| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/14/2008 6:46:36 PM | "So.. i say if you are anywhere near that weight you are average. If you are less than that you are athletic perhaps. ?"
That is rubbish. Most physically active/athletic types (doesnt have to mean pro athlete either) weigh above average, not below. Athletic has nothing to do with weight.
But I agree with the rest of the information in the original post. Average is just that, average, and a lot of people forget that. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/14/2008 11:08:56 PM | bassgirl1747 wrote:
Average is just that, average, and a lot of people forget that.
Exactly, average is a comparison and many people over think it.
A guy robs a 7-11. The police ask the clerk to describe him and she says he had dark hair, stubby beard, he was average height (about 5'9") and average weight or build (probably 180 to 200 pounds). Why does she call him "average" in weight or body type? Because in comparison with other men she sees he is heavier than some, thinner than others, but similar in size and build to most of them. He is "average". She does not say, "Well let me check the health charts, oh, lookee, he is actually a few pounds extra." Then when the police see the video they put out a bulletin saying to look for a man about 5'9" and with an average build or weight because that is the only useful point of reference people would have to recognize him, comparing the description with other males they know. They would not say, "Well he was about 5'9" and a few pounds extra".
Yes, size does have a lot to do with where you live. The average height for the Watusi in Rwanda is 6'5" while the Mbuti pygmies in the Congo average 4'4". So who is tall and who is not? It depends where you live. Similarly, different countries have different weights which would be considered average for that country and by no means necessarily mean the ideal or healthy weight. In North America and Great Britain what is considered to be "average" weight or body type is a comparison to other men and women, and not a reference to some ideal height/weight chart. Ultimately, for many, what is average or fat is like what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about pornography: "I know it when I see it". | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/14/2008 11:17:24 PM | bassgirl1747 wrote:
Average is just that, average, and a lot of people forget that.
Exactly, average is a comparison and many people over think it.
A guy robs a 7-11. The police ask the clerk to describe him and she says he had dark hair, stubby beard, he was average height (about 5'9") and average weight or build (probably 180 to 200 pounds). Why does she call him "average" in weight or body type? Because in comparison with other men she sees he is heavier than some, thinner than others, but similar in size and build to most of them. He is "average". She does not say, "Well let me check the health charts, oh, lookee, he is actually a few pounds extra." Then when the police see the video they put out a bulletin saying to look for a man about 5'9" and with an average build or weight because that is the only useful point of reference people would have to recognize him, comparing the description with other males they know. They would not say, "Well he was about 5'9" and a few pounds extra".
Yes, size does have a lot to do with where you live. The average height for the Watusi in Rwanda is 6'5" while the Mbuti pygmies in the Congo average 4'4". So who is tall and who is not? It depends where you live. Similarly, different countries have different weights which would be considered average for that country and by no means necessarily mean the ideal or healthy weight. In North America and Great Britain what is considered to be "average" weight or body type is a comparison to other men and women, and not a reference to some ideal height/weight chart. Ultimately, for many, what is average or fat is like what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about pornography: "I know it when I see it". | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/15/2008 12:11:08 AM | | My height is bang on for Canada (5' 3 1/2" inches) and my weight slightly below (maybe 145 lbs tops) but I don't consider myself athletic. Athletic to me means in shape and toned regardless of weight...how well I could pass one of those lung capacity tests etc. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/15/2008 11:13:00 PM | | Oh geez average is definitely now fat. I'm 5'3.5 small boned, athletic and a good to heavy weight for me is 115. If I even hit the 140's it wouldn't be pretty and nowhere near average. I think these things really need to take into account other factors before they decided what their version of average is. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/16/2008 1:11:05 AM | | I hate the whole weight-height thing. I'm considered 'overweight' by that but I don't LOOK it. And I'm not just saying that, no one I know thinks I look big enough to weigh what I do. The body type would be just that... body type, not weight. I say I'm average because I'm not fat and I'm not skinny, I'm also not athletic or a body builder. The charts I've seen even list stuff as low as 190-200 for a LARGE build at my height. It just seems too bogus to me to be judging by weight alone. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/16/2008 7:50:36 AM | The whole concept of trying to establish one unilateral average for men & women is ridiculous, to get any kind of SENSIBLE scale you have to apply demographics into the mix:
1) You shouldn't bother counting teens (<20) in the mix because they aren't done growing yet and their bodies are still in flux
2) You need a category for young adults, perhaps ranging from age 20 - 35
3) You need a category for mature adults, possibly ranging from 36-50
4) A category for older adults, age 50-65
and maybe even one for the elderly age 65+
The normal trend is that one's activity level decreases as one ages, so naturally then they have a higher propensity for weight-gain if they do not actively adjust their food intake to match their declining metabolism and activity level (think how fat and cuddly one's grandparents tend to be versus what they looked like when they were your parent's age, and so forth).
Even after this approach, the best you are going to achieve is a height/weight distribution that MAY reflect what is CURRENTLY going on in North American society, and we all know that obesity is on the rise at a shocking rate. 
But this set of statistics does not deter the fact that we as a society are diverging from our IDEAL body configuration, as would be dictated by natural selection were we still a part of the animal kingdom (the obese/sickly wouldn't last long if they still had to outrun tigers or climb trees to save themselves...  )
By that evolutionary definition, the OP's new average is just a lowered bar to make the average fat North American feel better, just like the vanity clothing size movement by marketers...  
P.S.: I'm 6'0 & change (184 cm), 185 lbs, 34" waist, and muscularly-toned, giving me a 24.8 BMI that's borderline-overweight despite the fact that I have solid abs and sink like a stone when I swim (I can literally walk along the bottom of a pool); so I think I'm doing okay as far as weight is concerned despite the faulty BMI rating due to my above-average fitness level...lol | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/16/2008 7:55:16 AM | WOW. Guys on this continent are SHORT!!!!!!!
No wonder all I ever hear from are short men! And here I was thinking that it was because all the short men have "short man syndrome" and therefore tend to end up divorced more often than tall men.
Go figure! Thanks for the statistical work! | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/16/2008 9:04:38 AM | WOW !!! How I do want to write somthing here...
It all comes down to one thing.......... WE the people of America are killing ourselves with, "Extra large drink and Fries" Double, Triple, Quad, burgers, "Extra large Double Deep Dish" Pizza, etc. etc. etc. Society in America has excepted "larger", "FAT" people today. "Average" is FAT... PERIOD. Just because "society" has excepted it does not mean everyone does..
WE,,, are killing ourselves..... God designed our body for running, jumping, lifting, pushing, pulling etc. etc. Mankind has spent the last 5,ooo years making things easy for us today. Our lives have been getting longer for the last 200 years. Now our lives are getting shorter. Most people are eating to much and not doing any work. Machines and equiptment do all the work today. In the not to distant future "average" may be something like 5' 10" and 300 pounds for a man. The Gym industry has grown 6,000% in the last 12 years . Just because the "average" person does no work today.
Now, can there be an answer to size listings on POF........ ?????????? I think not. Someone posted on here the best thing is a good picture. I might add "several" good pictures. We have something in the millions of digital camers in this country today. Find a friend with one or go buy one. Post pictures. If no pictures are posted the first thought is one of two. This person is "FAT" ,, or they don't want someone they know to see they are on POF.
I feel I can say the things I have said because I was a "FAT" kid. I adjusted and corrected things in my life. I am now in my mid life, fifties... I have not weighed more than 172 for more than 35 years. To this day I only weigh 165. I see myself as "average" . Even at my age work is good and healthy. Some of you "average" sizes should try it. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/16/2008 10:04:13 AM | ^^^^
*reads the above posts* *notes that Mr. I'm So F'ing Healthy Cuz Im Skinny - SMOKES*
WOW. There are a lot of REALLY SHORT PEOPLE in America and Canada! No wonder everyone is single. I'm amazed ANYONE gets together anymore due to the importance of height.
Now, can there be an answer to the height listings on POF....???? I think not. Someone posted on here the best thing is a good picture. I might add "several" good pictures. We have something in the millions of digital camers (I think he meant "cameras") in this country today. Find a friend with one or go buy one. Post pictures. If no pictures are posted, the first thought is one of two. This person is "SHORT", or they don't want someone they know to see they are on POF.
"Average" is SHORT... PERIOD. Just because "society" has excepted(I think he meant "accepted" but can't spell it) it does not mean everyone does..
TALL PEOPLE UNITE AGAINST THE PERPETUANCE OF SHORT PEOPLE!
We have GOT to stop all these fake pictures taken at fake angles and airbrushing and the like to show people as being TALLER. We all know SHORT PEOPLE DO NOT MAKE GOOD PARTNERS! JUST LIKE FAT PEOPLE! Lets get rid of all the SHORT, FAT, PEOPLE!!!!! I mean, lets face it. We all know they are......CUTE!
*snort*
*incredulous look at the constant reminder of lack of intellect and depth that is seen here....*
*snorts* *shakes head*
Disclaimer: This is sarcasm. In its highest form. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/19/2008 5:20:05 AM | 2 books that I would recommend for people interested in statistical avrages.
"The Statistical Abstract of the US " available at: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
and "The Geography of Sex" a synopsis is available at http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/a/geographyofsex.htm | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/19/2008 7:02:25 AM | Whatever you do, dont even bother using the BMI to determine where you fit in.
There's too many things that come into play.
Oh, I don't know about that. I still think it's a pretty reasonable gauge for ordinary people who aren't athletes.
It's not like it tells you there is a particular weight everyone is "supposed" to be at a certain height - it gives a huge range for "average/healthy" weight that would take into account bone structure and such. For a woman my height (five foot four), average/healthy ranges from 108 to 145 pounds (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9). That's a lot of leeway before you reach "underweight" or "overweight" on the chart.
I'm sticking with the BMI for my own personal assessment. Some people might be using "average" more in the sense that they are about average compared to the people in their community or the national average. That's probably reasonable, too, and doesn't mean they're being deceptive. They're just using a different measuring stick. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/19/2008 8:41:42 AM | i think when it comes to this topic its a visual thing and to each her/his own. keep in mind some people are really disconnected from the body image they have in their mind to whats being reflected in the mirror. then compare that to what stats say are "ideal" weights for height ranges...we all have eyes and can see when someone is lying or misleading us visually on this topic.
i say kill this thread and lets move on to some fun stuff...do we really need to come here and continue to beat the same dead horse of a topic weekly? | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/19/2008 8:50:20 AM | dawn 1114 wrote:
Some people might be using "average" more in the sense that they are about average compared to the people in their community or the national average. That's probably reasonable, too, and doesn't mean they're being deceptive. They're just using a different measuring stick.
Here at POF no exact yardstick is specified, so it is left to the individual to choose their own mostly from either how they compare to the people and community around them or to the statistics on a healthy height/weight or BMI chart. If you live in a community or even a nation which is overweight the natural tendency is to compare yourself with those you see around you. In that case, if you see somebody who is 20 or 30 pounds over what their healthy weight should be you most likely would not say, "Oh my god, are they ever fat". In the same way a person who robs a 7/11 might be described as "average" in build when in actuality they are overweight, but that is the only definition which makes sense in that context because it is a comparison of the robber to the people around.
So unless everybody is on the same page, using the same set of rules, using the same agreed upon measuring stick, people are not really being deceptive when they use what they consider to be average when it comes to the margins, the dividing lines between the height/weight sizes. Even though the lines may be blurred or indistinct concerning what is average, somebody who is 80 pounds overweight (by BMI standards) could not in good conscience honestly claim to be "average". Ultimately, what is overweight or a few pounds extra is like what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about hard core pornography, "I know it when I see it". One person's fat in another's pleasingly plump. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 2/6/2008 11:05:33 AM | I'm with Dawn on the BMI thing. I think it's a great measure. It gives an extremely wide range and if you are below or above the weight range, you probably ARE underweight or overweight! At 5'10", my range is something like 130-170! Even if I were less or more muscular, or more large boned, I can't imagine falling out of that range (I'm 140 and not in any way shape or form, "skinny"). In fact, if I go with the middle weight of 150, I think that would make what should be a very accurate "average" for my height. However, in this society of "super size it" and planning our nights around Lost, Desparate Housewives, or Grey's Anatomy, no wonder our idea of what's average is so ridiculous.
I do search for both average and athletic but I do rule out guys who catagorize themselves incorrectly. "Athletic" better have a flat stomach because it is a body type not a lifestyle and if average is obviously overweight, I just don't want to find out what else they lied about. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 3/10/2008 3:46:06 PM | By definition average is the majority, so in the US average would be slightly heavier than other countries and mean out of shape. As a majority Americans eat too much and don't exercise enough. Overweight, however, means that according to your doctor you weigh more than you should for your height and are therefore unhealthy. What they usually do not take into account is that muscle weighs more than fat. You could take two people of the same height and weight, both be considered overweight and one could have 30% body fat and cant climb the stairs without getting tired and the other has 4% body fat and be built like a brickyard shit house. Both would be categorized as overweight according their height/weight ratio. People who compete in strength competitions look like they are overweight and probably are categorized as that if you look at their height/weight ratio. In reality they are two legged oxen that are incredibly strong. Another group of people I have come across who are like this are loggers (people who log trees for a living). Most the guys I have met and seen on the competitions on t.v. look out of shape. But they are very fit due to the nature of their job. They may not be able to run a marathon, but I would like to see a marathon runner run a chainsaw and drag logs around the woods all day. The problem with the average and overweight thing is the perception our society has given it. We assume that in order to be considered in shape and healthy you have to weight a certain amount. This is not the case in reality.
As for TallTexanns comment on "Athletic" better have a flat stomach...that means that to you the majority of pro baseball players are not athletic, all linemen and other football positions, Worlds Strongest Man competitors, some pro golfers, some pro boxers, upper weight wrestlers and special forces guys (I have seen SEALS and British Royal Marines without flat stomachs) are no athletic. I can name a whole lot of truly athletic people who do not have flat stomachs that can put people with flat stomachs to shame.
Never judge a book by its cover...just because they have big muscles doesn't mean they didn't just shoot up on steroids, and just because they have gut and skinny arms doesn't mean they aren't some of the deadliest people on the planet. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 3/10/2008 4:23:05 PM |
The average Canadian woman's weight is 153 pounds (69.4 kg) and height is 5' 3.4"
Holy crap...really? I'm 5'4" and 121 lbs... and I could use some toning around the middle. Do they take bone structure into account? I'm happiest at about 117 lbs... a little more when I'm working out (muscle weighs more) So I'm 32 lbs UNDERWEIGHT? I think not. By their standards I'm anorexic...and I surely am not.
wierd...
health is more important than the scale anyway. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 3/10/2008 6:20:01 PM |
I'm with Dawn on the BMI thing. I think it's a great measure. It gives an extremely wide range and if you are below or above the weight range, you probably ARE underweight or overweight!
Yeah well at 6'1" and 205 lbs, the BMI charts say that I am overweight. Which I find amusing, to say the least.
Umm, I think I am going to have a rib-eye and mashed potatoes for dinner. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 3/10/2008 6:26:23 PM | Ravenstar,
The average Canadian woman's weight simply means that the avearage OF Canadian Women weigh that much. It's not an average weight per se.
If means that you are not in the group of women that has a certain weight, that's all. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 3/10/2008 6:52:57 PM | Just because the 'average' weight of the population goes up does not mean a healthy weight (which is often worded as average weight which is wrong) has changed as well.
I used to be obsessed with numbers but now I find you should go by how your clothes fit you, not what the number on the scale says. I admit sizes in clothes have changed too, but if you find you're often grabbing for the bigger numbers or even into the plus sections, you need to take a look at your health and if you are built in a way that accommodates more weight on your body. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 3/10/2008 7:27:47 PM | Weight itself is most certainly not the issue. People can vary way to much to go off weight alone.
That why a full body picture is worth a MILLION w0rds. Go ahead and post the description that best fits you(in your mind), but please post that picture, because it can be awkward for a guy to ask for a full body picture!
I am 265 pounds and I am at 10% Body fat, which is pretty good body fat wise. But I am also 6 foot 3.5 inches. But on the other hand I have friends at the gym that are the same height, and they only weight 200 pounds and they are muscular too....This is were Bone mass and physiology comes in. I'm just a big dude, I weight a lot, and its not because I am fat. I will always covet those lighter guys, and they will always covet my weight...thats just how it is.
Its like what feature do you look for in a mate physically wise...well first I say Face...because that has to be in order. Next for me is the Butt..because if thats taken care of the rest of the body follows suit...lol. | |
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