I don't feel as "fat" as my BMI says I am. Now don't get me wrong I don't have any delusions of thinness but what I see and what I feel does not scream "uber extreme morbid obesity" to me. I've got plenty of lap when seated and I fit just fine into theater seats. Seat belts, life jackets and hospital gowns (which I wear way too often) do not present a problem. So what's the real story? Does anyone else know what I am feeling? Sorry if this topic has been brought up before.

I always think of BMI as a sort of slap in the face. For my husband to be at a normal weight, he would have to be anorexic. A lot has to do with how you're built and your bones, water, etc.....so yeah, I think it's understandable. I think BMI is good for insurance companies and also to scare us into losing weight! I'm sure others will disagree, but that's how I choose to see it!

I totally agree with you!! My BMI is really high but I look a lot smaller than what my weight says for my height. I have no dilusions either but I look a lot thinner than what many people who weigh less than me do. I have a weird body. So I don't get it either.

And I agree with luckymommy.

Well thank you for that. Its good to have validation. I used to be an underwriter for insurance and someone in the department declined an applicant for height/weight. He appealed and sent in pictures to prove he was not overweight. He was a competitive class body builder and probably healthier than any skinny toothpick who falls into the "normal" category. I mean what does "normal" mean anyway? Normal is where your body goes when you give it the proper fuel and treat it properly.

am i lucky enough to have my best friend as my work out partner and at the start of the new year we got a personal trainer. we both have mini goals of 22% bmi. i weighed 175 when we took the test with the personal trainer and she weighed 145. i only needed to lose 26 lbs (i say needed bc it is now less ) and she needed to lose 20. point is, the graphs online are not exactly...er at all relative to all body types. like you, i never felt that i fit the label as obese, or morbidly obese.

*i am

I think that BMI seems off to some people because so many Americans are overweight. What is it now, over 50%?? Before I went to Europe this summer, I weighed 150lbs at 5'6"... I thought I looked pretty good, not a twig by any means but not fat. But then I got there and I was almost always one of the biggest girls wherever I went. We've honestly lost perspective of what a healthy, normal weight looks like...

I think BMI was something that was established LONG ago and now things are different... people are different... clothing sizes are even different.

According to BMI I am in the "obese" category. To be in the "normal" category I would have to weigh under 130 lbs. I did weigh that at one point in my life and my face looked way too thin.

I dunno.. but I remember reading a post somewhere that explained BMI really well.. wish I could find it.

I agree- I'm 209 and 5'3" and I don't feel morbidly obese- but apparently I am *shrug*

I tend to think I may be in denial though- but I know that I should be closer to 135 than the weight I am now- so I can't take much stock in how I currently feel when the scales and doctor's visits don't lie.

I think the preception of size has alot to do with how you carry your weight. No one ever believes I weigh over 250, and when I was a teen and hit 160 people would say "not even soaking wet" but I did, and i do. I dont feel like a class II obese person, but I am.

My BMI is like, 30.7, so technically I'm obese? Even at my highest weight, with a BMI of 32... I never ever felt obese. Okay, sure, overweight I guess. But obese? Seriously? My best friends were both much larger than me--if I'm obese, what in the world are they?? It's dumb!

But my boyfriend, who has lost a bunch of weigh (without even meaning to! ) has a BMI of 22 now... and holy cow is his body so sexy. So I can see why it'd be considered healthy...

I'd really like to know where they get those stats as far as how many Americans are overweight. I rarely see even one individual that is overweight/obese (besides myself) and I'm always shopping, driving, walking, working or doing something. In general, most people I encounter are healthy and thin and it's not just where I live because I just moved here from another state. I think the whole "we've lost perspective" thing is just another ploy to make us feel ashamed of ourselves. And I'm not saying Americans AREN'T overweight but I'm saying in general, I see more healthy looking, slender people than overweight/obese.

See, I think I may be in denial too. At my top weight, I was shocked to find I had just crossed into morbid obesity. No, I definitely didn't feel morbidly obese. 29 pounds later and I looked just yesterday at a good starting picture for me. *That* woman looked morbidly obese. So I didn't think so at the time, but now looking back at *her*...yep. So I'm thinking denial may play a factor.

I think BMI must be inaccurate. I am 5'1" and weigh 129lbs. I wear a size 2-4 pant depending on the store and brand. I have extremely toned legs, and pretty toned arms. I do feel I could drop 5 pounds and tone my mid-section a bit but I definintely don't think I am close to being overweight; however, going by BMI I am .9 away from being overweight.

There has to be a more accurate way of determining healthy weights!