BMI I want to CHOKE YOU!!!

SO, I'm getting back into this weight tracking thing. Spent the last year not doing much with it and lost 4lbs but 4lbs in a year is nothing!!! BMI @ 34.9% So I'm obese. Freaking fantastic. Yes 210lbs is in no way a respectable weight for someone of my height. but still. BMI you suck.. Large *kitten* smack in the face!!! :sad:
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Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    I'm overweight too, according to my bmi. I'm quite a bit less than 20% bf. Don't let it dishearten you too much!
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    I know BMI isn't the best way to determine health but at least it's a good starting point and motivation. That was where I began...at 35.7...and was determined to work on getting that down. It was a great feeling to get into the overweight category and it gave me the motivation to try for the normal range and I actually made it! So use that feeling to help you keep determined!
  • bolttsm
    bolttsm Posts: 10
    I know BMI isn't the best way to determine health but at least it's a good starting point and motivation. That was where I began...at 35.7...and was determined to work on getting that down. It was a great feeling to get into the overweight category and it gave me the motivation to try for the normal range and I actually made it! So use that feeling to help you keep determined!
    Thank you so much, i hate my body type its so small. and the fat just sits on top of the muscle! anyone else with that body type!?!?!?!
  • BMI is full of rubbish!
    I am 177cm tall (5 ft 9 11/16 inch)
    female
    and I weight 107kgs (235lbs)
    BMI is 37 and says I am obese
    But what makes me mad is that BMI suggest my "healthy weight" range would be 53-72kgs...

    Now, I have been 80kgs once in my adult life I was 17 and was taken to hospital after I collapsed after a race.
    What race? I have been doing competition rowing for 7years (from 7 till 16) - working out 5x2hrs a day and then racing about 20 Sundays a year...I developed AT (Athelete's triad) and suffered with my fertility issues ever since..I am still battling disorted eating (I can barely make it over 1200 calories a day and I burn off 800 on a good day...1100 on a bad day)...but I am 107kgs as I have plenty of bone and muscle on my body. Of couse I have lovehandles but I am not an Amoeba ..is 107 a good weight for me? no...ideally I should be 100 or 95 but definately nothing less than 90kgs..yet BMI says I should be 72! Every time I see my GP I get told to loose weight because my BMI is high...and then I tell him I dont care about the BMI as I work out 5x a week and I am fitter and healthier than most people in my weight range..and he agrees but then says " I have to report the BMI to the authorities".....So go for it!
  • Angold83
    Angold83 Posts: 61 Member
    I hate BMI!! I am going for IVF this year but until my BMI is below 30 they won't do it. I'm a UK size 16 and 5"8. At the mo about 99kgs with my BMI just under 32.

    My digital scales put me at 7lbs heavier than what my dial scales say. My dial scales match my doctors scales. I have no idea what the hospital scales will say. I am just going with what my digital ones say and using them for my weigh in. It frustrates me that we can't move forward with the IVF until my BMI has come down. I understand that it improves chances etc but at a size 16 (I as previously 20) I don't feel that I am majorly obese. I think that doctors should consider people's life style rather than focusing on those 3 flipping letters.
  • meganuhl1
    meganuhl1 Posts: 26 Member
    My starting BMI was 53.3. Two years and one month later it is 32.9. It can be aggravating at times to know that I am still considered obese after all the weight I have lost but I'm closer to being in the overweight catergory that I have ever been in my life
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    BMI isn't a "percent". Are you talking about BMI, or body fat percentage?
  • schnarfo
    schnarfo Posts: 764 Member
    Funny how only larger people seem to moan about BMi - mine puts me at underweight but I feel healthy
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
    i hate my body type its so small. and the fat just sits on top of the muscle! anyone else with that body type!?!?!?!

    It's not just you .. we all have the body fat thing going on to some degree.
  • umachanxo
    umachanxo Posts: 926 Member
    Focus on your weight loss, your measurements, and how you feel. Check your BMI again way down the road - don't focus on that. You are going to do great - keep working at it and your BMI will continue to get smaller. :)
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    SO, I'm getting back into this weight tracking thing. Spent the last year not doing much with it and lost 4lbs but 4lbs in a year is nothing!!! BMI @ 34.9% So I'm obese. Freaking fantastic. Yes 210lbs is in no way a respectable weight for someone of my height. but still. BMI you suck.. Large *kitten* smack in the face!!! :sad:

    150 will get you back into the healthy range. Yeah, it sucks, but you are young and can do something about it. Do it now, before you get to be 40 or 50 and have even more weight to lose, along with a myriad of health issues!
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
    Ha! I'm obese according to BMI. BMI is bullish!t.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    I know BMI isn't the best way to determine health but at least it's a good starting point and motivation. That was where I began...at 35.7...and was determined to work on getting that down. It was a great feeling to get into the overweight category and it gave me the motivation to try for the normal range and I actually made it! So use that feeling to help you keep determined!
    Thank you so much, i hate my body type its so small. and the fat just sits on top of the muscle! anyone else with that body type!?!?!?!

    Yeah, you are built just like me. Short waist and carry all your weight in your midsection.

    The good thing is that you can build muscle fairly easily. The bad thing is when you have extra fat on top of the muscle, it really shows.
    The main thing I learned is with this body type, you are probably more insulin-resistant than someone who carries their weight in their hips. So a lower carb, higher fat/protein diet will probably work better for you. Look into South Beach, or Paleo/Primal plans and see if they look like something that you can do. You can tweak them a bit to fit your own needs/tastes. I like SB, but my body doesn't do well with wheat or a lot of grains, so Paleo is better for me. But I like cheese, so Primal is even better. But I like peanuts, and some prepackaged foods, so I just eat them anyway and fit them into my macros. :tongue:

    ETA, and if you can get the diet under control and get into weight lifting, you can kick some butt in the gym!
  • uhura2
    uhura2 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi, I checked my BMI. According to MFP, it's 25.6 but on the National Heart Foundation site, it's22!! Very confusing.
  • uhura2
    uhura2 Posts: 4 Member
    Sorry, folks. Rechecked on MFP, now 22.7. I'm over it!!
  • Marcia315
    Marcia315 Posts: 460 Member
    Funny how only larger people seem to moan about BMi - mine puts me at underweight but I feel healthy

    Well aren't you special?
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    Ha! I'm obese according to BMI. BMI is bullish!t.

    Really? I am 5'6"and have to be 185 to hit obese range. What is your height/weight?
  • toholio
    toholio Posts: 46 Member
    What's really interesting and a little depressing is that BMI miscategories a lot of people... by saying they're less fat than they actually are!

    Here's an interesting study comparing BMI with body fat percentage measurement: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3179195/

    From that, where BMI is least accurate is the "overweight" group. 58% of people in that group should actually be bumped up to "obese" if measured using bodyfat. That's the opposite of what a lot of "BMI doesn't apply to me..." lines of thought would have us believe. Ouch.

    That said, it doesn't work well for athletes. Hardly anyone can accurately be described as an athlete though.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    ^^ Yeah, most of us don't want to admit how high our BF% really is.

    ETA I am 5'6" and the average LBM for a female at my height is 100-110 lbs. So when I weighed 237, I was well over 50% BF. Even now that I am 185, it is still almost 40%. Yep, that is obese. Now I have to get this last 7 lbs off I gained over the holidays so I can only be 'overweight' again. :grumble:
  • easydo14
    easydo14 Posts: 4 Member
    I know the feeling about bmi. Mine is 26 for the last year and can't get to my ideal of 24. I am apple shape, 5'2" and need to lose15lbs. And I eat between 1000-1200 calls a day. Should work but it is not.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    I know the feeling about bmi. Mine is 26 for the last year and can't get to my ideal of 24. I am apple shape, 5'2" and need to lose15lbs. And I eat between 1000-1200 calls a day. Should work but it is not.

    At 50, it is hard enough, so I can imagine how much harder it is at 72. Try increasing protein, reducing carbs, and doing some strength training. For you, I would go for health numbers, muscle mass, and bone strength, more than reaching a certain number on the scale. Hang in there.
  • laineybz
    laineybz Posts: 704 Member
    When I began my weight loss, I was in the obese category. I couldn't believe how excited I was when I hit the overweight category! Don't let it dishearten you, don't focus solely on it and good luck with your goal!
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    When I began my weight loss, I was in the obese category. I couldn't believe how excited I was when I hit the overweight category! Don't let it dishearten you, don't focus solely on it and good luck with your goal!

    I agree with this. concentrate on you weight loss, fitness and body fat %
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    Funny how only larger people seem to moan about BMi - mine puts me at underweight but I feel healthy

    being at the other end of the scale doesnt automatically mean you are in a better postion than someone larger. bmi doesnt take into account fitness, body fat % or overall health.
  • easydo14
    easydo14 Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks for the advice. If I increase protein it will automatically increase fat and that's not good. I will only eat vegetarian occasionally. I always go over 35% of fat now. I do eat fruit and vege, trying to keep nutrition balanced. I think I am on a perfect maintenance diet. Exercise seems to be the only way to lose, but I hate it! Does anyone know how to calculate
    Body fat?
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    i think some gyms and chemist have machines that calculate body fat. On this site i have read posts about people using calipers.
  • toholio
    toholio Posts: 46 Member
    If I increase protein it will automatically increase fat and that's not good.

    It's fine. Total caloric intake is what you should be most concerned with for weight loss, though you'll probably feel better if you get those calories from "good" and varied foods.

    Fat itself isn't a problem and isn't going to make you fat. Plus it's delicious. Just don't go nuts.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    bmi doesnt take into account fitness, body fat % or overall health.

    For the vast majority of people, it simply doesn't matter. 99% of the time, if someone's BMI is too high, it's because they're simply too fat.
  • toholio
    toholio Posts: 46 Member
    ^^ Yeah, most of us don't want to admit how high our BF% really is.

    Yup.

    It's a bit like people describing themselves as "fit" despite never playing any sports or doing sustained physical activity. That's not fitness even if you're lean.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Funny how only larger people seem to moan about BMi - mine puts me at underweight but I feel healthy

    Don't you worry about having a low LBM, though (or maybe your frame is just unusually tiny)? But be careful; being thin does not equal being fit or healthy. That's why there is a guideline in both directions.