Do BMI's seem unrealistic to anyone else?
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Wow, there are a LOT of judgmental people on this thread! BMI can very easily be unrealistic for plenty of people. Is it also perfectly realistic for plenty of people? Yes.
Is it possible that a weight seems too low to people because they are currently overweight? Yes.
Is it possible that people discredit the BMI because they don't want to accept that they're overweight? Yes.
Is it possible that some people are "too lazy to do the work" to get to a "healthy" BMI? Yes.
Is it a fact that all people who don't fit into the "healthy" BMI range are "too lazy to do the work"? NO!! Get off your high f***ing horses!!
And as others are sharing, my "healthy" BMI tops out at 145.7lbs. The few times I've been under 150lbs, I constantly lacked energy and felt sick, so that it NOT a healthy weight for me! But at 150lbs, I feel great, look great, have a flat tummy, have lots of energy, etc. So quit assuming that anyone who doesn't fit into a range calculated from 4 points of data is just lazy!0 -
I am 5'5" and since becoming an adult, have spent ALOT of time around the high range of my BMI and also in the overweight, then obese category. My maximum normal is 149 and I usually look pretty "normal" up through 155 if I'm in shape... I'm also usually a larger size... at my smallest (around 130) I'm a size 6 while many ppl at my height and weight would be a 4 or less. BUT... after I hit 200 lbs after my first pregnancy (and yes, that was 9 mos AFTER I delivered) I thought that 150ish was the best I could do... and this was not the case. I was able to lose the weight and maintain, even through another pregnancy and actually stay in the upper healthy range. I think it is a bit of a mindset overall... but I don't think there is anything wrong with setting an initial goal at a higher weight and maybe re-setting your goals once your confidence has been raised.0
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For me and my body type, it works.
However, my husband is considered "obese" due to his muscular build. At 5'9", his doctor wants to see him below 170. Granted, he can afford to lose a few pounds and is working to do so, but I would say 200-210 is his ideal range without intentionally letting his muscle deteriorate. So I guess he's doomed to be obese forever... haha0 -
I won't deny that CoachReddy has a point to some degree about perception in countries/regions where obesity is prevalent. However, the presence of outliers is much more common than I think he accounts for, and they are not such a small minority as he makes them out to be. The fact that my own doctor says I should only lose another 20 lbs or so at most when the BMI chart indicates I would need to lose 40 to enter into the healthy range is proof of that. And my story is not unique.
nah you're right - and i don't think outliers are a small percentage in America. I think HERE outliers are probably almost as common as those who fit into the "healthy" category.
but i don't NECESSARILY think that means that the metric is broken...0 -
Wow, there are a LOT of judgmental people on this thread! BMI can very easily be unrealistic for plenty of people. Is it also perfectly realistic for plenty of people? Yes.
Is it possible that a weight seems too low to people because they are currently overweight? Yes.
Is it possible that people discredit the BMI because they don't want to accept that they're overweight? Yes.
Is it possible that some people are "too lazy to do the work" to get to a "healthy" BMI? Yes.
Is it a fact that all people who don't fit into the "healthy" BMI range are "too lazy to do the work"? NO!! Get off your high f***ing horses!!
And as others are sharing, my "healthy" BMI tops out at 145.7lbs. The few times I've been under 150lbs, I constantly lacked energy and felt sick, so that it NOT a healthy weight for me! But at 150lbs, I feel great, look great, have a flat tummy, have lots of energy, etc. So quit assuming that anyone who doesn't fit into a range calculated from 4 points of data is just lazy!
I hate it not because i'm classified as overweight which I am, but that i'm classified as obese. Which I am clearly not. Being labeled as obese raises insurance rates. I am trying to get more life insurance before I turn 50. It puts me in a whole different catagory and changes peoples perceptions of me, (on paper)
As for being too lazy as some have suggested. I am a 48 year old AA woman who is in her 5th week of Insanity. My 17 year old daughter couldn't keep up with me. I am far from lazy or in denial.0 -
The Body Mass Index was created by Adolphe Quetelet between 1830 and 1850, and was never intended to be used to determine an /individual/ person's health (medical diagnosis of being over or underweight). It was intended to be a means of classifying physically inactive or sedentary populations (when comparing one group to another in the context of social physics.) It's suitable for recognizing trends in a population, but not for categorically determining whether any given individual is carrying too much fat on their frame to be healthy or not.
Studies have shown that it is not a good measure for the risk of heart attack, stroke or death, that it can be very inaccurate in actually determining the Body Fat Percentage, and doesn't take into consideration that tall people are not just scaled-up versions of short people.
While I don't want to argue with those who are saying "BMI is realistic for me", I would like to point out that just because some people's ideal body weight for their height falls within the BMI ranges doesn't indicate that it is accurate or ideal for everyone. Scientifically speaking, even the experts agree that it is, at best, a rough guideline.0 -
My BMI puts me in the overweight range.
BMI can suck it...you are smokin' hot babe!
this is the perception thing I'm talking about.
she can be smokin' hot and in the "overweight" category of BMI - the two don't have to be mutually exclusive.
ok i thought we were saying the opposite.
i dont feel like i look are AM overweight.0 -
Iv'e actually been my BMI weight and I look as though I have just been saved from a Romanian orphanage!0
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It is realistic for me. I am four pounds from "normal", and should be able to get down well into the range, I will still be too fat at the top of the range.0
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BMI is a joke! According to BMI guidelines I am considered Obese. I am 6"1, 226 lbs and I would have to look like Justin Bieber to be considered to be at a healthy weight.
can I call you Justin??? :bigsmile: I will call you anything you want actually!
:laugh: 0 -
My BMI puts me in the overweight range.
BMI can suck it...you are smokin' hot babe!
this is the perception thing I'm talking about.
she can be smokin' hot and in the "overweight" category of BMI - the two don't have to be mutually exclusive.
ok i thought we were saying the opposite.
i dont feel like i look are AM overweight.
there it is
BMI has nothing to do with what you LOOK like, or FEEL you look like, or any of that. BMI is static regardless of what you or your significant other find attractive. Those things are subjective. BMI is objective. That's why people don't like it. It doesn't mesh with their perceptions about themselves, about their significant others, and about society as a whole.
But that doesn't mean its inherently bad, or a bad indicator of future health risks.
and yes, you do look great regardless of all that. :happy:0 -
I am 5 foot 3 inches and it says I should weigh 111-148. My goal weight is 150. I look good at this weight. I would look nasty at 111! But its the way I am built. I have larger hips, thighs and butt. When I am 150 people always think I weigh less than that. In my opinon its not all about the numbers. Its how you look and feel
I am like you and used to believe exactly what you said - I would look nasty at 111...but here I am at 124 and still have body fat to cut so I am guessing 115 is going to be just perfect. Remember, though, some weigh more because of musle mass (I think this is why the ranges are so big). As I continue weight training I may not go below where I am not and may even gain a bit but the most important part is how I look and feel, just like you said!0 -
BMI was developed as a simple tool for measuring populations, not individuals. The categories correlate with increased risk for comorbidities seen in populations as well.
For an individual, BMI should not be the end-all be-all. It should be used in conjunction with other anthropomorphic measures (waist circumference, skin fold measurements, BF%) as well as your general health status such as lab values (fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, cholesterol etc).0 -
Too tired to help on this....the search feature is great on MFP....just sayin0
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BMI is usually only unrealistic for those who are extremely muscular or have a warped perception of what would be good for their body or willingness to put in the effort needed to achieve a normal BMI. The range is so wide of what is a normal BMI that there are very few people who don't fit into normal at a good weight.
^^^This.
Agreed0 -
BMI is usually only unrealistic for those who are extremely muscular or have a warped perception of what would be good for their body or willingness to put in the effort needed to achieve a normal BMI. The range is so wide of what is a normal BMI that there are very few people who don't fit into normal at a good weight.
agreed.0 -
MINEI got my weight down to the top end of my BMI. For like a day.
I immediately started gaining muscle and weight because I was scrawny.
Can we share???0 -
My BMI puts me in the overweight range.
BMI can suck it...you are smokin' hot babe!
DAMN right she is!!!!
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I was thinking about this yesterday, I don't think it's very realistic for me, when I calculate the weight I would like to be it tells me I'm well into the underweight category, but I've been that weight before and would never been considered as looking underweight. I tried calculating my frame size and that does help to adjust it as I have a very small frame size, which I never would have thought I did.
I think there are just too many other factors besides height, weight, age, and gender to take into account for it to be reliable for anyone outside of it's narrow range of normal.0 -
For me being 5'3" tall, my lowest healthy BMI would be 105lbs, and my highest healthy BMI would be 140lbs.
At my lowest weight I was 125lbs and I looked almost skeletal. My husband used to tease me about spaghetti arms, I had some weight in my hips and butt, but just enough to look normal (any less and I'd have been shaped like a tube).
Knowing my body and how it carries weight, and how it has looked as it has changed, I think my goal weight is about 135. Last year I was down to 137 and people kept commenting on how I didn't look like I had anything left to lose and I should be careful not to get "too skinny". I'm not particularly muscular, I have strong leg muscles but my upper body is weak so I'd say it balances out to an average amount of muscle.
So, BMI is generally around the right range, but it is by no means the holy grail of healthy weight. If I were solidly in the middle of my ideal BMI I'd be around 125, and, as I mentioned above, that didn't look so great on me. I'd rather look like a woman and have some curves and fat in the right places, as long as I'm healthy, so I'm shooting for 135.
I guess I got lucky. At 5'6 and 120 lbs (even though my rib cage was showing a bit) I still had large "c" cups and big hips / small waist (I've always had a natural hour glass figure as my hips are just bigger structurally speaking.)
That just goes to show how different everyone's body type is.
Exactly! At 135 I had C cups and a really nice hourglass with a small waist, I needed those extra 10 pounds to look good and not scrawny. At this point in my life my body shape has changed, my cup size is completely out of bounds with anything it should be and that extra weight only started to come off a tiny bit (about 1/2 a cup size) when I got down to 137, which is probably a pretty good indicator that I didn't have much left to lose on other parts of my body.
The best thing anyone can do is to take it in increments. Lose what you want, then evaluate. If you're healthy and your body looks good at a certain weight who cares what the BMI chart says?
My husband's BMI chart says he should be at about 150lbs to be solidly in the middle of his BMI. He's 5'10" tall and built muscularly, even without working out. When I met him he was 180 and he looked perfect. I'd say that would be his absolute perfect weight to be smoking hot and judging by the number of girls that threw themselves at him often WITH ME STANDING RIGHT THERE, I'd say I'm not alone in that - seriously, one woman at a coffee shop wrote her number on the cup while I was standing right there, he did nothing besides the normal coffee shop small talk and she was being pretty assertive in her flirting. I still tease him about her, she was practically ripping her clothes off for him. Maybe they just figure he can do better because they don't know how freaking awesome I am just by looking at me 0 -
BMI is a joke! According to BMI guidelines I am considered Obese. I am 6"1, 226 lbs and I would have to look like Justin Bieber to be considered to be at a healthy weight.
Actually your BMI calculates to 29.8, which is overweight on BMI charts. But how does one outlier make something a joke?
I don't think it's a joke, but it's not just one fluke.
My dad is 6'3 and his weight makes him obese according to his doctor. But my dad lifts everyday and does cardio and is obviously NOT obese.
Same goes for my boyfriend. 6'5 and weighs 220 - puts him in the overweight category for his height. But God knows he is not, man is looking hella fine!! He works in construction so is constantly lifting and has a great body.0 -
NO
MINEI got my weight down to the top end of my BMI. For like a day.
I immediately started gaining muscle and weight because I was scrawny.
Can we share???
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It's pretty realistic for me. Healthy BMI target for me is 101.2 lbs - 136.7 lbs. I'm aiming for 130, and will reassess at that point. But I do remember that I looked and felt healthy at 115 (just not sure I will get back down that far, as I'm a lot older now).0
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Here are the facts. I am currently in recovery week of Insantiy. For those not familar that is the week just before month 2. I currently wear a size 12 and even those are becoming very loose on me. Got some belly fat going on that I'm trying to get rid of thru the program. Measured the waist yesterday and it was 34 inches. Not happy with it, but definitley not the waist of an obese woman.
I'm sorry, but this kind of comment is why we shouldn't say that BMI doesn't work. 34 inches is basically the waist of an an obese person. According to the NHS, "You have a higher risk of health problems if your waist size is more than 80cm (31.5 inches), if you’re a woman." "Your risk of health problems is even higher if your waist size is more than 88cm (34.5 inches), if you’re a woman." See: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/849.aspx?CategoryID=51
And no, abs don't make your waist that much bigger. If your waist is >31 inches, you're probably overweight. If your waist is >34 inches, you're probably obese. For most people, that will match up with the BMI ranges.0 -
5 lbs ago i was considered overweight. *smh*0
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no offense, but being 189 pds at 6 foot 1 is a little bit small. my husband is 6 foot 1 and he is a little overweight but still in good shape. He does hard manual labor for a job 5-6 days a week. he looks his best at about 210-215. just my opinon0
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Here are the facts. I am currently in recovery week of Insantiy. For those not familar that is the week just before month 2. I currently wear a size 12 and even those are becoming very loose on me. Got some belly fat going on that I'm trying to get rid of thru the program. Measured the waist yesterday and it was 34 inches. Not happy with it, but definitley not the waist of an obese woman.
I'm sorry, but this kind of comment is why we shouldn't say that BMI doesn't work. 34 inches is basically the waist of an an obese person. According to the NHS, "You have a higher risk of health problems if your waist size is more than 80cm (31.5 inches), if you’re a woman." "Your risk of health problems is even higher if your waist size is more than 88cm (34.5 inches), if you’re a woman." See: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/849.aspx?CategoryID=51
And no, abs don't make your waist that much bigger. If your waist is >31 inches, you're probably overweight. If your waist is >34 inches, you're probably obese. For most people, that will match up with the BMI ranges.
So why is my waist 30 inches but my body fat is 35% so I'm really overweight?0 -
I am overweight according to the BMI - it is used for assessment of populations not individuals and does not take account of LBM.0
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Here are the facts. I am currently in recovery week of Insantiy. For those not familar that is the week just before month 2. I currently wear a size 12 and even those are becoming very loose on me. Got some belly fat going on that I'm trying to get rid of thru the program. Measured the waist yesterday and it was 34 inches. Not happy with it, but definitley not the waist of an obese woman.
I'm sorry, but this kind of comment is why we shouldn't say that BMI doesn't work. 34 inches is basically the waist of an an obese person. According to the NHS, "You have a higher risk of health problems if your waist size is more than 80cm (31.5 inches), if you’re a woman." "Your risk of health problems is even higher if your waist size is more than 88cm (34.5 inches), if you’re a woman." See: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/849.aspx?CategoryID=51
And no, abs don't make your waist that much bigger. If your waist is >31 inches, you're probably overweight. If your waist is >34 inches, you're probably obese. For most people, that will match up with the BMI ranges.
I am overweight. I am not obese. I would even go so far as to say high end overweight. I am in not in denial. Maybe my perception of obese and what others think is skewed. To me obese is a person whose weight is affecting their life. ex- can't ride the roller coaster, has to buy 2 seats on an airplane. Gets winded going up stairs. In other words, their weight has become a hinderance to their lives.. Is that the disconnect here. Is my perception of obese different than what it really is? I truly can't wrap my head around me being obese and when I tell people i'm obese they laugh at me. So its not just me saying it, others are as well.0 -
Yes they are realistic for most people.0
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