Frustrated with BMI chart

rkpixler

i am frustrated that to get myself off the over weight section of the bmi chart I have to be in a size 5/6 pant. I was almost 200 before and lost almost 60lbs, was at 140 and wore a 7/8 and to get my self off the overweight I have to be 130 and to be in the middle of the normal weight range I have to be 120 which would put my body at about a 3/4. I feel really overwhelmed that to be "Normal" weight I have to be be twiggy and ill looking, which is how I look at that weight!!! Anyone else have the same frustration!

Im_NotPerfect

I feel the same way. My goal weight is 6 lbs above the "Healthy" line on my BMI chart. So even at my goal weight I'll technically be "overweight". But I know that at 175 I look healthy and good and I can maintain it. I'm going to see how I feel at my goal weight and if I feel I can lose the extra 6-10 lbs, I'll try, but I'm not going to push myself.

rockerbabyy

nope, i dont pay attention to the BMI chart at all.. i think its crap as far as measuring individuals goes. go by how you feel and how you want to look.

twinmama1987

nope, i dont pay attention to the BMI chart at all.. i think its crap as far as measuring individuals goes. go by how you feel and how you want to look.

especially if you are really active and if you lift a lot of weights.

Elle_Jamaicangirl81

BMI is only one measurement.. which feels like crap to me.

try to think about how healthy you are, how u feel about how you look and so on.

EngineerPrincess

Bmi only says so much; I am technically underweight but I'm fairly sure I'm perfectly healthy, when I was at a bmi of 21 and "bmi chart ideal" I was binging continuously, I just have an extremely small frame. It's all about body type and muscle and genetics and your health level, if you're healthy at that weight then it's your personal ideal weight.

jsapninz

I think people frequently talk themselves out of a healthy weight by saying they would look too skinny.

If that's what you want to tell yourself, then go for it. But don't pretend it is anything other than what it is: an excuse.

SergeantSunshine_reused

I think people frequently talk themselves out of a healthy weight by saying they would look too skinny.

If that's what you want to tell yourself, then go for it. But don't pretend it is anything other than what it is: an excuse.

I agree with you here. Im a size 2 and do not look ill or twiggy at all.

BMI is not what I would go by though. Have your body fat % tested

La1210

I feel the same way. The BMI seems to reflect society's definition of a healthy weight. Once I lose my pre determined weight (50lbs), "I" will judge wether or not I want to go any lower.

Happymom12

I don't like the BMI because it shows me to be in the normal range but I know I'm not honestly because I am thick in areas. I think checking your fat body mass is more important. That lets you know no matter what your weight is if you have excess fat or not.

AZackery

I think people frequently talk themselves out of a healthy weight by saying they would look too skinny.

If that's what you want to tell yourself, then go for it. But don't pretend it is anything other than what it is: an excuse.

I disagree with you. I'm 5ft1" tall and according to my doctor and the bmi (height/weight chart), I'm supposed to be 101 pounds and I'm never getting down to that size. I would not only look too skinny, I would be too skinny. The biggest I ever was, before gaining weight was 125 pounds and it took me four years go gain 20 pounds, raising my weight to 145 pounds. From there I have gained more weight. I don't even want to be 125 pounds or 145 pounds. I"m aiming for a healthy body fat percentage and when I get there, I will still be classified as being overweight on the bmi chart and I don't care. I will be healthy.

Im_NotPerfect

I think people frequently talk themselves out of a healthy weight by saying they would look too skinny.

If that's what you want to tell yourself, then go for it. But don't pretend it is anything other than what it is: an excuse.

I disagree with you. I'm 5ft1" tall and according to my doctor and the bmi (height/weight chart), I'm supposed to be 101 pounds and I'm never getting down to that size. I would not only look too skinny, I would be too skinny. The biggest I ever was, before gaining weight was 125 pounds and it took me four years go gain 20 pounds, raising my weight to 145 pounds. From there I have gained more weight. I don't even want to be 125 pounds or 145 pounds. I"m aiming for a healthy body fat percentage and when I get there, I will still be classified as being overweight on the bmi chart and I don't care. I will be healthy.

^^^This^^^ At my skinniest I was 159 lbs (I'm 5'9") and I had bones sticking out. Everyone said I looked too skinny and my husband said it looked like my butt was going to disapper (I do not have a flat but to begin with). 159 is 10 lbs less than the highest "healthy" weight in my range.

techigirl78

I agree with the statement on getting body fat percentage checked and getting obesity information from those numbers if you don't feel the "normal" bmi range works for you. I like having about 22% body fat with bmi around 21. That is when I felt most comfortable. I would just shoot for what makes you feel comfortable and that your body fat, bp, cholesterol, etc. numbers all look good.

My work program is pushing everyone to be in their BMI range. If you aren't, then you need to lose 10% to get in the drawing for free medical premiums next year. I thought cool since i was trying to lose weight anyways. However, then I thought of people like my brother with a bmi of about 30-31 who works outs everyday and has a larger percentage of muscle. Obviously, BMI doesn't work for everyone. There are also people with good BMI numbers that are technically obese body fat % wise as their lean body mass is so low.

angelashay42

I don't like the BMI scale. It does not take into consideration proportions like hips and BOOBS. Women with flat chests are going to weight 5 - 20lbs less than bustier women.

susannamarie

I think people frequently talk themselves out of a healthy weight by saying they would look too skinny.

If that's what you want to tell yourself, then go for it. But don't pretend it is anything other than what it is: an excuse.

Spose if I quit doing exercises which involve lifting and went to nothing but cardio I would be able to lose enough muscle mass to get my weight down to the "normal" range. Can't see why that would be healthier though.

sweet110

The BMI chart can be frustrating. But, I also think that if you look at it correctly, its usually not too far off the mark. Your frustration seems to be with what you'd have to weigh to "get to the middle of the normal range." Well. The BMI ranges aren't "grades." An A+ may be better than an A-, but being in the middle of a BMI range isn't "better" than being at the high end of the range. The ranges are developed from population averages, and the normal range comes from the BMI's at which people, on average, do not have any excess health risks related specifically to their weight. Which means, some people will fall at the high end, and some at the low end, but ALL weights in the range are "equally" likely to be normal (on average, not for any single person). With that understanding, it sounds like a weight of 130 might be a useful goal for you. And being a little overweight according the BMI chart will probably do you no great harm. Particularly if you factor in the ability to be happy and keep stable at a higher weight versus stressing and yo-yo-ing to lose some phantom 5-10 pounds.

People rail against the charts, but most of us are *not* the body builders that the BMI chart inaccurately calls obese or overweight. Because if you are...you're an elite athlete and are pretty much beyond things like the BMI chart at that point.

All measurements are flawed...including the much touted body fat tests (unless you pay to get submerged in water). But, they give us some external measures to go by so that we don't either talk ourselves into "being just fine" compared to the other obese people walking alongside us, or into feeling "too fat" compared to the airbrushed models and camera-ready actresses on the TV.

There. A reasonable response. Nothing is all good or all bad. You just have to understand what it can and can't do.

angelashay42

I think people frequently talk themselves out of a healthy weight by saying they would look too skinny.

If that's what you want to tell yourself, then go for it. But don't pretend it is anything other than what it is: an excuse.

I disagree. I think that a lot of women put unnecessary pressure on themselves to be as skinny as super models, when for a lot of bodies, it is not physically possible to get that small. So I think in a way, it is good and healthy to tell yourself that you don't have to be a size 2 and that a size 10 is good enough. I honestly don't think that protruding hip bones and being able to count your ribs from the back is sexy or necessarily healthy. But that's just my opinion.

sgrzech2009

I strongly dislike BMI it takes nothing other than your weight, height, and age into consideration. I honestly go by body fat percentages either by taping myself like the military does or by the calibers. If I were to go by BMI it would put me at a weight of 116lb yeah never been there in my life not even in boot camp and all we did was some sort of excercise for 3 months. I would take the BMI as a guide and nothing more as long as you are seeing inprovement then you are healther, leaner, andmuch more sexier than you were before. Keep your head up and one foot in front of the other you got this.

cmayfield3

I think people frequently talk themselves out of a healthy weight by saying they would look too skinny.

If that's what you want to tell yourself, then go for it. But don't pretend it is anything other than what it is: an excuse.

I disagree with you. I'm 5ft1" tall and according to my doctor and the bmi (height/weight chart), I'm supposed to be 101 pounds

According to your doctor, maybe. According to BMI, no. 101 is at the very low end of the healthy range for your height. You could be 130 and still in normal range.

susannamarie

I disagree with you. I'm 5ft1" tall and according to my doctor and the bmi (height/weight chart), I'm supposed to be 101 pounds and I'm never getting down to that size. I would not only look too skinny, I would be too skinny. The biggest I ever was, before gaining weight was 125 pounds and it took me four years go gain 20 pounds, raising my weight to 145 pounds. From there I have gained more weight. I don't even want to be 125 pounds or 145 pounds. I"m aiming for a healthy body fat percentage and when I get there, I will still be classified as being overweight on the bmi chart and I don't care. I will be healthy.

Sidetrack -- is your doctor really telling you to aim for a BMI of 19?? A BMI of under 25 is generally considered normal, and 132 lbs would give you 24.9.

sweet110

I think people frequently talk themselves out of a healthy weight by saying they would look too skinny.

If that's what you want to tell yourself, then go for it. But don't pretend it is anything other than what it is: an excuse.

I disagree with you. I'm 5ft1" tall and according to my doctor and the bmi (height/weight chart), I'm supposed to be 101 pounds

According to your doctor, maybe. According to BMI, no. 101 is at the very low end of the healthy range for your height. You could be 130 and still in normal range.

I hear you. Perhaps people should stop using the BMI charts simply because they don't understand them. See my post above. There is NO value in being at the lowest value of normal! Normal is Normal! I'm 4'11. I can weigh 97 or I can weight 117. And you know what? A TWENTY POUND spread does a pretty good job of defining normal for someone under 5 ft. There. The olympic featherweight female power lifter...who had not a spare ounce of fat on her body, was 4'11 and was 110 pounds. Of pure muscle. Now. She was Chinese. Someone with a heavier frame? Still had another 7 pounds of give. BMI: Not perfect. But not too shabby.