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Bmi says I'm fat ?

hopid8
hopid8 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
We'll, it doesn't but thought I would be dramatic. Basically through my whole 'journey' my goal was a bmi of 20, I though that was thin but not skinny , it was at the 'lower end of the healthy scale' but not underweight which is basically what I have been aiming for in the last months ( I know I joined not long ago but I dieted before that) .So today I took a bmi test and it said my bmi was 20.2, I was ecstatic , buuuut then , it showed a scale of where that was on healthy and it was right up at the end , bordering on overweight, and the bmi chart said a bmi of 14/15 was HEALTHY. I know this is wrong but I need assurance because this has really thrown me. ( not hating on people with lower / higher bmis I just have a clear goal in my head of what I personally want but everyone is beautiful ) xxx

Replies

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Where did you see a BMI scale that showed 20 as bordering on overweight?
  • penny0919
    penny0919 Posts: 123 Member
    Are you looking at some sort of twisted pro-anorexia BMI chart?


    A BMI of 14-15 is underweight (pretty severely actually). A BMI of 20 is in the middle of average/healthy weight. A BMI of 25 is the beginning of the overweight category, and I believe 30 is the beginning of the obese category.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    And to measure your BMI, all that would need to be measured is your height and weight. What are those numbers, so that we can confirm the bmi you were told? Bmi = weight (kg) divided by [height in meters, squared]
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Are you looking at some sort of twisted pro-anorexia BMI chart?


    A BMI of 14-15 is underweight (pretty severely actually). A BMI of 20 is in the middle of average/healthy weight. A BMI of 25 is the beginning of the overweight category, and I believe 30 is the beginning of the obese category.
    Just to correct the lower range of a normal BMI is 18 not 15. So a BMI of 20 is towards the low end
  • curlygirl513
    curlygirl513 Posts: 199 Member
    Your calculations are way off. Anything below 18.5 is underweight.
  • penny0919
    penny0919 Posts: 123 Member
    Sorry didn't mean to say that 15 was the beginning but I see how it was interpreted that way.

    I guess 21-22 would be more toward the middle of "healthy" category.
  • CleanUpWhatIMessedUp
    CleanUpWhatIMessedUp Posts: 206 Member
    Whatever chart you were looking at was simply wrong. Any BMI below 18.5 is underweight. 19 to 24 is pretty much normal. 25 to 29 is overweight. 30 to 39 are class 1 and class 2 obesity. Anything over 40 is extreme obesity.
  • hopid8
    hopid8 Posts: 7 Member
    5'9 137/138lbs (9st 11lbs)
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    That's 20ish. That's nowhere near overweight.
  • hopid8
    hopid8 Posts: 7 Member
    Thankyou , I guess I knew that the chart just kinda messed with my head a bit.
  • curlygirl513
    curlygirl513 Posts: 199 Member
    Anything over 40 is extreme obesity.

    I'm just under extremely obese. Wow. Good thing I'm working on it.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Anything over 40 is extreme obesity.

    I'm just under extremely obese. Wow. Good thing I'm working on it.

    BMI is just a ratio chart of weight and height. It doesn't take into account things like muscle mass vs. fat mass. If you don't find labels motivating, just ignore them.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Anything over 40 is extreme obesity.

    I'm just under extremely obese. Wow. Good thing I'm working on it.

    BMI is just a ratio chart of weight and height. It doesn't take into account things like muscle mass vs. fat mass. If you don't find labels motivating, just ignore them.
    It also doesn't take into account extremes in height. Extremely short people have BMIs lower than they "should" and extremely tall people have higher BMIs than they "should."

    I'm not especially concerned about BMI per se but, unfortunately, my insurance company didn't share my view.
  • angie007az
    angie007az Posts: 406 Member
    Are you looking at some sort of twisted pro-anorexia BMI chart?


    A BMI of 14-15 is underweight (pretty severely actually). A BMI of 20 is in the middle of average/healthy weight. A BMI of 25 is the beginning of the overweight category, and I believe 30 is the beginning of the obese category.

    I agree. I'm shooting for a BMI of 25. Not trying to be a rail.
  • Unknown
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  • melindafritz1976
    melindafritz1976 Posts: 329 Member
    when i started my BMI was 36 My BMI is now 27.1
    im still in over weight category
  • Unknown
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  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    deleted.

    You might want to see a professional about your body image.
  • melindafritz1976
    melindafritz1976 Posts: 329 Member
    bmi of 20 shouldnt be overweight
  • melindafritz1976
    melindafritz1976 Posts: 329 Member
    OMG

    you're an 18 yo female

    the issue isnt your body, thats fine, the issue is in your head girl.
  • curlygirl513
    curlygirl513 Posts: 199 Member
    Anything over 40 is extreme obesity.

    I'm just under extremely obese. Wow. Good thing I'm working on it.

    BMI is just a ratio chart of weight and height. It doesn't take into account things like muscle mass vs. fat mass. If you don't find labels motivating, just ignore them.

    I really think you are sweet to find an out for my obesity. But I'm quite obese. I'm down a few (2) BMI points and I'm thrilled.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,940 Member
    I'm at 48.1!! But down from 55.4 since mid-April, so yay!
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
    I used to be fat and over weight and the bmi scale said I was over weight. Guess .. it was right. I knew it ... no sense trying to deny it.

    Now I am in maintenance .. I am at around a bmi of 22. Well guess what .. that is normal. Ok .. I get it.

    However .. Iast time I got measured I was 7.4% body fat .. too freaking low and I looked like **** as my face was caved in and such.

    So .. the moral of the story ... ignore the scale, ignore the bmi charts, ignore the other things .... cause guess what. They are not for everyone. Sure ... I am in the middle of the normal scale but I looked very underweight.

    I am now eating ice cream and chocolate like crazy and am getting fat back ... so a good thing.

    The real answer .... look in the mirror. If you are looking like you are in a good place. Then stop and reflect .. and ignore all the stupid estimates.

    Lets face it .. these things are just estimates. Unless you are measured in a lab .. they are not precise measurements.

    All I know is that I wish I would have looked in the mirror more ... and less at the measuring tape. I was obsessed at getting to a certain point but ignored what was really going on. Getting to your 20 bmi is the exact same thing ... and why sometimes we just need to step back and look around.

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