Are BMI generators a good indicator for your health?

elizabethdzenitis
elizabethdzenitis Posts: 63 Member
Y’all I’m sorry I tried wording my question better but honestly I barely passed English class so it’s gonna have to do.

My friends tell me that I look “petite” and stuff and not a few extra pounds, like I say I am. When I calculate my BMI, ya girl is not in the normal BMI range for my height.
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Replies

  • Raven_Hawk
    Raven_Hawk Posts: 22 Member
    It is a good guide but you have to use a bit of common sense with it. For example a person can have stick thin arms & legs but be carrying fat around their middle and still have a BMI in the healthy weight range.
  • Anon2018
    Anon2018 Posts: 139 Member
    Y’all I’m sorry I tried wording my question better but honestly I barely passed English class so it’s gonna have to do.

    My friends tell me that I look “petite” and stuff and not a few extra pounds, like I say I am. When I calculate my BMI, ya girl is not in the normal BMI range for my height.

    You mention petite - are you short? BMI can be a poor indicator for very short and very tall people
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
    What is your height and weight now?
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
    In the 80s Special K ran an advert about "can you pinch more than an inch?"

    Now, I don't eat or endorse Special K (other cereal is available) but they point they make is useful. I don't know if "an inch" is a good measure, but looking at your body and assessing how it looks, feeling how your clothes fit, is an excellent way of deciding if you want to trim down a bit. Of course I do know people who have dysmorphia and are highly critical about themselves; in these cases your best friend can be your most reliable mirror.

    Remember your own words - is BMI a good indicator? Yes, it is a good general indication but it isn't perfect.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I think they are concerned that you massively undereat
    My friends tell me that I look “petite” and stuff and not a few extra pounds, like I say I am. When I calculate my BMI, ya girl is not in the normal BMI range for my height.

    Could this possibly mean that op is under HIM but hunks she has extra weight? Her diary has her eating under 700 calories a day.
  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
    I think you have to look at yourself objectively. Do you think you have a lot of muscle (honestly) or are "mostly couch potato" like I was? When I started I was 5'11, 193lbs and pretty lazy. So, yeah, the 27 BMI was an honest representation that I was overweight.

    In comparison, I'm 144lbs (20.2 BMI) now and very happy with my weight. Only you can determine what is healthy for you.

    Another poster mentioned you've been logging very low calories. Don't do that. Even if you do think you need to lose a few pounds. Slow and steady wins the race. Eat at a minimum of 1200 calories. Eat back half your exercise calories.
  • yskaldir
    yskaldir Posts: 202 Member
    edited November 2017
    I don't think it's useful whatsoever. It only accounts for height and weight. It doesn't factor in muscle vs fat mass. Everyone knows muscles weighs more than fat so a heavy set man and a body builder could wind up with the same BMI

    True, but height and weight can be objectively measured easily, muscle and fat mass less so.

    Very few bodybuilders who are decently lean have overweight BMI without also using drugs, I've been lifting for 15 years and I barely maintain 165-170 pounds at 5'10 (not saying I'm the gold standard of bodybuilders)
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    No, I don't think it's a good indicator of health. It's a decent indicator of a "healthy weight" for most people, but health is affected by many things other than weight.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    If your BMI is over or under you probably need to adjust your diet to get back to the normal range. Its more of a "rule of thumb" type of measurement and not 100% perfect. It is what it is.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    As an indicator, yes it's useful, but not in isolation.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Y’all I’m sorry I tried wording my question better but honestly I barely passed English class so it’s gonna have to do.

    My friends tell me that I look “petite” and stuff and not a few extra pounds, like I say I am. When I calculate my BMI, ya girl is not in the normal BMI range for my height.

    They are an indicator of risk...not necessarily health. You can be a healthy BMI and still be very unhealthy. There is a correlation between risk of certain health conditions and being overweight as per BMI, but it's also not an exact kind of thing.

    Also, maybe your friends are concerned because you're not eating nearly enough...
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    as an indicator of health possibly if taken with other factors.

    BMI isn't a measure for health so I have to think that you are wondering other things and since english is not your first language the assumption is you are wondering if you are good at your current BMI...

    If you are in the underweight category...no you are not good*
    if you are in the healthy weight category...yes you good
    if you are in the overweight category...no you are not good*

    *as long as there are no mitigating factors putting you there
  • elizabethdzenitis
    elizabethdzenitis Posts: 63 Member
    I think they are concerned that you massively undereat
    My friends tell me that I look “petite” and stuff and not a few extra pounds, like I say I am. When I calculate my BMI, ya girl is not in the normal BMI range for my height.

    Could this possibly mean that op is under HIM but hunks she has extra weight? Her diary has her eating under 700 calories a day.



    I don’t write down everything I eat by the way. I don’t have time for that lmao. I go to school so like It’s hard to juggle school life + tracking on this and trying to find the exact brand of a food object and stuff so uhhh ok thanks.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    I think they are concerned that you massively undereat
    My friends tell me that I look “petite” and stuff and not a few extra pounds, like I say I am. When I calculate my BMI, ya girl is not in the normal BMI range for my height.

    Could this possibly mean that op is under HIM but hunks she has extra weight? Her diary has her eating under 700 calories a day.



    I don’t write down everything I eat by the way. I don’t have time for that lmao. I go to school so like It’s hard to juggle school life + tracking on this and trying to find the exact brand of a food object and stuff so uhhh ok thanks.

    What are you trying to achieve by using MFP?
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,281 Member
    I think they are concerned that you massively undereat
    My friends tell me that I look “petite” and stuff and not a few extra pounds, like I say I am. When I calculate my BMI, ya girl is not in the normal BMI range for my height.

    Could this possibly mean that op is under HIM but hunks she has extra weight? Her diary has her eating under 700 calories a day.



    I don’t write down everything I eat by the way. I don’t have time for that lmao. I go to school so like It’s hard to juggle school life + tracking on this and trying to find the exact brand of a food object and stuff so uhhh ok thanks.

    Hmm, I work almost full time and I find time to do basic logging (and to post on the forum ;) )
    I doubt you really dont have time to log properly if you wanted to.

    back to BMI - yes it is a good indicator of healthy weight (obviously not of all health markers)

    Of course, taken in conjunction with the clinical picture - ie of course there are outliers who are extremely muscular or have dwarfism or are amputees - but most of us know - and obviously our doctors can tell - if we are one of the outliers.

    Before I lost weight, I had a BMI of 27 (now 23) - I knew and my doctor knew, it wasnt because I was an elite body builder, it was plain old because I was over weight.

    Of course same applies for under weight - unless you are an outlier body shape then if your BMI says you are underweight - highly likely you are under weight

  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    I think they are concerned that you massively undereat
    My friends tell me that I look “petite” and stuff and not a few extra pounds, like I say I am. When I calculate my BMI, ya girl is not in the normal BMI range for my height.

    Could this possibly mean that op is under HIM but hunks she has extra weight? Her diary has her eating under 700 calories a day.



    I don’t write down everything I eat by the way. I don’t have time for that lmao. I go to school so like It’s hard to juggle school life + tracking on this and trying to find the exact brand of a food object and stuff so uhhh ok thanks.

    you realize that most people here go to school/work, have kids, have families, some have multiple jobs, etc. and still have time to log their food - it just needs to be a priority.

    why did you join a calorie logging site if the idea of logging calories makes you lmao ??
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member
    My friends tell me that I look “petite” and stuff and not a few extra pounds, like I say I am. When I calculate my BMI, ya girl is not in the normal BMI range for my height.

    What is ya girl's BMI?
    Ya girl in the pic don't look like she have no extra pounds!
  • kiracookie
    kiracookie Posts: 50 Member
    I hate when I have my BMI checked, granted I am over weight now but when I was at the top end of what my bmi says is a healthy (160lb ish) I looked ill I wasn’t so boney
  • nickbullett
    nickbullett Posts: 44 Member
    I'm pretty sure the bottom range of my healthy bmi is the weight of my skeleton. Almost 6'2'' strong build you telling me I'd be healty at 140 ? *kitten* outta here... lol
  • WilmaValley
    WilmaValley Posts: 1,092 Member
    Great info about BMI that I never knew, thanks!
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    BMI is not a good indicator of health; it is 1 tool to determine a "healthy" weight for most people.

    I'm at the top of my "healthy" weight range and am a competitive powerlifter. BMI doesn't apply very well to me. I'm not a world class athlete, but am more muscular than the average woman my age/size.

    There are better indicators of health, like cholesterol levels, fasting glucose, etc.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I'm pretty sure the bottom range of my healthy bmi is the weight of my skeleton. Almost 6'2'' strong build you telling me I'd be healty at 140 ? *kitten* outta here... lol

    seriously?

    you don't get that there is a range because some people have bigger large bones aka femur than others...

    my range is 118-158....doesn't mean I should weigh 120...

    and again BMI is not a measure of health it is a measure of healthy weight...for most.
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