| Deffinition of "Average" in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 9:59:52 AM | I have seen a lot of 'what is avereage' or 'what is a few extra pounds' on the forums. I went online and typed average weights for US and Canada and here is what I came up with...
USA: The average American woman's weight has increased 11 pounds (7 %) in the 10 years between the gathering of statistics, while her height has remained about the same. Earlier I had reported a weight of 152 pounds (69 kg) and height 5' 3.7" (162 cm). Now, it's 163 pounds (74 kg) and 5' 3.8" (162 cm).
Men have have also increased their weight by an average of 10 pounds (6 %), from 180 to 190 pounds, while remaining essentially the same height: 5' 9".
The USA results are from the National Center for Health Statistics, based on two studies: NHANES III (1988 - 94) and, the most recent available, HANES (1999 - 2000).
Canada: The average Canadian woman's weight is 153 pounds (69.4 kg) and height is 5' 3.4" (161 cm). Her male counterpart weighs 182 pounds (82.7 kg), and is 5' 8.5" (174 cm) tall. Heather Orpana of Statistics Canada was kind to provide these statistics based on the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey 3.1.
So.. i say if you are anywhere near that weight you are average. If you are less than that you are athletic perhaps. Whats your opinion? | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 10:07:28 AM | The weight and height statistics alone don't tell the whole story IMHO..
Say you got two guys:
Guy #1 doesn't work out, has somewhat of a paunch (more body fat), and does not have much muscular definition.
Guy #2 works out, has more muscle mass (less body fat).
Both of these guys are 215 pounds and 6 feet tall. One you would clearly label "a few extra pounds" while the other would be "athletic", despite having the same weight and height.
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 10:29:17 AM | I'm 5' 3' and small boned at 152 I'd be at least 25 lbs over my ideal weight. As it is I'm in the lower ideal bmi at 105 which is 19.
Average to me would be a size 8 for woman and 34 inches for men......waist that is. | |
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| Definition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 10:39:34 AM | Interesting question. I put "average" for my body type as the average body weight for North Americans is actually to be overweight (according to health care professionals). I'm technically 15-20 lbs overweight for my height, but I'm average with respect to the rest of the population. Should I change my profile to "a few extra pounds?" :D
P | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 10:47:39 AM | Well according to those averages, I would be considered thin. Although flattering, I don't feel it would be an accurate
representation of what I am. I am average, in the sense that I fall completely within my normal weight range for my height
and bone structure. Just because the averages have now gone up doesn't mean I'm suddenly thinner...it just means that
people are getting bigger;)
Averages and statistics are just a bunch of numbers compiled on a piece of paper to fit someone's research paper or agenda.
They mean very little in term of the individual person they are supposed to represent.
Do statistics and averages matter to the young 27 year old woman who's on my floor dying of ovarian cancer that ovarian cancer "generally" strikes women who are older than her?
Besides, statistics and averages are constantly "tweaked" to accommodate, promote or endorse the company, cooperation or product they're "researching" for....it's a big business and money talks. In my opinion, it's best to take these "averages" and
special study reports with a grain of salt...and always always look at WHO is sponsoring/paying for the research....most often
you'll find all that you need to know right there;)
JMO | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 11:26:36 AM | I have the same idea as oldsoul on this.
Until POF puts 2 categories below "average" the term "average" is completly useless.("athletic" is a FITness level not a FATness level as the rest of the choices).
I have actually been 20 pounds less than I am currently (photos reflect current weight). That would have classified as "thin". I don't see how I can have gained 20 pounds and still be "thin". | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 1:02:04 PM | Ok...first of all - STOP reading these supposed statistics...... Average has changed so much over the years that even clothing manufacturers have changed how they size things for males and females both. No two dress sizes that have the same numeric value are the same from manufacturer to manufacturer......
PLUS.....After seeing the major headline in People magazine today at the airport news stand, I can tell you that we have completely lost our minds when the major tragedy of the day is that Jennifer Love Hewitt if FURIOUS at the media for calling her FAT in a bikini.......It's hardly THAT news worthy to begin with....and JLH is FAR from fat....quite honestly....she's PERFECT in my eyes....LOL....
WHO CARES!!!???? | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 1:24:57 PM | | I would think that one should select an appropriate description based on how they may be judged. I don't know how many guys would describe a 5'3" 153 lb woman average. It's misleading. Although a couple friends have told me I should put that I'm average, but I am not naive enough to believe all guys would think that. I would rather a guy think I'm a bit heavier than I am and be surprised when we meet in real life. This is why I am very surprised at the number of very large, definitely BBW that put that they are "A few extra pounds". | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 4:22:25 PM | | I'm below the average weight for Canadians, but I definitly would not put thin or athletic in my profile as I don't feel this fits my actual body type. Although if people are going to think average is about 150 lbs, which on me would definitly look like what I would consider e few extra lbs then maybe I should put something besides average. I dunno. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 4:41:24 PM |
People are confusing the word "AVERAGE" with "IDEAL". Just because the average has increased, doesn't mean that the ideal weight has. Talk about a red herring.
Well, the POF body designation says nothing, nothing about ideal weight. The body type designation here is left deliberately vague and open to interpretation, otherwise we would simply list our specific weight just as we do our height.
By the ideal weight charts a man who is 5'9" and weighs 190 would be considered to be overweight, but a man that height who is in shape and has upper body strength could easily weigh that much and look great. I had a physical last week and I am 5'9" and weigh 185 pounds and my doctor who is much younger than me told me that I do not look like I need to lose weight. Weight by the numbers is not always black and white, but being distinctly overweight or fat is like pornography--it may be hard to define, but people tend to know it when they see it. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 9:44:05 PM | The BMI looks at the population has a whole, and statistically creates an ideal body weight - meaning that body builders are averaged out as they do not represent the mean. Unless we've undergone drastic evolutionary changes since the BMI tool was introduced, the ideal bodyweight should still be the same. As stated the BMI is a tool and it needs to be used appropriately.
What prompted me to join the thread was that people were throwing the term average around pretending that it meant ideal in an attempt to justify our ever expanding waistlines as normal. Just because the population's average weight has increased, doesn't mean that the ideal weight as. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/11/2007 9:53:43 PM | Well statistics don't tell much of the story as was mentioned earlier in this thread. For one thing, they don't include age. People tend to get heavier and they do also shrink in height as they age.
Either way , one would think it would be obvious what to list oneself as if given five choices. Average around here seems to encompass everything from the semi-athletic to the plainly obese. I'm with the lady above who said that a picture tells the story best. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/12/2007 10:00:34 AM | | More proof that the POF categories suck. I am 5'4.5" and 133. I have a gut so I am definitely not thin. I am not athletic; I always feared gym class growing up. Apparently, I am too thin for average. While I would look a lot better if I lost 10 lbs, a few extra pounds implies much more. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 12/12/2007 10:28:58 AM | I'm sorry people but if that is average I hate to know what is considered "overweight". Maybe this goes to show how our society has created an image for us all to see. Skinny is now thin, and fat is now average! I am confused. lol...
I am 5.5.5 my weight is 135lbs. I consider myself average, but these statistics posted say otherwise. Well, so goes statistics! We aren't suppose to believe in them, because they only go by percentages of small amount of people. They don't consider ALL people into the percentages. Fat is fat, skinny is skinny, and thin is thin, obese is obese. We don't need statistics to define what we look like, do we?
Cheers,
Chela  | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/14/2008 10:49:18 AM | Thin- under weight
Average- height/weight proportionate but not toned
Athletic- h/p prop. and toned from working out or being active in some sport
Few extra- what it says(could be gone in a month or two with healthy eating and exercise)
North American women wonder why men do not love them for who they are. All Women know men are more physically driven when it comes to attraction. I have friends who have great personalities but there is not more interest from their guy friends because of their weight and excuses. They think they are healthy in front of us, but we are not stupid. They order a salad then quietly joke with your friends about having leftover cake and ice cream when they get home. They say they must have their chocolate, but "it is in moderation". For them it is not moderation.
It does not matter how the weight got there. Women all over the world have multiple children. Many could post they are a true "average" because they do something about it. For most of them, they should not say they do not have time. They have time! They need to turn off "Sex in the City" or any other drama they "cannot miss" and get out and be active.
They should not say they are average. Call it how it is. A person should not lie to themselves; otherwise, they will not do anything about it. It is also a lie and deception to others on this site if they really are not.
IMPORTANT: I also think the same crap about men who expect their women to be thin and athletic but are a block of lard themselves. Even worse is when they have a beer gut. A guys chest should always be bigger than his waist. It is also healthier for him. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/14/2008 11:48:17 AM |
Thin- under weight
Average- height/weight proportionate but not toned
Athletic- h/p prop. and toned from working out or being active in some sport
Few extra- what it says(could be gone in a month or two with healthy eating and exercise)
FWIW, I agree with genuinehere's assessment.
Maybe POF should have a good BMI calculator [voluntary, of course], one that allows for different body frames [small, medium, large based on wrist size] instead of just allowing us to choose how we view ourselves?
It is a bit confusing. I originally put "average", but felt odd using that designation because average in the US means overweight.
I eventually changed it to "thin" because I am considered underweight per my BMI.
One problem with BMI numbers, though, is a person who has greater than "normal" muscle mass could receive a "bad" BMI rating. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/14/2008 11:59:23 AM | just shy of 5'4" and 163! That's average!?!?! 
At 5'10", I'd consider that "a few extra pounds"!
For 5'4" (which probably is about right for average height), the average weight (if we are considering healthy adults) should be between about 108 and 145 adjusted for bone structure and build. That's based on statistical BMI charts.
At 163, I (at 5'10") would still be within a healthy weight but closer to the overweight side than the underweight side and certainly a weight at which I would not be comfortable. At 140, my BMI is 20.1, just a little shy of being right in the middle of the healthy zone. Looks like 150 would be the perfectly average weight for me. If I weren't so muscular, I would have average on my profile. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/14/2008 12:06:59 PM | Obese doesn't factor in until you are over 25 lbs overweight, so 163 and 5'10" *might* be considered overweight but not obese.
Using the wonder that is the Internet, I can probably come up with 3 or 4 different sets of data to define 'average'. While it's hard to define it falls somewhere between the emaciated women we see on red carpets and fashion runways and the ones who habitually wear elastic waist bands and dress to camouflage their wiggly bits. As long as you're healthy who cares if you're average? Who wants to be average anyhow??  | |
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| Definition of average in America and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/14/2008 1:47:15 PM | butt_uglee wrote:
Using the wonder that is the Internet, I can probably come up with 3 or 4 different sets of data to define 'average'.
That's exactly the problem with the body designations here at POF. No specific set of data is given in order to define what is average or a few pounds extra, so it is up to each individual to decide for themselves what their body type is. My own problem with the BMI is that I do carry upper body muscle (chest 42", waist 32") and at my physical last month when by the chart my BMI was higher than the chart said it should be my doctor said, "Damn, you don't look overweight". Yes, I think that listing an actual weight would be more accurate (I know that can be fudged too--there's no perfect answer) and then a person could clarify their body type in their profile along with a picture. Ultimately there is nothing like actually seeing somebody in the flesh, however much flesh there may be. | |
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| Deffinition of Average in america and Canada from statistics
Posted: 1/14/2008 2:19:28 PM | Average means just that. How you use it is another matter.
Having an average body size is not the same thing as having the same size as the average of people.
Saying that the average weight of american woman/man is size X/number of #'s does not make that weight/size average.
If the average of women are overweight, being overweight is not the average weight in itself.
I hope this makes sense. I can't seem to get my thoughts the way I want them. | |
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