I calculated my BMI today and of course I am considered obese (I have 38 lbs. to lose to get to by pre-preg weight). I then calculated what I think is a healthy weight for my height and what I weighed when I got pregnant. I am 5'10 and a healthy weight for me is around 180. But, according to the BMI calculator, that is still considered overweight. Should I readjust my goal weight to a lower weight (170) because of the BMI calculator? This is me at 180 (5 weeks pregnant).
Are you going to fall over and die if you're 180 (BMI of 25.8) but live the healthiest life possible at 173 (BMI of 24.8)? I doubt it!
I tend to put a lot of stock into the BMI, but only for my body alone. Am I happy right now, where my BMI is 25.4? No. Do I feel overweight? Some days. Do I let the BMI dictate my life, my goals, and my happiness? Never
If you're happy, go for 180. If you get to 180, and you feel the desire to lose a little more, try it out. I vote that you do whatever will make YOU the happiest!
I don't put a lot of stock in BMI at all - my goal weight is a little bit underweight according to BMI calculators. I do use it as a loose guide to chart progress, but running a little under or a little over the target BMI for your height is very, very unlikely to cause health problems. My husband has a BMI of 17.9 and is perfectly healthy, and many of my friends have BMI's in the 25-26 range and are perfectly healthy as well!
i don't put any stock into that BMI thing. I mean mine says Im obese yet I fit into a size 14, which they say is the average size of the American woman.
It's a nice guide to have, and I personally would like to have a "normal" BMI, but not everyone needs to to be happy and healthy. You look great at 180 If that is where you want to be, then aim for 180. If you get there and you're not satisfied, then you can lose some more weight, but if you're happy, then it's a good weight to be at.
It really is just a guide and a very ineffective one for certain groups of people. I just had a discussion with my doctor about this the other day. I'm concerned because I'm borderline overweight according to BMI charts, but my doctor reviews my lifestyle (healthy and active) and the fact that I've maintained a weightloss for so long now and doesn't pay attention to it at all. I think it's very open to interpretation and is validated with complimenting factors like overall lifestyle and health.
I'm 5'11" and the BMI chart says that I must be max 178 lbs to be considered "normal". And yes, I do go by that.
From my experience, it doesn't fit everyone but I consider myself to be pretty average (certainly not super muscular -- which tends to throw off the charts). I have been between 170 and 180 where I *FELT* normal.
Even though I'm over 180 right now, I definately don't feel or look overweight but it's still too big for my own comfort.
As for the lower weights of the BMI, they make me far more nervous then the higher weights. I know that if I were to fall below 150 lbs I would at the very minimum lose my shape and any more lower would look sickly -- which may work out great for all those supermodels out there that are airbrushed -- but I would not be comfortable with it in my real life unless I was super fitness woman and super healthy about it.
So really, a goal weight is just a number that is subject to be modified as time goes on. When I first started, it was 180. Then it changed to 170, and my secret number is 160. You'll know as you go.
I put a lot of stock in BMI.
I've currently just made 'overweight' this week.
When I get to 136, I will be 'normal'. I made this weight once before and I'm happy that it was just normal, I certainly wasn't too thin by any means.
The bottom weight for my height is 112 - I've certainly read of people taking it much lower than that but bmi calculators put anything else as firmly underweight - so for me, the measurement works.
BMI does not distinguish between lean and fatty mass. I pretty much put little to no stock in it at this point.
This is a picture of me a few weeks ago:
And in this picture, I am still obese. That to me is absurd. I am currently in a size 12 jean and a size 10 in more expensive ones. My boyfriend who is 6'5 and 220 and muscular as all get out but VERY lean...is said to be overweight by BMI standards, here is a picture of him:
So, do I look obese? Does he look overweight? Not in my eyes. There have been countless studies on this and much is being done in the science world to figure out a way to correct this. Seems the problem is they have been using it for soo long...well you know the rest.
His trainer basically told him to not pay attention to it. My trainer said it's good for motivation etc but you have to be happy and healthy in YOUR body. That's all that matters.
And sidenote: You DANG sure don't look obese!
Last edited by Krizstyling; 12-13-2010 at 02:13 PM.
Here a REALLY helpful article on BMI's. The part I find most interesting (for those that don't want to sift through it) is this:
The researcher who developed this formula in the early 1970s — University of Minnesota physiology professor and obesity researcher Ancel Keys — never intended it to be used for this purpose. His original paper warned against using the body mass index for individual diagnoses, since the equation ignores variables like a patient’s gender or age, which affect how BMI relates to health,” writes Slate reporter Jeremy Singer-Vine. “It’s one thing to estimate the average percent body fat for large groups with diverse builds, Keys argued, but quite another to slap a number and label on someone without regard for these factors.”
Thanks Angel - You do NOT look obese in the LEAST!!! That is why I posted that article above. It's crazy that even though the CREATOR of BMI did not intend for this to be the usage, that it is being used in this way! It makes me SO MAD! That is why I do so much research on weight loss. Otherwise, you can fall into traps or fads or basing your whole diet on something that just isn't going to be maintainable. I want to be HEALTHY AND Happy.
We are all created different and there are so many variables that come into play here. =)
Absolutely NOT!!! I couldn't care less about a BMI What I DO care about...even more than the scale is bodyfat percentage!!! Here's the reason why I feel this way. I feel that TALL WOMAN especially of other nationalities...are not accounted for in the BMI scale.
That said...there is a simple test that can done at home using small/cheap bodyfat calipers. I would go by what I could pinch, the mirro, and the calipers IMHO.
Just to give you an idea...a bit over a year ago, I recorded my weekly progress. At 163 lbs, my bf% was 19.6%...at 148 lbs, my bf% was 14.2% The normal bf% for a woman is (I think..so don't quote me) around 22-25%. Some woman at 163 lbs 5'9 are obese...wherein I was quite lean at that weight...
So you see...bodyfat% is where it's at! Some of us like to be leaner than others...so figure out where you wanna be...and shoot for that bf%.
I don't put too much stock in the bmi. The one way it has been kind of accurate for me has been with clothes sizes. When I was obese I mostly had to wear XL, when I was still classified as overweight I fit size L and recently I've been wearing medium and am at the high end of a normal bmi.
I have a personal trainer that I work out with. She does not use BMI as an indicator. using BMI makes so many considered to be obese even when you just have muscles. She uses a calculation for percentage of body fat. don't know how she gets it but she says it is a better indicator for losing weight.
How much stock do you put in the BMI calculator?
What I DO care about...even more than the scale is bodyfat percentage!!! Here's the reason why I feel this way. I feel that TALL WOMAN especially of other nationalities...are not accounted for in the BMI scale.
Some of us like to be leaner than others...so figure out where you wanna be...and shoot for that bf%.
