Planning to shred some pounds and wondering how it will affect your height? Keep on reading; we will finally solve this mystery today!
Recent research indicates that losing weight may make you look taller. What?! Is this true? We are not only answering the question, “Does being skinny make you look taller.” We will explain if we can add inches to our height by losing pounds.
I investigated the subject and found some interesting data, which I will share today.
In case you are as intrigued as many of my “shorter” friends, keep reading!
Taller or Shorter?
Losing weight can make you look taller, especially when you lose weight while following a healthy fitness routine. When losing weight and exercising, your body naturally becomes leaner, so your bones become longer and more robust. Your muscles get bigger and stronger, and your skin gets tighter. So yes, weight loss can make you look taller.
Let’s discuss some points that will influence whether you will be taller due to weight loss.
1. Height
Logically height is directly proportional to weight. If you weigh less, you are shorter than if you are heavier. Your height is determined by how much bone you have and how tall your muscles are. You can increase your height by working out and building muscle mass.
2. Weight
Body weight is directly proportional to height. If you are taller, you will weigh more than someone shorter. Supposing, of course, that the body compositions are the same.
Here’s an ideal weight calculator for you.
https://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html
3. Bone Density
Bone density is the amount of bone in your body. There are two types of bone cells: osteoblasts (bone-forming cells) and osteoclasts (bone-breaking cells). Osteoblasts build bone, while osteoclasts break down bone.
Certain medical conditions like osteoporosis (which leads to loss of bone density and strength) can cause the body to lose height. Losing height can happen because of weak bones or poor posture.
4. Body Fat Percentage
Body fat percentage indicates your body fat compared to lean muscle mass. Height tells us how tall we are. These measurements are essential because they help determine whether we need to lose weight.
If we lower our body fat percentage, we might look slimmer and taller.
5. Waist Size
Waist size is the measurement around your waist. A larger waist means you have more fat stored in your belly area. A smaller waist means you have less fat stored in your midsection. To find your waist size, wrap a tape measure around your stomach at its narrowest point.
A slimmer waistline will make you thinner and therefore look taller. A larger waist will make you appear broader and shorter.
What Impacts Your Height?
1. Posture
Your posture is the way your body stands and holds itself. Your posture is affected by many things, including genetics, hormones, nutrition, and even medical conditions. Poor posture may make you look shorter than others around you. Poor posture can cause back pain, headaches, neck pain, and fatigue.
2. Genetics
Genes play an essential role in height determination. Some individuals are naturally taller than others.
3. Hormones
Hormones are chemicals that control our moods, emotions, and behavior. Glands produce them throughout the body.
Testosterone is not the primary hormone responsible for height growth. Instead, the pituitary gland produces hormones that stimulate bone growth. Having higher levels of testosterone is helpful for optimal growth, especially during adolescence.
4. Nutrition
A balanced diet includes vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, carbs, fiber, and water. These foods provide energy and help build strong bones, muscles, and organs.
Nutrition is vital for growth because it provides all the materials your body needs to function correctly.
5. Medical Conditions
Medical conditions can make you appear shorter than you are. Some medical conditions that make you seem shorter include scoliosis, kyphosis, and spondylolisthesis. Scoliosis occurs when the vertebrae in the spine curve outwards. Kyphosis is when the top of the spine curves down, while spondylolisthesis is when the lower lumbar vertebrae slip forward.
6. Sex
Males tend to be taller than females. Females have smaller bodies and longer legs. However, when you see a man and a woman of the same height, the woman seems taller because of the different body shapes.
7. Age
Age is another factor that makes you appear shorter than you are. As you age, your body begins to lose its elasticity and flexibility. You may also start to experience joint problems and arthritis.
An older man may become shorter because the cartilage between the bones of their joints slowly wears down, reducing the spine’s height.
Why Do Some People With Identical Heights Look Taller?
1- Body proportions
In terms of proportions, someone with longer legs compared to their torso will appear taller than somebody with a longer torso compared to their legs.
Also, people with broader shoulders look shorter than those with narrower shoulders.
2. Body width
In general, the wider the people are, the shorter they appear. Slender people tend to appear taller.
3. Head size/shape
A head shape proportionate to the rest of the body is called an ideal head shape. People with larger heads tend to have longer faces, while those with shorter heads have rounder faces.
A rounder face typically makes you look a bit shorter than you are.
4. Posture
I’m mentioning posture again as I think this one is important. Bad posture (slumping, for example) can lead to back pain, leg cramps, and hip problems. These issues can cause you to lose inches and feel less confident about your body. If you’re not careful, bad posture can lead to bone loss and other health conditions.
And logically, bending the spine or even leg bones can instantly take inches off your height.
5. How you dress
If you wear fitted clothing, you will appear taller than if you wear baggy clothing.
6. Confidence
I had to address this one. Men tend to look taller if they inspire confidence. Looking people in the eye, a firm handshake, talking confidently, and standing up straight. Do these things, and the people around you will perceive you automatically as taller.
General Weight Info On Looking Taller Than You Are
- If you’re already lean with a slim build, losing some pounds will probably not make any difference in how tall you look. You may feel slightly taller if you lose weight, but you won’t notice any changes in your height.
- Losing weight will help you look taller if you’re fat and overweight.
- You get taller when you lose weight but might also experience muscle and fat loss. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you lose both, you might end up looking shorter. To avoid this, try eating fewer calories and exercising with heavy weights. If you do these two things, you’ll burn off more calories and gain muscles while still losing weight.
- If you’re trying to gain weight, you’ll need to eat more calories than you burn while working out regularly. Your body will use stored fat to create more muscle, making you look taller. In this case, it might be posture related.
- You’ll have to reduce your calorie intake if you’re trying to lose weight and don’t care about maintaining or building muscle mass. Try eating smaller portions and drinking a lot of water. In this case, you’ll look slimmer but possibly not taller.
- If you’re trying not to gain weight, you should focus on eating healthier foods. Avoid processed foods and stick to whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean meats.
Science Talking
When you lose some weight, your body generally gets a better posture, making you look taller. People will appear to grow taller when they lose weight in their abdomen. Their legs and spine get a better posture which makes them look taller.
A study by Israeli neurosurgeon Zvi Lidar shows that they notice changes in intervertebral disc height in people who have reduced weight.
The results were similar for people suffering from obesity. Carrying too much extra weight on your body for many years can cause the arches of your feet to compress, making you a little shorter than you used to be.
Shredding a few pounds will not change your height, but your height might increase if you lose weight more significantly. Mainly because the additional weight in your body compresses your bones, and once you lose some weight, you grow a bit since there will be less compression.
Ways To Fix Bad Posture
Poor posture can lead to serious health problems, including headaches, back pain, and shoulder- and neck pain. Luckily, there are many ways to fix your posture. Simple things, as shown in the video below.
The two things that helped me most with my posture are practicing yoga and adding face-pulls to my fitness routine. I usually finish most of my workouts with face-pulls, which helped me improve my shoulder injury and posture.
FAQ’S Corner
Does Gaining Weight Make You Look Shorter?
Your body shape changes when you put on weight, especially if you’re carrying it around your middle. If you have excess weight, you could make yourself appear shorter. The extra fat in your belly can cause your stomach to protrude outwards, which makes you appear shorter.
How Much Weight Loss Makes A Difference In Your Height?
You need to lose no significant number of lbs to appear taller. It depends on how tall you are, your current weight, your posture, and your body type.
Does Weight Loss Make You Look Taller Or Shorter?
Having a leaner and thinner body will make you look taller and not shorter. Although you haven’t gained any inches, you will look taller than when you were heavier.
Conclusion
I’ll divide this conclusion into two parts.
Being skinny does make you LOOK taller because of the visual aspect of it. In most cases, we APPEAR taller when weighing less because of posture, confidence, and even wearing fitted clothes.
And secondly, we have to answer the question, “Can losing weight make you taller?” So that we are on the same page. Now we are talking if you gain inches to your height. And the answer is quite surprising, in my opinion.
You can GROW TALLER by weight loss because of less bone compression.
Furthermore, you’ll be at greater risk of developing osteoporosis in later life when overweight. That’s because bone density decreases as we age, and being obese increases the likelihood of developing osteoporotic fractures.
If you’re still growing during adolescence, healthy eating, exercise, and sleeping habits can help increase your height in adulthood.
Posture correction and yoga can also help you feel more confident and comfortable in your skin and make you look taller to the people around you.
Do you have any tips and tricks to appear taller?
Please let me know in the comment section below.
