Overweight vs. Full-Figured

[the-love-guru]

Where do women cross over from full-figured to overweight? I never thought of a set standard. Are they both the same? I've never been too sure. Women tend to sugarcoat the topic, but men are brutally honest. So lets hear it folks...

As a supposed "full-figured, curvy, exotic, etc..." woman, what category do I fall in? Mediterranean ancestry, 5'7", muscular build. But I'm bigger than a most of my Anglo friends. Now, while I could lose a few pounds, am I considered the nicer "full-figured/curvy" or a tragic "overweight"?

Feel free to look at my profile- I have a few pictures.

Updates

+1 y

Some great answers here. It was always a question that I wanted answered, but was too scared to hear. I need to get back on a strict exercise regimen... I feel "blobby" as some of you gentleman put it. Thanks for being sensitive though!

[TheDigitalSaint]

To me, it is very simple. You are either in the right weight range for your height or you are not. You are in the healthy section if your body mass index is within reason. Your actual weight can vary based upon your bone structure and the physical build you were born with.

A girl can be curvy without being fat. Some girls are just more rounded period, others are just more flat. A flat girl is less likely to be overweight than a curvy girl, as it is hard to be fat and not have curves. Still, a curvy girl is not by default "fat".

You need to know what is a healthy weight for your height and body type. A doctor or personal trainer can help you measure and set a reasonable goal. Even girls that workout regularly and eat healthy foods can still have big curves. Some girls are just more angular and have bodies which tend to look more "manly".

I personally don't have a strong preference toward one way or another. As long as a girl is healthy and takes care to watch what she eats and exercises, the curves or lack thereof are a non-issue.

From your pictures, it is hard to see your whole body. This gets back to my point I've spelled out above: A GIRL NEEDS TO BE HEALTHY, REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE. I'm on the narrower side when it comes to shoulder and chest width. I'd like to be wider, but that's not the genes I was born with. Nonetheless, I exercise (to put on muscle and stay healthy) and it something I live with. Remember, your health is crucial! Healthy girls are happy girls and happy girls attract happy guys. :D

[TheDigitalSaint]

Follow-up:

As looks are very important to most guys (myself included) there are few things a woman can do to sabotage a relation by lying about her weight. I've had a few online dates who did this and it was extremely annoying. If you are very overweight and put up a picture that was really old, that's a form of lying in my book. I'm skinny and a lot of girls would prefer a guy who is more "toned". Still, I don't put "toned" in my profile. (Well at least not yet, working on that six pack.) ;)

[TheDigitalSaint]

Wow, getting voted down just because I stated that a girl should be healthy? Talk about some major insecurity. Seriously people!

[the-love-guru]

I didn't disagree! And you know, as the question asker, that's all that really matters. However, BMI does not taken into account your bone structure. It's strictly by height, gender, age, and weight. But I agree, healthy women are seen as more attractive by default.

[TheDigitalSaint]

Yes, BMI is not the begining and the end of the discussion as it relates to the correct weight. There are ranges that you can be in based upon bone structure, height and your natural build. That's why the number isn't the same for everyone and its important to know how to gauge if you're healthy or not. Body fat percentages, resting heart rates, your cholesterol and so forth give you a more complete picture of health.

[kmwwmk]

"Remember, your health is crucial! Healthy girls are happy girls and happy girls attract happy guys. :D" aaaaaw cute. love your answer. well said!

-a curvy, full-figured chic

[Littletad]

Hmm...

To be "brutally" honest, most men will not be able to tell if a woman is overweight if she is near full figured. Now by saying full figured, I think you mean voluptuous right? Boobs, curves, a little meat here and there.

It all depends on the woman. How she views herself and takes care of herself. Full figured girls are prone to getting into the overweight category if they don't exercise or eat healthy. It's about having a different mindset. A smiling, happy, and positive woman who is voluptuous can captivate almost any man. I've seen your pictures and most certainly not overweight. Besides your shapely figure, you have pretty skin and big lips. I'm quite sure there shouldn't be anything to complain about if you were before.

[the-love-guru]

I always enjoy reading your responses. :) Yes, even though I'm larger than I'd like to be, I make sure to take care of my appearances. It's amazing what the right haircut/style, makeup, and properly fitting clothes can do for ones appearance.

[kdizzleforizzle91]

That's completely true.

[Anonymous]

You really can't say because it's all different for different people. Some folks use different words for different sizes and it's all relative. You have some people who think anything over a size 6 is fat so they would have a different opinion of someone who thinks that full-figured is attractive you know?

Without seeing a full body pic, I would call you curvy or thick. To me, full-figured is a catch-all phrase for being plus size or fat. Like anyone from a size 14+ could be full-figured, that would also include a size 28 even though there is a big difference between a size 14 and a size 28. One can be full-figured and fat at the same time but a fat girl isn't necessarily full figured.

Overweight has a connotation of having no shape. Like Rosie O'Donnell is overweight or fat, but Queen Latifah is full-figured since she has a shape instead of just rolls.

[Anonymous]

The way I see it, you can be overweight and full figured at the same time. Some study or other showed that people in the slightly overweight range in the BMI lives longest. I take "overweight" to mean "a few extra pounds." But some people use it as an euphemism for "fat." "Fat" to me is noticeably big and unhealthy. Full figured is a whole other thing. I just take that to mean ratio of curves in a women's body. I can't really see your whole body in the pictures, but I think you look good; full figured, yes.

[jess7]

I think you are full figured because you seem to have curves... I al full figuredn then I am curvy I have a smaller waist , bigger hips and I am a C cup so I think I am full figured... I want 2 try and eat better though and have fun in a workout ...u knoe what I like 2 do for exercise belly dancing is so muxh fun I enjoy it a lot... it will make the waist smaller, and belly and thay is what I want... hope I helped.

[the-love-guru]

I want to try it! I found that I really enjoy Zumba, which is becoming all the rage. And it sounds super cheesy, but I found Carmen Electra's "strip to fit" videos to be a fun way to exercise... and it makes you feel a little sexier too. ;)

[WeaponZero]

As far as I can tell, the main difference is whether or not your weight carries itself in a way that allows you to maintain "hourglass" dimensions. I've seen women in the neighborhood of 190-200 lbs who still looked ridiculously hot because they still looked like an hourglass (hips and upper torso bigger than waist), and I've seen girls who were only 30-40 lbs overweight who I would call "fat" just because the weight all gathered around the waist. So my answer would be:

Full-figured/curvy = hourglass shape, doesn't matter how big/heavy you are

Overweight/fat = weight gathers mostly in one spot (waist or lower body) giving the appearance of a pear or beach ball

[the-love-guru]

Great answer. Thanks! : D

[what-do-guys-want]

Good answer! I'm definitely an hourglass the

[madmisskelly]

Im not completely cricicizing you,but you have girls like me, who are not built to have an hourglass figure (long ribcage, barrell chested, naturally built this way). I'm not really sloppy but I wear a size 4 jean, and because I'm a broad body frame and straight up and down, does that mean I'm destined to look like a "beachball" or to be called fat?

[soxfan94]

You're definitely full figured.

In my mind, the difference between full figured and overweight is shapeliness. A full figured woman will still have curves in the right places, noticeable differences from one part of the body to another, and (sorry to be blunt) has proportionate and defined boobs. On the other hand, an overweight person just has a generally consolidated body. Meaning, their shoulders down to their knees is just one free flowing mass, without proportion or differentiation between body parts.

I guess to put it simply, a girl with a large figure is different than a girl with no discernible figure. And to me, that's the line.

[the-love-guru]

I like how you apologize before mentioning breasts. That was cute. No offense taken.

[confidenceishot]

I like your answer. it makes sense.

[iheartcatie36]

I love your answer!! =D

[Pelican]

Overweight is a medical definition. There are several different criteria -- Body Mass Index is the most common.

Full figured, curvy, thick, etc., are all subjective -- they mean different things to different people. But ditto what several other guys said: full-figured means proportional, with a womanly, defined figure -- not a blobby shape. I've been attracted to, and have dated, girls of all shapes and sizes. And I'd rather date a bigger girl who was healthy than a slender girl who was unhealthy.

You're cute. None of the pics clearly show your body, though, so it's difficult to say how I'd describe your build.

[soxfan94]

Haha blobby. That was the word I was looking for!

[paintballguy]

From the limited pictures in your profile you look just fine. I would rather have a women like you than these skinny things. Just to be blunt...I feel like I am going to break the skinny girls in bed. I am afraid to be on top of them or pound them to hard...lol. I want a girl that if full figured and you aren't fat. Full figured is a word that could mean different things to different guys, but fat is fat.

[the-love-guru]

Thank you for putting it so simply. And I'm glad to hear I'm not breakable in bed. lol ;)

[AJtogo]

Looking at an overweight and full-figured girl side by side, they may weigh the same but the difference is that the full-figured girl still has that womanly shape whereas the overweight girl is like a ball with arms, legs and a head.

[the-love-guru]

Which is exactly my issue. There were friends that wore the same pants size, but were 15 pounds lighter. Unfortunately, I'm built like my father- broad shoulders, shapely (but defined!) legs. Just a general larger build. But I was built for waterpolo!

[mergerald124]

you are gorgeous. no matter what size! I think what men are looking for in a "full figured" woman is to be proportioned. you just need to have the meat in the right places, which I KNOW can be tough to do, but guys love confidence. always remember that.

[EasyEC]

To me, full-figured means that if the girl lost a lot of weight, she could look like a model. Overweight means that if she'd lose a lot of weight, she might look anorexic. Those are my opinions on the distinction between the two words.

Basically it comes down to muscle mass and waist/hip ratio.

[xxangel1990xx]

Yeh the guys are right, full figured is when you still have curves and look like a woman-i don't class full figured as overweight. I think overweight is when someone looks like a big blob lol. No feminine shape, no curves, just a ball of fat.

[The-Dude-Next-Door]

The difference between full-figured and overweight depends on how horny the guy is who is checking her out!

[what-do-guys-want]

Ummm no

[The-Dude-Next-Door]

Can't girls see sarcasm?

[the-love-guru]

Sarcasm through texting and writing are almost always a recipe for disaster. It's nearly impossible to catch... especially since some guys on here really would write that as an honest answer.

[EvaRoxanne]

Thanks for asking! There are some interesting replies here.

[fluffylala]

I've seen morbidly obese women call themselves full-figured. Yeah right. If you can't see your own toes, then you aren't full figured, you're dying of the eatmoar disease. :c

[kmwwmk]

very witchy comment. you may be a stick figure. but clearly have some deep insecurities...