Bmi - my bmi says I’m overweight

Littleloz34

So seeking advice really

My current profile pic is from yesterday
Do I look overweight ?
My bmi stated I’m over weight

I’m 4ft 11 and around the 9stone mark

SuzySunshine99

Your stats put you just barely into the overweight category on the BMI scale.

BMI is generally a good guide, but it's not always an accurate measure of health or fitness. I think it's especially a little skewed when you are on the shorter side, as you are.

If you are happy with your weight, there's not a compelling reason you have to change it just to get into that "normal" BMI category. I wouldn't get too hung up on that label.

AnnPT77

That's really a question for you and your doctor, not for people on the internet who don't know you or your health history/risk factors. In my understanding, speaking generically, for most people there's minimal extra health risk associated statistically with being slightly into the overweight category. However, your body composition (muscularity level, etc.), skeletal frame geometry, and more are individual, and could matter.

BMI is just a screening metric, not a definitive answer.

That said, you could consider other screening metrics, such as waist/height ratio, waist size, body fat percent (if you have some way of getting a decent estimate - a one-time reading from a BIA scale isn't definitive/reliable). Also, you could try Smart BMI, which supposedly is adjusted based on more recent research and may be more suitable for people who are unusually petite, tall, etc. (reportedly). Its focus is on correlating body metrics with health stats, as I understand it, but you can get a better idea of its limitations by reading about it on its site.

https://www.smartbmicalculator.com/

paperpudding

How you look to random people on the internet in one small photo isnt really going to say much - I deliberately am not answering that question as answers are largely going to be meaningless in real terms

Given that you are a short female, not (I assume) an elite body builder or such like and that your numbers put you slightly above BMI normal cut off - yes, highly likely you are slightly over weight

Being slightly overweight is unlikely to be significant in terms of health (or appearance) - as I see it, you have 2 option, both reasonable choices.

1. stay as you are, keeping an eye that you don't creep upwards, past slightly overweight

2. work on losing a small amount,at a slow steady pace

Both of above are a separate issue really to health and fitness- whichever of those you choose, also aim to eat reasonably nutritiously and do some excercise.

goal06082021

BMI is not a good indicator of much of anything at the individual level. For one thing, it's meant to assess populations - groups of people - not individuals. For another, the BMI chart as it exists today was developed like a hundred years ago, based on data collected from twenty-something, white, middle/upper-middle class cisgender men, and the values for women are largely extrapolated from that, not actually based on data collected from living human women. Basically, BMI is BS, if you're concerned about your overall level of health and/or fitness you should consult a doctor.

paperpudding

goal06082021 wrote: »

BMI is not a good indicator of much of anything at the individual level. For one thing, it's meant to assess populations - groups of people - not individuals. For another, the BMI chart as it exists today was developed like a hundred years ago, based on data collected from twenty-something, white, middle/upper-middle class cisgender men, and the values for women are largely extrapolated from that, not actually based on data collected from living human women. Basically, BMI is BS, if you're concerned about your overall level of health and/or fitness you should consult a doctor.

I disagree.

People havent changed in the last 100 years - and we all know some groups of people can often be at a good weight slightly out of the standard BMI range

But nevertheless, for most people unless obvious outliers or in a group known to extend slightly out of the parameters, BMI chart will be a good guide to whether they are in a healthy weight range.

SuzySunshine99

goal06082021 wrote: »

BMI is not a good indicator of much of anything at the individual level. For one thing, it's meant to assess populations - groups of people - not individuals. For another, the BMI chart as it exists today was developed like a hundred years ago, based on data collected from twenty-something, white, middle/upper-middle class cisgender men, and the values for women are largely extrapolated from that, not actually based on data collected from living human women. Basically, BMI is BS, if you're concerned about your overall level of health and/or fitness you should consult a doctor.

It's not BS. It's a general range that is a good indication of healthy weight for the vast majority of the population. It's just a guide.

There are exceptions...it may not be an accurate indication for very muscular people, or very short people, for example.

But to say that it's useless to everyone based on fact that it's not useful to EVERYONE is not helpful.

wunderkindking

There's smartbmi which Anne linked and is pretty useful and was created for reasons and those reasons are very valid.

However, the BMI range in general is bigger than I think a lot of people realize and, as such, it's pretty accurate for most cases in a very broad sense (ie: Most people's healthy weight will fall somewhere within it). Exactly accurate? No. It's basically the middle of a big bell curve. There are going to be people just outside it in both directions where it does not imply entirely.

And it was, as mentioned, primarily designed around white men which is its own set of issues, and reflective of HUGE issues re: the medical community, people of color and women. HUGE issues that are, truthfully, outside the scope of MFP.

ninerbuff

While I'd rather have BF% as a better way to determine being overweight as a standard, BMI outlines aren't that crazy for average individuals who don't carry a lot of muscle. I for one am considered quite overweight by BMI standards, so I wish they had a category for individuals that do carry more muscle on their frames. Why? Because BMI determines my health insurance and life insurance costs.

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

Theoldguy1

goal06082021 wrote: »

BMI is not a good indicator of much of anything at the individual level. For one thing, it's meant to assess populations - groups of people - not individuals. For another, the BMI chart as it exists today was developed like a hundred years ago, based on data collected from twenty-something, white, middle/upper-middle class cisgender men, and the values for women are largely extrapolated from that, not actually based on data collected from living human women. Basically, BMI is BS, if you're concerned about your overall level of health and/or fitness you should consult a doctor.

It's going to be a very good indictor for most individuals. In in the vast majority of cases someone who is obese on BMI is going to be obese on a measure of bodyfat also.

PAV8888

Looking at the op pic my first reaction would not be that the op is overweight but then again I've been wrong with pictures before and it is a single small picture on a phone!

The answer for the op lies with ancillary measurements waist to high, waist to hip and her doctor and a reminder that abrupt and wholesale intervention is not always needed: small changes over time can accumulate and work wonders. A bit more activity. Small changes in the way some things are cooked or eaten

It does pay to know why something is considered inaccurate in some cases.

The error for more than averagely muscled and for taller individuals tends to be that BMI over predicts their fat level.

The error for less than averagely muscled and for shorter individuals tends to be that it under predicts their fat level.

If double conditions are in play... who knows!😹

cwolfman13

newme32blonde wrote: »

So seeking advice really

My current profile pic is from yesterday
Do I look overweight ?
My bmi stated I’m over weight

I’m 4ft 11 and around the 9stone mark

BMI is a population metric...it is not an indicator of individual health. It is simply a tool used to ascertain potential health risks. A good Dr. will use it in conjunction with other metrics like BF% to ascertain potential risk in an individual as well as blood work and other health indicators. Being within a healthy range doesn't necessarily mean someone is actually healthy...being outside of that range doesn't mean an individual is unhealthy either.

In general, it is a good indicator of where and Individual should be to reduce the risk of certain medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, etc, but it is a very wide range and individuals can easily fall within that range or slightly out of that range.

My wife for example is slight overweight per BMI. She is a bit fluffier than normal (COVID) by doesn't look particularly over fat. She is a former collegiate athlete (Rugby and Soccer) with more than average muscle mass for a female and usually maintains on the higher end of the BMI scale. The extra five or so pounds she's carrying right now that put her over isn't really putting her at any greater health risk...it's more of an aesthetic thing.

My normal maintenance weight at 5'10" 180 Lbs puts me about 6 Lbs over BMI though I've seen some charts where 180 is the highest end of normal. At that weight I'm about 15%ish BF...no love handles, no belly, and partially visible abs...so I don't worry about it at all. At 190 where I'm at now...I'd definitely consider myself to be overweight (over fat) as that 10 Lbs is quite noticeable in my midsection (love handles and turtle shell gut) and my arms and legs aren't quite as defined.

paperpudding

cwolfman - yes, context.

as has been said before by me on many of these threads, youngish muscular men are often at a healthy weight slightly above the parameters - which you would seem to be a good example of, at 6lb over the upper limit
That correlates with what I said before: a group (youngish sporty muscular men) known to extend slightly beyond the parameters.

but OP is a shortish, not particularly muscular female - so, not in such a group.

Highly likely that a BMI saying she is slightly overweight does mean she is slightly overweight.

kshama2001

newme32blonde wrote: »

So seeking advice really

My current profile pic is from yesterday
Do I look overweight ?
My bmi stated I’m over weight

I’m 4ft 11 and around the 9stone mark

Oddly, your profile picture is not available when I click into your profile, so all I have to go by is a one inch square picture, which is not very helpful.

Would you please use the Insert Image feature to post it in the thread?

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

No one, not even your doctor, can tell you exactly what weight you should be. You might ask: what weight should I be from what perspective.

Health: You should be at a reasonable weight, should eat a healthy diverse diet, stay active, and address medical issues as they come up, including mental health.

Now, if your perspective were that of a competitive marathon runner, you'd want to be lighter, for example.

age_is_just_a_number

I can’t really tell from your picture if you’ve got any rolls under your clothing, but from what I can see you don’t look overweight to me.

What’s really important is how you feel. Other factors for you to think about:
What’s you energy level like
How far can you walk or run
What weights are you lifting
How do your clothes fit
Etc

paperpudding

tgillies003 wrote: »

I can’t really tell from your picture if you’ve got any rolls under your clothing, but from what I can see you don’t look overweight to me.

What’s really important is how you feel. Other factors for you to think about:
What’s you energy level like
How far can you walk or run
What weights are you lifting
How do your clothes fit
Etc

I don't think those things are really a good guide to whether one is a healthy weight

How you feel is purely subjective perception, your energy levels depends on any things, how far you can run or how much you can lift might be a guide to athleticism or strength, whether your clothes fit will just depend on whether you bought the right size....

mountainlover23

Also worth remembering that the "average" BMI in both the US and UK (and additionally most of Europe) is over 25. So if your comparing yourself to women around you its not surprising you don't feel overweight. In US/UK if you have a BMI of around 27, in terms of comparative aesthetics you are pretty much in the middle. What this means in terms of health - well it depends on the factors mentioned by the above posters.

https://ourworldindata.org/obesity - maps and charts here make for an interesting read for any data fans.