BMI/weight question

realnurse26

I’m 5’9 and am obese with a BMI of 32. I’ve yo-yo’d with my weight all my life.

In 2011, I lost 50 pounds and went from a size 16 to a 6 in less than 7 months. (Yeah, diet pills. I know it wasn’t good for me.) At 160 pounds, I looked gaunt. Everyone told me I literally looked sick and I should quit dieting. But the diet clinic I was visiting showed me weight charts that said I should shoot for under 150 for my height.

Now, today I am nowhere near that weight and my first goal is to get under 200 (I’m 223), my second goal being 180. No one believes me when I tell them my weight. I carry it well with my height and frame. If I get back down to 160 I will look sick again, but according to the charts the 180 I want is still overweight! I just want to know what is a realistic, healthy weight for my height/frame.

Lietchi

If you want to base your goal weight on something scientific, I think bodyfat percentage is a way better basis than BMI. BMI is useful for looking at populations, but not so much individuals.
You might have a bit more muscle mass than the average woman.
A DEXA scan might be an option to determine what weight to aim for.

PS: the looking gaunt at 160 isn't necessarily a good basis either, maybe it was because you weren't losing in a healthy fashion, or some people also look gaunt in the face at first after losing a lot of weight before their skin 'snaps back' or their body adapts itself and redistributes the fat slightly differently.

Dootzy1

Have you consulted with your medical professional? What specific health risk factors require you to "get to a certain number?" Fitness and weight loss should meet a goal that you can reasonably sustain. Don't make yourself nuts with the charts.

cmriverside

Yeah, I had people tell me I looked too thin too. And I had weird loose skin in all kinds of places after losing 70 pounds in nine months. I was just barely inside the healthy weight BMI of 155/ 5'8"

Now I'm 140-143 for the past 11 years consistently. My skin has tightened up and I look good and I'm wearing the size I wore in high school AND people (and myself) have gotten used to the new healthy me and it doesn't look gaunt any more. It takes time for the mind to catch up. It's a big change.

That said, for sure do what you feel comfortable doing. If 180 is good for you, 180 it is. My initial goal was 160 and I later decided to lose that last 15 in order to get to the mid-range of my healthy BMI. Turns out it's easy to stay there, at 140-143.

realnurse26

Dootzy1 wrote: »

Have you consulted with your medical professional? What specific health risk factors require you to "get to a certain number?" Fitness and weight loss should meet a goal that you can reasonably sustain. Don't make yourself nuts with the charts.

No insurance. Would love to be able to consult a professional again, and I hope I can someday, but my circumstances just don’t support that at the moment. I’m trying to not focus too much on the charts, it’s just incredibly confusing at times.

realnurse26

cmriverside wrote: »

Yeah, I had people tell me I looked too thin too. And I had weird loose skin in all kinds of places after losing 70 pounds in nine months. I was just barely inside the healthy weight BMI of 155/ 5'8"

Now I'm 140-143 for the past 11 years consistently. My skin has tightened up and I look good and I'm wearing the size I wore in high school AND people (and myself) have gotten used to the new healthy me and it doesn't look gaunt any more. It takes time for the mind to catch up. It's a big change.

That said, for sure do what you feel comfortable doing. If 180 is good for you, 180 it is. My initial goal was 160 and I later decided to lose that last 15 in order to get to the mid-range of my healthy BMI. Turns out it's easy to stay there, at 140-143.

That’s amazing!! Congrats on your success. I know myself well enough that I HAVE to set small goals at first. I just want to do it right this time. I starved myself and made many poor choices the last time, so of course it didn’t last. That’s why I’m trying to figure out what is best this time.

kshama2001

I have a large frame http://www.myfooddiary.com/Resources/frame_size_calculator.asp * and the only time I've had a BMI as low as 24 was after 6 weeks of undereating and overexercising during boot camp. (When I first arrived there, I had to get boots and hats from the men's side of the uniforms room because there weren't any big enough in women's. At 5'6", I'm not especially tall. I've always had a hard time buying bracelets. I wear men's shoes as often as I can get away with it.)

My goal is to get back into my skinny jeans from when I was a full time yoga teacher, which will have me at a Low Overweight BMI, and I'm ok with that.

*This calculator may be inaccurate for people considerably overweight. I still had a large frame when I had a BMI of 24 when I was in the military.

amyepdx

It’s usually the overweight relatives and friends that will tell you that you look “gaunt” when you get down closer to not being overweight. But I agree, take it in phases and see what size you drop down to. And strength training will help keep you looking fit.

Hanibanani2020

I find that if you focus on building muscle and fitness while you lose you will look less gaunt. Friends and family just get used to seeing you a certain way and are generally not the best judges when it comes to being objective.

AnnPT77

I hope you realize that it doesn't matter what you set your MFP goal weight to, as long as it's less than your current weight?

It will calculate your goal calories identically, no matter whether you set your goal weight at 160, 180, or 200 right now. It just uses the goal for some motivational/progress messages. It has no effect on the weight loss process at all.

You can set it at 200 (or whatever) now, and adjust it again when you get close to that, and again, and again . . . until you recognize that you're at a weight you want to be.

And I agree with others: I looked a little haggard at first, after losing 50 pounds in a bit less than a year. On top of that, my friends were shocked at seeing me in this unusual, thin form, after long-term obesity. (Realistically, not that many people around me have lost a big bundle of weight quickly like that, without surgery or illness - so it's not something most folks see often, I think.)

So, I got comments at first, until people got used to it. Plus, with some time at maintenance calories, and opportunity for skin to shrink, glycogen replenishment to occur, and other adjustments to happen, I believe I actually looked better within a few months (and skin kept shrinking for a long time after that, well into year 2 of maintenance at least). Weight loss is a physical stress. That stress will show on our face and body. Fast weight loss is a bigger physical stress. Fast weight loss the way some do it - with seriously deficient nutrition - is an even bigger stress. All of that will show physically.

I'm not saying that 180 is wrong for you, and that a lower weight is right. I have no idea. I'm suggesting that you'd be well served by losing at a sensibly moderate rate, getting as good nutrition as possible, and waiting to see what you think when you get close to where you want to be, allowing for the idea that some skin shrinkage and improvements will happen in maintenance. I tend to believe that people without serious body dismorphia can recognize when they're at a weight they like, and if in doubt, they can ask their doctor.

realnurse26

Thank you, all, for your responses!

Mellouk89

Some people tell me that i'm too "thin" at 5'9 155lbs, it's only the people who saw me when I was heavier. People who see me for the first time don't say anything.

sijomial

As a chunky 5'9 male at 170lbs I think the gaunt and sick comments at 160lbs more reflect on your friends skewed perception!

I had the same comments from a good friend who is overweight and a serial failed dieter, said with no malice at all but just a reflection of their own issues.
There can be the problem of "diet face" while losing weight, loose skin in the face for a while during weight loss does resolve itself over time.
The same friend said I looked better having regained some weight - except I hadn't, I'd actually lost a few pounds more.

Would say don't overthink your final weight, there's nothing wrong with reassessing when you get closer or have maintained at your best guess weight for a while.

HeidiCooksSupper

BMI charts are based on an average and "ideal." We know there are indeed folks who are have a small frame and some who don't. Some are more muscular than others. We have different shapes. You're individual ideal weight may be different from a BMI table. This is true for small amounts of weight.** Don't listen any more to folks that tell you that you "look gaunt" than you do to a BMI table. You can tell if you are still too well padded at 160 pounds and need to lose more.

And, if you lose weight in a healthy way you are likely to look "healthy" at 160 or wherever you land. Your previous "gaunt" look may have been due to the effect of diet pills and weight loss that was too fast. You were less healthy than you will be this time.

**In other words, I am "big boned" but that doesn't excuse being 100+ pounds overweight and therefore obese.

quiksylver296

I'm 5'9, and my goal weight is mid 170's.

I agree that 150 is too skinny for me personally, as well.

ninerbuff

Here's something I do with my clients. First you need to know what you're lean body mass is. You can get an estimation of it by finding out what your current body fat is and subtracting it from your total weight. There are several sites online where you can try to get an estimate of body fat.

Once you know your lean body mass, you just have to decide what body fat percentage you want to be. Then use the formula: Lean body mass divided by 1- desired body fat percentage. Then you'll know the weight you want to shoot for.

EX: Lean body mass = 135lbs
Desired body fat % = 25%
1- 25% (.25) = .75

135lbs divided by .75 = 180lbs

So 180lbs would be the target weight.

This works for any height and frame.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

amyrosebennett674

Your post caught my attention, I’ve been researching this lately. I’m also 5’9” but I feel the answer you are looking for is so very different for everyone. Truly the goal isn’t to achieve a number on the scale, the goal is to be a healthier version of you, physically and mentally. Although I have a ballpark of where I’m headed but truly as long as you slowly incorporate changes that can be sustained, master those then reevaluate. Is it worth it to you to make some more changes. At some point the roads will converge to where you feel physically and mentally the happiest. You can live your life and enjoy the things that are important to you and physically feel your best. Even if it were only 20#, it’s about your quality of life, not everyone else’s opinion about it.

realnurse26

amyrosebennett674 wrote: »

Your post caught my attention, I’ve been researching this lately. I’m also 5’9” but I feel the answer you are looking for is so very different for everyone. Truly the goal isn’t to achieve a number on the scale, the goal is to be a healthier version of you, physically and mentally. Although I have a ballpark of where I’m headed but truly as long as you slowly incorporate changes that can be sustained, master those then reevaluate. Is it worth it to you to make some more changes. At some point the roads will converge to where you feel physically and mentally the happiest. You can live your life and enjoy the things that are important to you and physically feel your best. Even if it were only 20#, it’s about your quality of life, not everyone else’s opinion about it.

You are exactly right, couldn’t agree more. I’m just trying to set some kind of a realistic, but healthy, goal. Regardless, the scales are surprising me every morning, so at least it’s going in the right direction.

digestibleplastic

Do a Bod Pod or hydrostatic body fat testing or another reliable way to figure out your body fat %. Otherwise you and everyone else here are just guessing at what your ideal weight is.

For example, at an overweight BMI I had 28% body fat. That's healthy and normal for a woman even though BMI said I was too heavy. I would have been unhealthily skinny had I kept trying to lose weight to become "normal" on the BMI scale.