Anyone Else "Overweight" on the BMI Chart but Healthy, Active, Happy and not Really "Overweight"

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Replies

  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    For me at least BMI seems to accurately represent my health and fitness level. When I was morbidly obese I got tired just walking normally. Then I lost enough weight to be just regular obese and could walk for miles but had difficultly running. When I hit overweight I could run much better, but I could also tell that running would be much easier at a lower weight. Now I am at the high end of normal weight and can do most things easily, but there are some more intense fitness related activities like jumping and acrobatics and pull-ups which would greatly benefit if I lost about fifteen more pounds, which would put me at close to ideal weight. In college I had an underweight BMI and was constantly run down and anemic. Everyone is different but in my case the chart is spot on.

    I also note that when I first lost enough weight to get down to just overweight and no longer obese, I thought I looked great. I would admire myself in the mirror and think I was mostly finished with my weight loss journey. But then I would see photographs of me taken with other people and I looked fat in them. I blamed the camera. But now that I am normal weight, suddenly I look normal weight in photos and surprise, the ones taken when I was overweight, I still look overweight, because I was overweight then, I just had trouble seeing it. It just took a while for my perception to adjust to my new reality. You may discover something similar when you have been at your current weight for a while.

    Very good answer.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited March 2018
    ap1972 wrote: »
    My 14yo son was talking about this earlier, I'm 5'10" and around 210 which puts me just into the obese range. I don't feel obese but would say I'm overweight, when I said to him even if I lost 30 pounds I would still be overweight he said that would be crazy as he thought i would look unhealthy if I lost more than that.

    My wife is also 5'10-5'11" and got up to 195. She is now 170, feels and looks great. She is going to go down another 5-10 to see how that feels.

    Individual results/perceptions may vary.
  • daloverlyme
    daloverlyme Posts: 583 Member
    I was once super obese ( highest point on the BMI chart) I'm 5 lbs away from just being "obese". My healthy BMI would put me around 104-108 lbs. I think I will be okay at a little higher on the scale.
  • BNY721
    BNY721 Posts: 125 Member
    I’m right at the very top..but I am currently in a cut to drop body fat so I can bulk later on...rinse..repeat.
  • 100_PROOF_
    100_PROOF_ Posts: 1,168 Member
    http://www.mybodygallery.com/photos-54342-body-shape.htm?StartAt=1#.WqFQrJ9Ok0M
    This site helps me see what different weights look like on different people. Keep in mind that not every photo is tagged properly so it's not always a100% accurate depiction.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    tyrindor wrote: »
    whosshe wrote: »
    tyrindor wrote: »
    I am basically normal BMI and I feel I am still very overweight. The scale goes both ways, BMI is only a guideline. A better measurement is height/waist ratio and the mirror.
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I don't think that 12 lbs will make any difference whatsoever in your health, so I wouldn't even worry about it.

    12 pounds can make a huge difference....

    Yes 12lbs makes a huge difference and the thinner you get each single pound seems to make a huge difference.

    This is so underestimated. I lost 57 pounds so far and didn't notice any big changes until ~40 pounds loss. After another 17 pounds, I am noticing big changes every 5 or so pounds.

    12 pounds might not make a big difference for someone 250+ pounds, but it makes a HUGE difference for anyone close to their ideal weight.

    Yup. I gained 12 pounds due to a medication/lab screw up. It absolutely does make a difference -- for me, it means that clothes pre-screw-up are tight, and this weight does *not* look good on me. So I'm basically living in A-line dresses and leggings until it goes down, since I also can't afford to buy new clothes.

    Maybe for someone who's overweight, it doesn't matter. But that's the equivalent of someone 200 pounds gaining 20 pounds, and I don't believe for one minute that *that* person would be told it doesn't matter.
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