Is your BMI "normal" now?

mommarnurse
mommarnurse Posts: 515 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Well, is it?. There's more to being healthy than the BMI number which only takes into account two factors: height and weight. After losing 91 lbs, (5'3 Female) I'm at 144ish and I keep feeling sort of guilty for going to maint and not seeing to it that I get to a "normal" BMI (which would be 140 lbs at the high end) but I know I'm large framed with a good amt of muscle. Was it a normal BMI that told you to stop losing or something else?
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Replies

  • jacquifrench304
    jacquifrench304 Posts: 131 Member
    My BMI is in the middle at 21.5, more important for me was my waist circumference , at an overweight BMI and even in the top end of normal my waist was 80cm , my Dr said this was too much , Also I am much happier being smaller as having a small/medium frame I was still carrying a lot of extra fat with a BMI of 24.
    BMI is a good starting point , but where you end up is up to you
  • calithulu
    calithulu Posts: 25 Member
    Nope, it's actually about 10 pounds into the overweight measurement. However, DXA scans show that my body fat is a couple points below average so I have that going for me, which is nice.
  • Dreysander
    Dreysander Posts: 294 Member
    My BMI is 21.6, so yeah I guess so. I still want to lose 2 inches from my waist. It's 28 inches, I want 26 inches. I do have a ton of loose skin though which may be contributing.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    What encourages me to lose weight is how I feel, would I like to be leaner at this moment in time? BMI means nothing to me as it was only meant for a general view of populations, not individual people.

    My BMI is currently 23.5, it's the leanest I've been in a while and I'm in no way uphappy with it. I'm gaining weight this year which will probably take me over. I've never been in the "overweight" category before (highest being 24.9) It will be interesting to see as I'll be working on building muscle in that time also.
  • robs_ready
    robs_ready Posts: 1,488 Member
    Anyone performing weight training to any decent level will never have normal bmi.

    Bmi only measures weight vs height and doesn't take into consideration muscle and other factors.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I'm 14ish pounds under the limit for overweight, but honestly have no intention of getting close to that again. It really depends a lot on your genetics too, I have thin arms and legs but everything is in my midsection, so 14 extra pounds there = NOPE. But I know some women who have more muscle and whose fat is proportioned on their body and they look just fine at 150 pounds.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    Mine is, but just barely. I went into maintenance mode when I was still in overweight BMI territory, and I was totally fine with that. It's only because I've dropped a couple more pounds while trying to find my maintenance calorie goal that I'm in normal territory.

    I agree that BMI means little to nothing for anyone who does much in the way of lifting weights. Waist to hip ratio is probably a more meaningful measurement for everybody (and especially for those who lift).
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Pawsforme wrote: »
    Mine is, but just barely. I went into maintenance mode when I was still in overweight BMI territory, and I was totally fine with that. It's only because I've dropped a couple more pounds while trying to find my maintenance calorie goal that I'm in normal territory.

    I agree that BMI means little to nothing for anyone who does much in the way of lifting weights. Waist to hip ratio is probably a more meaningful measurement for everybody (and especially for those who lift).

    I'm screwed then, considering I have a large ribcage/waist, even though there isn't that much fat left on it...
  • AlecB62
    AlecB62 Posts: 264 Member
    edited January 2016
    Just about, I got into "healthy" at 24.8 on Christmas day but it's slipped to 25.1 since.
    It was 31 and I was in the "obese" category when I started on here in May. My original goal was to get into the healthy range, I now want to build up a bit of a safety factor and lose a bit more.

    91 pounds is a great loss mommanurse well done, I've only lost 44 and the difference that has made is enormous.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited January 2016


    I
    roblloyd89 wrote: »
    Anyone performing weight training to any decent level will never have normal bmi.

    Bmi only measures weight vs height and doesn't take into consideration muscle and other factors.

    I lift heavy a lot and have a "normal" bmi
  • TheBeachgod
    TheBeachgod Posts: 825 Member
    Mine's on the high side of normal. I know BMI based on height and weight isn't reliable but it is nice to see the number dropping.

    To illustrate what a few people have stated:

    Bodies-BMI.jpg
  • Dootzy1
    Dootzy1 Posts: 2,342 Member
    I think that it is just another "piece of data" that gives us a bit of information. Mine is normal, but I lost weight to feel more energetic and to keep up with the teens I teach!!!
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Barely. I'm on the top end of the normal side, but I'm very happy. I love my body composition of having some curves and some slight muscle tone. These two will make the scale heavier. I'm okay with that.

    However I never went by the scale. I measure myself often to make sure my waist and hips stay in a certain range, I want to be able to walk/jog for at least 4 miles non-stop without being tired or sore and I go by the way I look and feel especially in a bikini.

    2016 will be my 3rd year maintaining pretty easily with no major weight fluctuations so I'm going to keep what I am doing. :)
  • tlwshaw
    tlwshaw Posts: 32 Member
    My BMI is around 22. I also use this site: http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html which measures percentage of body fat, and waist-height ratio and lean body mass. It takes into account your measurements as well as your weight. Based on this site, while my BMI is 22 - right in the middle of normal, my body fat % is 21 which the low end of fit, and very close to athletic. So, I like more than one measurement to give a clearer picture.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
    Same position as the op here. I'm 5ft9in and holding steady at 175, still in the overweight relm. Considering getting the dxa scan done so l can figure out if I'm still fat or just large framed /muscled. I lost 100lbs this year and got enough loose skin I can't really tell.
  • speeno
    speeno Posts: 55 Member
    No, mine is still in the over weight range, only by one point but still not "normal" :)
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    yea mine is at the top of normal now

    im good with that
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  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
    I really thought BMI was a load of you know what. Thought that for years. Then I got from 210 to 160 and maintained easily. 160 is the very top of my "normal" range, which does go as low as 118. At the lower end of that range I would be a bag of bones! I have issues with jackets as my shoulders can never move in a medium never mind a small even though the rest of me could manage it. End up like a penguin if I purchase smaller than a large. Wide shoulders, wide hips as well and very much an hourglass shape, I am in my normal range now at 150. Goal is 135-140 and then continue to work on muscle mass. I won't much care what my BMI is as long as my body stays within a size or two with the muscle addition.
  • robs_ready
    robs_ready Posts: 1,488 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »

    I
    roblloyd89 wrote: »
    Anyone performing weight training to any decent level will never have normal bmi.

    Bmi only measures weight vs height and doesn't take into consideration muscle and other factors.

    I lift heavy a lot and have a "normal" bmi

    Yeah sorry I should of probably aimed this more towards males
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    looking in the mirror
  • codsterlaing95
    codsterlaing95 Posts: 221 Member
    edited January 2016
    BMI isn't the best measure of how healthy/unhealthy you are. BF % is what you should concern yourself with. A very muscular male might have a higher than normal weight but have low body fat n and he'd be considered overweight/unhealthy by BMI. Use the mirror/bf %.
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  • codsterlaing95
    codsterlaing95 Posts: 221 Member
    roblloyd89 wrote: »
    Anyone performing weight training to any decent level will never have normal bmi.

    Bmi only measures weight vs height and doesn't take into consideration muscle and other factors.

    This
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
    I started at 28,5 and have maintained between 20-21 since I got to maintenance
  • HippySkoppy
    HippySkoppy Posts: 725 Member
    Yeah mine is at the lower end of normal 18.8....this is where I feel most comfortable.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    When I started counting my calories I didn't know about BMI, I just wanted to get back to my normal weight of 5 years previously.

    Turns out I started with a BMI of 24.6 and ended with a BMI of 18.9. That was what I had been most of my adult life apparently.
    I now maintain between 18.9 and 19.8.

    I checked out the site mentioned above. It gave me a bf% of 20.7 (similar to my scales), but in all honesty I would say I am closer to 24-25.

    Cheers, h.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    My weight fluctuates, so depending on the day my BMI is in the range of 20.6 - 21.3.

    I just don't think I really need to lose anymore weight and I'm fairly happy with the way I look 80% of the time (yes I have some overly critical thoughts once in a blue moon).

    I have no clue what my BF% is, but not overly concerned.
  • Roaringgael
    Roaringgael Posts: 339 Member
    My BMI states I am still overweight. I have lost 43kgs (94lbs) and am now quite fit - I swim 4-5 times a week often 3kms (60 laps). I'm happy with where I'm at. In a non-critical sense I can see that I could weigh less I'm open to the idea but I like my maintenance intake at this body size. So I am open to losing more slowly (which I have been doing, super slowly) but I am totally reluctant to eat less to get there.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,281 Member
    My BMI is 23, so, yes, within normal range. I have maintained at that for 2 years now.

    Yes, BMI is not the only guide to healthy weight and yes, people, particularly men, who are weight lifters or otherwise very muscular can have a BMI over the range and still be very healthy.

    But nobody should be looking at BMI alone and not in context. If you are a weight lifter or very muscular, expect to have a higher BMI.
    But for most of us who are not such or are not body shape outliers for other exceptional reasons, eg we are not amputees or people with dwarfism, it does give a good guide.

    When I had a BMI of 28, it was not because I was an elite muscular sportsperson - it was because I was overweight.
    It hasn't dropped to 23 because I am now less muscular - it has dropped because I lost fat.

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