BMI charts a joke!!!

LakeCountyDiver

I hate when I see somebody setting there goals from the standard BMI chart. For me being 6'2" I should weigh between 148lb-195lb... But those charts dont take in to consideration of build and muscle mass. A weight of 230lb would be ideal for my body build and yet that puts me into morbidly obese...

What are you basing your weight loss goal on???

Jenene88

I based on how I look and feel. I can weigh around 140 and be considered heavy for my height but I have gained muscle mass an I have lost 5 inches and more.

seph_house

i kinda wish people wouldn't throw out "this is the truth and is absolutely true for everyone in every circumstance" statements like that.
If you'd said "people really need to understand what BMI means and understand its limitations before they use it" then i'd be cheering you on but just saying it's a joke 'cause it's not useful for you (and lots of other people) doesn't help those who don't yet have any better tools.

when i started out on this latest attempt, i'd never been "thin", i'd never been a sensible weight for my body, so i had no idea how much i needed to lose before i reached a good place, and i'm the sort of person who needs that goal to work towards even if i know i'm going to change that goal before i reach it. so picking the top end of my BMI range, and knowing its limitations, gave me that goal and it was useful. now, 6months later and 6months of reading these forums and other sites i have different tools and different goals but having that starting point was invaluable and it meant **i started** which is the most important thing.

zeeeb

i don't use the BMI Charts. but i guess they have to have a line in the sand. doctors need to have a number to tell very obese people that they need to aim for, otherwise they'll always think it's normal and make excuses as to why they are super unhealthy in the way of their weight.

i go by what i used to be when i was in my 20's.

i'm short, so i'll probably never be at my ideal BMI because it's super super tiny, and i have chunky thighs. even when i had enough confidence to wear a bikini, i was in the overweight BMI range. so i just aim for where i was at when i wasn't constnatly embarrassed by my weight.

AnninStPaul

I want to be in the healthy BMI range and have a healthy body fat percentage. I've chosen a weight that I had maintained for ~5 years (as an adult) that doesn't require sacrifices I am not willing to make.

That said...@$%# girl scout cookie season starts Feb 11. And my daughter will be selling them.

schnarfo

My ideal weight is based on being in the healthy range of the BMI not the underweight. I have 2 more lbs to add but im pretty happy now.
I do believe the BMI chart isnt exactly accurate for a lot of people but not everyone is a muscular enough for the chart to be total bobbins

dancingj2

I have based my goal weight on the weight I was at that I felt and and looked good. Its about 6 lbs above what government charts say I should be.

KBGirts

The BMI chart doesn't know whether or not your weight is in your belly or in your biceps. It's just a guidline, but you would have to get it actually tested to know where you stand.

nikki1anna

I had a great body about 5 years ago I was 142, I did need some small toning in the midsection. With that in consideration 140lbs is my lifetime goal, I am focusing on eating lean protein, vegs and essential fats (avocado, nuts and low-fat cheese).

emcohen

Agree with you on this. According to BMI I am obese and have been for a long time. However, nobody I know would consider me obese and many don't think I'm overweight.

I'm setting my goals based on fitness and how I look. Don't care if BMI wants me to weigh 150lbs. That's completely unrealistic.

geraldm55

I couldn't agree with you more. the BMI is a terrible way for anyone to base their goals on. it's a good starting point if you don't exercise and are just starting, but as soon as you start doing any kind of muscle building at all it falls apart.

I'm 6'1 and 220 and I'm where I want to be. now it's all about shaping my body with more muscle and less fat..............................maybe I should just be skinny lol just kidding.

God Bless you all on your journey's and remember that you need to feel good about who and what you are, don't base it on others comments or worse yet some out dated chart.

Gerald

GuruOnAMountain

I think it is useful. Not, as you say, if you plan on building muscle but I know most women that I know who are wanting to lose weight have no intention of building much muscle to go along with that so BMI guidelines are quite useful for them.

TriforceRaven

Based on my BMI, I'm "overweight" (sometimes "obese"). But I have a 29 inche waist, wear smalls or mediums, and have tons of muscle from swimming. :huh: PLUS everyone I've ever talked to said I look around 140 or so. Obese? Hell no. :noway:

jhardenbergh

I am 5'7" and I'm 190, I just got out of the obese category. BMI is a joke for me to. I weighed this much in the 6th grade, I can't see me getting down between 118 and 158, I would be all bones.

CoderGal

on how good I felt when I weighed what I want to weigh now. I was in good shape and felt healthy, I want to be there.

meaghan2012

I am not going by the BMI chart because of my body frame and what not. I am first wanting to get down to 225 and then go from there. I want to be at whatever I am comfortable at not what a set chart says that doesn't take into consideration a lot of factors.







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ViSabbi

I base it on 'when I will feel comfortable with myself'. If I consider the BMI chart, I'm obese which I'm most certainly am not. Yes I have about 62 pounds to lose, but nobody around me considers me obese and they arent just going soft on me. That scale is beyond me and beyond logic. I'm worried to see it still used nowadays.

cressievargo

My husband lost around 100 lbs and the BMI charts still said he was overweight at 175. Perhaps for his height he was, but honestly - he looked like a skeleton. He ate every 2 hours, but his face was so gaunt, he was tired ALL the time...he put on about 10 lbs and he LOOKED healthier and I know he felt better.

I think he probably could have been using his calories more wisely (less carbs), but it just goes to show that weight is only one part of the equation.

SafireBleu

I'm looking for healthy body fat amount first but it feels good to be out of the obese for BMI. I was always at an overweight BMI as a younger ,athletic, well built girl but my Body Fat was within normal range. I'm okay with that. Now that I am just overweight I'll focus on my body fat instead of BMI.

NightOwl1

BMI was never meant to be used for individual use. It's a measure to calculate weight trends for large population groups. In general, BMI is correct for about 80% of people, so it's a good indicator to draw general conclusions. Individual measures of obesity should be measured by body fat percentage.

vypeters

My goal weight is about 11 lbs into the overweight category (BMI 26.6) but my body fat percentage is currently around 22.5 which is comfortably in the normal range for a fit woman (I'm not active enough for the athletic range, I do aerobics and some strength training but not enough to be considered athletic).

One odd thing is that very obese people (which I was) tend to have a high lean mass because they've been carrying all that weight around. If you work to preserve as much as possible of that lean mass as you lose, you end up with what's on average a very high lean mass for your height. That's the case with me. So if I can keep preserving that lean mass, I look great at this weight. Most people are astonished at what I weigh as they think I'm 20+ lbs lighter.

My avatar, for example, was taken when I weighed over 200 lbs.

bahacca

How I'm looking in my bikini. Let's be honest, if we looked like a fitness model, would we REALLY care how much the scale told us we weighed? I think NOT! I'm keeping track each week for a challenge I'm in on another private board, but I'm also posting pictures. In 2 weeks, I can tell there is a lot more definition in my belly and I'm up a pound from the last time I took pictures! I'll take the NSV over a lower number any day!

the_other_kitkat

And I'm amused that I just broke into the normal range when I'm still obviously overweight. I also lift weights (heavy).

valeriebpdx

BMI was never meant to be used for individual use. It's a measure to calculate weight trends for large population groups. In general, BMI is correct for about 80% of people, so it's a good indicator to draw general conclusions. Individual measures of obesity should be measured by body fat percentage.

This is absolutely correct. Conversely to the OP, I am in the very upper range for healthy weight according to BMI charts but truly I need to lose at least 25 lbs. to get my body fat and measurements in line with health (not vanity). My weight is not remotely healthy for my frame. Don't be offended by it "calling you obese" if you genuinely believe it's wrong for you--just ignore it.

AdAstra47

One odd thing is that very obese people (which I was) tend to have a high lean mass because they've been carrying all that weight around. If you work to preserve as much as possible of that lean mass as you lose, you end up with what's on average a very high lean mass for your height. That's the case with me. So if I can keep preserving that lean mass, I look great at this weight. Most people are astonished at what I weigh as they think I'm 20+ lbs lighter.

My avatar, for example, was taken when I weighed over 200 lbs.

Yes, exactly.

My original goal was to get back down to my high school weight. But when my doctor tested my body fat percentage, he found that I'm carrying enough muscle that my *lean* body mass right now is already almost as much as my *total* weight from high school! We've been doing a very careful high-protein weight loss plan that ensures I lose fat without losing any muscle mass. So now, the ideal goal weight that I'm shooting for is actually still in the "overweight" category. I don't care, "strong" is the new sexy! And I'd rather be healthy than look like those stick-thin supermodels, anyway.

Also, I think someone else said this but it bears repeating, the BMI chart was originally intended to be used as a research / statistical tool, not as a weight loss tool. And it becomes less and less accurate the taller you are.

KimbersNewLife

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i go by what i used to be when i was in my 20's.


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Me too! But the summer of my seventeenth year. Awesome year, I weighed 140 which is more than recommended for my height but my body was rockin' I had some muscle and I felt sexy!