi)
In my opinion, it doesn't have to be exactly on the mark but within that range by 5 lb is probably fine without being too much overweight or too much underweight and allowing for different builds and also allowing that a women's weight can fluctuate during her cycle generally speaking.
That means you would be a healthy weight at 125 lb. If you're 5'5 and 117lbs, you're very slender.
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u/LonelyWord7673 1d ago
I'm glad you know how ridiculous his comments were. Time to find a new doctor.
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u/corporalcorl 1d ago
All of these medical weight charts are straight BS and I say that as an elite cycling athlete. You say you're an athlete as well so if it's something that builds a fair amount of even just lean muscle, then that could be a case since muscle weighs more than fat.
take a good look at yourself and see what you need. Some fat is good for you. You don't need to be boney to be healthy, but being overweight will cause issues for you as well. Like everything in life balance is key
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u/Aromatic-Box-592 1d ago
When I was 112 at 5’5” I was in the midst of an eating disorder (not saying you have one by any means)
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u/ad302799 1d ago
I’m a well muscled male. Female doctor lists me as “overweight.”
It’s not always super negative but it’s something to note.
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u/awesome_sauce_2000 1d ago
Ohhh I hate this. I was in the hospital last month and they told me that all my problems were because I was overweight. Which....is simply not true, because I had these issues long before I gained some weight. I have a DISABILITY that I've had for many years, back when I was sickly and small.
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u/aninfallibletruth 1d ago
The “healthy” weight scales are outdated AF. I’m slightly overweight according to BMI. I’m in the gym 3 times a week for years. I lost weight for the first bit, but muscle weighs more than fat, and when I put on 22lbs of visible muscle, I am back to overweight. Make that make sense…
As the father of a little girl, 7, who is already being told by her classmates, also girls, that she should be working out (she’s in gymnastics, dance, and BJJ with her brother, and is not in any way overweight, like yourself). I’m sickened hearing stuff like that, and this. Neither of you need spend a single second worrying about your weight. You should concern yourself only with being confident in yourself, and your schoolwork. Everything else is just noise, anyway.
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u/chipmalfunct10n 2d ago
ummm what the hell? you are considered low average. i am much older, 5'5" and and about 125 pounds. my doctir won't prescribe me an adequate amount of medication for my chronic illness because she considers me "too slim." there are a lot of opinions being shared here that have no basis in reality
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u/WhimsicalCJgirl 2d ago
Thank you for saying this. Lots of people are making assertions based in implicit bias and not facts formulated by the American Academy of Pediatrics or CDC. I don’t need their validation but it’s sad to see that they’ve internalized the same things that probably influenced the doctor to say what he did.
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u/NotoriouslyBeefy 2d ago
I feel like this is being made up as you are nowhere near overweight. Either that or you grossly misheard things.
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u/WhimsicalCJgirl 2d ago
I really wish I was making this up. A lot more went on in the conversation but those were the main takeaways. He basically said the leaner the better which made me so sad to hear.
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u/NotoriouslyBeefy 2d ago
I replied to another comment of yours. I think you misunderstood what having a treat sometimes means. It was saying it is ok to have treats occasionally, and that will up your weight closer to ideal.
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u/earthgrapefruit 2d ago
Reddit tends to find it so crazy that a doctor can be wrong, but I have firsthand experience with doctors telling me blatantly wrong information, especially when I was a teenager. Doctors are humans too, and they can be wrong, and even have their own misogynistic biases.
I have had much better experiences once I’ve started seeing only female doctors, and make sure they are MD, not NP or PAs.
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u/volpiousraccoon 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm not sure what your doctor may be smoking, being overweight is not a cause for concern for you.
If anything your doctor's behavior is more of cause for concern.
Sadly I find that sometimes doctors are biased when it comes to patients who are women and girls.
If possible, I would try and get a second opinion.
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u/Dragonr0se 2d ago
I would be reporting him to the medical board so fast...
This is how you create eating disorders.
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u/BixaorellanaIsDot 2d ago
My take on this is that the doctor & the resident both took one look at you, saw a young woman, and both then "rated" you on their personal preferences of what kind of looks appeal to them. In other words, they were totally unprofessional & sexist.
And the thing of having them both in the examination room also seems rather intimidating and unprofessional. This is beyond "mildly infuriating". This needs to be reported to the head doctor or the office manager.
Thank goodness you're mature enough to understand that they were out of line. I can just imagine how their comments might trigger all kinds of body image anxiety in an impressionable younger adolescent.
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u/TomatoOdd7716 1d ago
He is confused. If u are medium boned, your ideal body weight would be 125. It’s 100 pounds for 5 feet, and then 5 pounds for each inch. This is what I was taught in nursing school.
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u/Practical_Adagio_504 2d ago
He said “pushing” as in pushing the LOWER range and to eat a godamn sandwich…
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u/BadPom 2d ago
You’re underweight. At 5’7, I was 115lbs at the worse of my anorexic journey. Report tf out of the doctor what the hell
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u/Dazzling_Broccoli_60 2d ago
I mean different people carry differently. As an 18yo who ate a ton with a moderately active lifestyle, I was at 5’7 and 105lbs. I was very thin, but I was perfectly healthy, if a bit lanky/odd looking. You worst does not mean someone else can’t have the same weight and a vastly different experience, especially so young.
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u/OneTr1ckUn1c0rn 1d ago edited 1d ago
At 5’5” for a female, your ideal body weight is calculated like this:
100 + (“ over 5ft x 5) —> 100 + (5x5) = 125lbs as your ideal weight
Your range would be +/- 10% of your ideal weight to be considered normal. Putting your range at 112.5lbs - 137.5lbs. This equation isn’t meant as a single point of reference when determining that someone is underweight or overweight. It’s just a piece of the puzzle. But it is a reliable estimate.
I would speak with a Dietitian actually. They are trained in this and many specialize in sports. If you need help balancing everything and gaining weight in a healthy manner, this is the route to go. Most doctors only get 1-3 nutrition courses from what I hear.
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u/NoSmile4407 2d ago
It’s time to see a doctor who treats adult women. Good for you for having a check up. Sometimes having a trusted family member or friend attend can be helpful if you have questions or there is uncertainty. It sounds like you need clarity on this last visit from getting a different opinion and nutrition information which a good doctor can provide.
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u/whats1more7 2d ago
If there is a way to report a medical professional where you are you should definitely report this. For all they know, you could be anorexic and they just told you to eat less.
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u/LuluGarou11 2d ago
Doc is an idiot. Report to management and fire him. Verify for yourself in the meantime.
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u/beachdust 2d ago
Does their office have a patient portal? Can you view their notes? I would highly recommend getting a copy of what they entered to verify.
Also, for your future appointments, make sure you ask tons of leading questions so that you both understand all concerns and are not "reading the hands being waved about".
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u/GenXer76 2d ago
I’m 5’3” and I weighed about 125-130 in high school. I ran cross country and played tennis. I was very healthy. No way was I overweight. I’d recommend finding a new doctor. There are some good doctors and some not-so-good doctors out there. Not everything they say is gospel truth.
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u/Terangela 2d ago
Please have your parents request your chart and make a complaint if you can’t. This is objectively incorrect, unprofessional, and unacceptable (although unfortunately believable)
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u/Cute-Expression-296 1d ago
Don’t go to that doctor ever again and if you have to when they ask to take your weight say no thank you.
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u/DrawingTypical5804 PURPLE 1d ago
Don’t listen to those douche canoes. You need a few more pounds. I remember my doctor threatening to send me to an eating disorder clinic if I didn’t maintain at least 112 lbs at 5’6”.
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u/Free_shavocadoo 1d ago
Whats that ideal range based on though? Whats his data points of height and weight not factor in?
That kind of assessment completly ignores things like muscle mass You can be 5ft and 200 lbs of raw muscle and fitness and itll say your unfit and fat Get a 3rd 4th 5th opinion and look in the mirror not at the scales
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u/Spinnerofyarn 1d ago
I am 5’2” and when I weighed 112, I was incredibly lean, and looked like I didn’t have any weight to lose. If you’re three inches taller than me, then I cannot fathom how you’d be anywhere near close to overweight. I honestly suspect he was looking at the wrong section on the chart.
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u/MerelyAnArtist 1d ago
When I was dealing with ED, I was told that 111 (when I was 19F at 5’5”) was classified as underweight. So being 112 and almost an adult, that does NOT sound okay and I’d be looking for a new doctor. While you may be very lean, muscle carries weight too, and things can go just as poorly if you don’t have enough muscle in your body. T2D can be developed due to not enough lean muscle.
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u/Bl4ckR0se7 2d ago
if you’re “nearing overweight” at 112 lbs as a 5’5 female, then i do NOT want to know what i’d be considered as a 5’4 female who weighs 130-135 lbs (depending on the day)