Is BMI the best way to find a goal weight?

Carpaydeeum
Carpaydeeum Posts: 116
in Health and Weight Loss
So according to BMI, as a 6' male I should weigh somewhere between 136.5 and 183.5 lbs. So if i split the difference that means I should be at 160lbs. Wow. If that is my healthy weight then I've not been healthy even when I was 17 running cross country and weighed 169... Thoughts? Are there other measures you prefer over BMI?

Replies

  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    Body fat percentage matters to me more than BMI.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    Thoughts? Are there other measures you prefer over BMI?
    I just look in the mirror. I initially had 220 set and when I reached that I changed my mind to 215 - 210 depending on how 215 turns out. BMI is useless if you do any sort of real strength training.
  • deviant7
    deviant7 Posts: 7
    BMI should not be used to calculate a proper body weight for athletes due to muscle composition. But you are still in a healthy range if you are within those numbers. :) Keep at a weight you feel good at within that range, and best of luck!
  • crockett1981
    crockett1981 Posts: 1 Member
    The beauty of a range; at 169 you were healthy.
  • maleeshaleesha
    maleeshaleesha Posts: 1
    Body fat matters way more! Personally I think BMI is a waste of time because muscle weighs more than fat any way. As long as you are eating right, working out and you feel good you should be fine :)
  • coachblt
    coachblt Posts: 1,090
    I don't think BMI is the best way to find a goal weight at all. Personally, you have to find a weight that you'd be happy with. Doesn't matter what that is because it's only for YOU.

    I'm a 6'1" broad shouldered ex-college football player and there's no possible way my body should be 189 lbs. Right now, at 230, I'm lean. When I lose my last 20-30, I'll be rail thin and almost unhealthy looking.

    Thing is: the BMI says I'm obese. Let me tell you something: I'm not obese by any stretch of the imagination.

    Just lose weight and set a goal YOU want...not a damn machine!


    For the record: Muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs the exact same as a pound of fat.
  • alemiszki
    alemiszki Posts: 49
    I'm a 6ft 7" female and it wants me between 160 and 220 (approximately). HAHAHAHAHA
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
    LOL, no.

    I would be dead if I hit my "healthy" BMI wihout losing muscle mass...
  • gogophers
    gogophers Posts: 190 Member
    It's generally good for getting a VERY crude estimate. I'm pretty sure someone like Terrell Owens would be considered obese using BMI standards.

    In my opinion, the best way is just getting to that weight and looking in the mirror. It does get a little tough if you've lost a lot of weight and are waiting for the excess skin to tighten up, but you can often extrapolate based on areas that don't really have much excess skin (face, shoulders, etc...)

    Another good method is body fat, but calipers are pretty inaccurate and the water and scan tests can be really expensive (if you can even find a place that would do it).
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    BMI was developed in the mid to late 1800's as a way to compare different societal populations' "ease" of living. It was NEVER meant to be used on individuals to determine their health. The only way BMI is useful is if it is compared to large groups of people so it averages out.

    Like others have said, body fat % or even just eyeballing it in the mirror are better to use as an individual indicator.
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    It'll give you a decent estimate, but don't take it too seriously
  • Stuz359
    Stuz359 Posts: 81
    No it's not. According to her BMI, Shakira is considered overweight. Just let that sink in for a moment.

    It can however, give you a decent ballpark of maybe what you should be aiming for.
  • kikokateyy
    kikokateyy Posts: 136 Member
    Nah, theres other things out there at are better. I already have more LBM then what my 'midpoint' is haha
  • ZoeyRobinson
    ZoeyRobinson Posts: 301
    According the bmi I should weigh 93 pounds. When I weighed 115 I felt horrible. Between 135-155 I felt great and my blood work was better as well.

    I would rather be a 200 pound muscular female with great endurance than a 100 pound woman who cannot even walk to the bathroom without fainting.
  • becki1815
    becki1815 Posts: 51 Member
    I set my goal based on a number I wanted. It meant very little. Then when I got there, I decided if I liked what I saw. I did, good enough for me. However, maintenance is extrememly hard and I'd lost my motivation to "diet" and put 20 back on. So I'll get back to that number. I learned my lesson, point taken. If I hadn't liked what I saw, I'd have kept going. I'm not going to let a table decide what I should weigh.
  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
    I think it can be used to get a general idea of how far you have to go when you're first starting out. As you get closer to your goal, you may have to tweak it a bit to adjust to your frame, body fat percentage, etc. But yeah, body fat percentage is a lot more accurate than BMI.
  • GnochhiGnomes
    GnochhiGnomes Posts: 348 Member
    It can give you a rough estimate. Body fat percentage is far better.
  • nickyjl81
    nickyjl81 Posts: 66
    I don't use BMI, I remember reading a statistic that the entire England rugby team was considered obese according to BMI measurements.
  • yolanda69
    yolanda69 Posts: 6
    As a nurse, I am bothered by the BMI and how insurance companies use it to tell how much of a risk you are. I know many people who are under the overweight or obese categories when their body fat is in the teens.
  • Vonwarr
    Vonwarr Posts: 390 Member
    This formula from builtlean.com is by far the best way I've found to calculate out your ideal weight based upon a healthy body fat percentage.

    Lean Body Mass/(1- Desired Body Fat Percentage)

    http://www.builtlean.com/2010/05/04/ideal-body-weight-formula-how-to-calculate-your-ideal-weight/
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    I'm of the opinion that BMI is ridiculous for determining a goal weight. I'm 6'6" and to be at a BMI of 21.75, which is right smack in the middle of the "healthy" range, I'd have to weigh 188 lbs. I weighed that as a junior in high school (32 years ago) and I was skin and bones at that weight. 215 lbs. puts me right on the border of "healthy" and "overweight", and from past experience that's pushing the lower boundary of where I'd realistically like to be (with a BF% of somewhere around 12-15% this time).

    As Shannon said, BF% is a more important number. You'd undoubtedly look (and feel!) much better at 183 lbs. and 15% BF than you would at 160 lbs. and 30% BF.
  • veggieshark
    veggieshark Posts: 153 Member
    I mean 169 was perfectly healthy for you! You don't need to be right smack in the middle. I say weight doesn't matter that much. Judge by how you look to yourself and how you feel. But BMI is just a guide.

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