Oh, of course there is… but it’s for countless reasons.
First and foremost, there is such a thing as wearing your weight well because of this awesome little thing known as muscle. A tight, toned, fit body may weigh more than we generally expect simply because it carries more muscle than we think. Muscle can “hide under fat” (though, often, not for long) and can make a person look larger because of the combination, but seeing as how a 2″ by 2″ by 2″ square of muscle weighs far more than a 2″ by 2″ by 2″ square of fat? A person with a low body fat percentage can easily be 170lbs, look 145lbs and “carry that weight well.”
The other component to this, though, is the fact that people think certain weights are “good” weights, just because the numbers sound good. For some reason, a number like “155lbs” just sounds “fat” to people. A number like “110bs” sounds “ideal.” And a number like 200lbs sounds like obesity.
The reality is… if I’m 6’3″, a number like 150lbs means that I’m underweight; a number like 110lbs may be alerting my doctor to the presence of some form of auto-immune disease; and a number like 200lbs is, clinically speaking, about right.
People are lazy thinkers. The smaller the number, the better off you must be, right? Not exactly. The definition of “small” is relative to your height and your personal, individual needs. There’s a reason why the BMI, with all its flaws, uses your height in conjunction with your weight in order to make its determinations. Numbers are relative. They’re even more relative when you add an individual’s body fat percentage to the mix.
It’s akin to people saying you “dress well” for your weight. No excessive skin showing, no rolls, busting buttons in the bust area… things that people expect to see – y’know, because you’re so large, with your big weight and all – from someone with a certain weight for a number, they don’t.
This is a huge reason why I tell people to avoid getting so wrapped up in the numbers, because the numbers are deceiving. What if you get to your “goal weight,” and don’t look the way you want? Then what? What if looking the way you want requires you to put on muscle, resulting in weight gain? Do you cling to a number that no one is going to know – unless you wear t-shirts that say your weight on them… and how weird would that be? – or do you say “screw the numbers” and build the body you desire?
I guess I said all of that to say… of course you can wear your weight well but, in all things, realize the number shouldn’t be the most important part of your journey (though that “pounds lost” figure can be something to be proud of, I must admit) especially when you get down to the point where you’re choosing what you want to look like. And, though I’m certain the backhanded compliment of “you wear your weight well” is often said with good intentions, consider that to be one of the things you let fly over your head as you decide what is best for you and your body. You’ll be happier for it in the end.