Shall I ignore my BMI

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  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
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    GlorianasTears wrote: »
    smnovosad1 wrote: »
    I had trouble when looking at my BMI. For me (5’5” female) my normal range is 111-149 lbs (huge, eh?). I look fat in the 140s so I set a goal of 115 — I figured that is safely in normal weight and far from where I look fat. Well, I dieted and got down to 121 lbs. I was way skinny. I’m muscular, and you could see every muscle but my chest looked weird — you could prominently see all the ribs. And I stopped menstruating. I saw my GP and he said I didn’t have enough fat to support a menstrual cycle — and I was 10 lbs above underweight! I think I look best at 125-130 lbs.
    you probably have a large body frame . I have a large frame as well and if i see rib cages in my opinion thats a red flag that you need more fat.

    Red flag is also when your period stops...
  • vanmep
    vanmep Posts: 406 Member
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    I believe that BMI is an insurance tool whereby they calculate a person's odds of getting ill. If you are within a "normal" BMI, your chances of illness are minimized. So in that sense it is useful. I think it's a helpful measure if not used in a hard and fast way.
  • bendyourkneekatie
    bendyourkneekatie Posts: 696 Member
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    ccsernica wrote: »
    Check your waist-hip ratio. If that's good, don't worry about your BMI so much.

    And again this is just one data point. My hip waist ratio puts me at obese. I'm not obese.
  • AtlasxMedic
    AtlasxMedic Posts: 16 Member
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    Experts are still up in the air about whether BMI is accurate or not. Personally, I look at my weight + measurements + body fat percentage. If my weight is a little high, but my measurements are good and I’m in normal range for my BF% then I’m not going to stress.
  • timeforwork
    timeforwork Posts: 114 Member
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    I started at 20 stone, the bmi calculator said my max was 10 stone to be healthy. This number may not be 100 % right but I'm going to be a lot closer to a healthy weight than when I started so for me yes it is a good tool BUT ... When I get within that magic healthy range i aim to stay there, I may not be ideal fitness or bf% or even weight but I'm going to be at a good starting point. For most people that are losing large amounts of weight it is fine to aim for , not everyone wants to be perfect and bmi ranges are an easy way to set a goal if like me your not comftable being assessed properly. It can always be taken further if you want.
  • ccsernica
    ccsernica Posts: 1,040 Member
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    bendyourkneekatie wrote: »
    ccsernica wrote: »
    Check your waist-hip ratio. If that's good, don't worry about your BMI so much.

    And again this is just one data point. My hip waist ratio puts me at obese. I'm not obese.

    Yes, that's why I mentioned more than once metric.
  • sdolan91
    sdolan91 Posts: 250 Member
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    i think bmi is a pretty good idea for most people to make their goal. it was my first goal. i am now normal weight and i am still very fat lol.
  • jc1961AA
    jc1961AA Posts: 283 Member
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    ashliedelgado wrote: »
    You're pretty close to where your original goal was. Are you happy here? Once you hit 80, what are your plans? Are you going to go back to old ways or have you made enough of a lifestyle that you can maintain at 80?

    I used the high end of normal BMI for my initial target weight. Since puberty, I have been either overweight or obese, and have no idea what a "normal" bmi will look or feel like, for me. Once I hit that 145lbs I will start recomposition, so it won't really be over.

    I think that if you are still doing some sort of activity you love, and eating a nutritionally sound and varied diet, the difference of 11ish pounds is not the end of the world.

    I have hit my target (well 80.2kg), I probably still need to lose a little bit but not too much, i don't want to look too skinny. It has been easier than I thought, saying that i was ill for about 3 weeks with a very nasty cold/chest infection, so no gym for almost 1 month, so my appetite was pretty dire. Just started going back this week to the gym and I have changed my training plan, switching to a PPL routine. I am going to give it a couple of months and see what happens. I may set a new goal to 78/79kg too. Using the MFP app has been a real eye opener, i was just eating too much (and thinking that i was eating healthy...), but I guess a whole tub of hummous with an entire packet of thin crackers is not healthy (that was just for snack), etc....
    Re BMI, i personally think it's a bit ridiculous, just checked my BMI and at 80kg for 175cm, it still showing as overweight, but according to the table, my ideal weight should be 56.7kg to 76.3kg. At 76kg I would be more than happy, but at 56.7kg that's just unthinkable in my opinion
    J
  • batorkin
    batorkin Posts: 281 Member
    edited February 2018
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    BMI is a fine measurement for most people. It's mainly only inaccurate for body builders and people who lost lot of muscle mass due to extreme and unhealthy dieting.
    sdolan91 wrote: »
    i think bmi is a pretty good idea for most people to make their goal. it was my first goal. i am now normal weight and i am still very fat lol.

    Yeah that was the case with me too, when I hit normal BMI I was still very chubby. Most people need to be around the middle of "normal" BMI for good results.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,495 Member
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    bendyourkneekatie wrote: »
    ccsernica wrote: »
    Check your waist-hip ratio. If that's good, don't worry about your BMI so much.

    And again this is just one data point. My hip waist ratio puts me at obese. I'm not obese.

    I hate that calculation. At a BMI of 20.9 I am just inside the "healthy" range. If I put on any weight at all I become "at risk." :angry:
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,998 Member
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    Mouse potato (what a cute user name!) - am not following you - 20.9 is not just inside healthy BMI - it is pretty well right in the middle.

    Healthy BMI is from about 18 up to 25.

    Sporty muscular young men upper and bit above limit - ie around 27 like I said in previous post.

    if you put on any weight at all you wont be at risk - you would have to put on a reasonable amount to get from 20.9 to over 25

    or do you mean if you get above hip/waist ratio - again that is a guide, in conjunction with rest of clinical picture.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,495 Member
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    I am talking about the hip to waist ratio. I'm at .8, which I understand is the upper limit for that particular measurement. I know it means nothing, but it annoys me. Especially in a thread about how inaccurate BMI is.

    Thanks for the compliment on my user name. It's not as accurate as it was five years ago, but I still like it. :smile:
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
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    GlorianasTears wrote: »
    Yes it is overrated especially since people have different frame sizes you should go online and figure out your frame size. That determines A LOT as well

    I have a larger frame based on measurements and lift heavy 3 days a week. I still am a healthy BMI. While I look at feel better towards the top end of the BMI range I still think the range is a good tool for most people. It’s a range for a reason.

    For reference: The weight range my doctor gave me was 145-165 based on frame, muscle mass, and activity. At 159 I hit the healthy BMI range for my height. Currently at 156 with 25% bf and aiming for 150 and closer to 20-23%

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