Do BMI's seem unrealistic to anyone else?

hiyomi

Yep, even if I get to my goal weight at 180, I think I was still under obese or overweight >_< I think I barely fit into the overweight category.

dimsumkitty

Any of the below can be an indicator for obesity:

BMI 30+
Waist 40+ for men or 34.5+ for women (37 and 31.5 according to the EU, and down to 33.5-35 for Asian men)
Waist-to-hip ratio 0.9+ for men or 0.85+ for women
Body fat percentage cutoff can be 25%-30%+ in men, or 30%-40%+ in women (most accurate if you can access the high end equipment)

Note that also generally, the US has higher cutoffs than Europe because of differences in what is considered "normal" or "average" health.

If in doubt, use all of these in combination. BMI is a good estimate by itself though, unless you have access to underwater body fat percentage measuring. That's why it's used.

For reference, that means the last 4 pictures in this image are considered obese to various extents:

ChgingMe

My BMI puts me as over weight too. Drives me crazy!!! My Dr. believes in the BMI charts!! Tells me every visit I need to lose at least 20 more pounds...:noway:

Is your profile pic you?? Wow. we should all be so overweight.

verdancyhime

Is someone else's expectations for what your body should look like using a survey conducted before you were born an accurate representation of what your body should look like today? Is that a better representation of your health and risk factors for disease than someone who knows what your daily routines are like and has actually seen your body can make?

The answer to both questions is obviously no, and any medical professional who hasn't learned the values of common sense and treating patients like people who face unique challenges to their health based on their lifestyles and biological quirks is not one I want treating me.

BMI is not total crap, and if you have no clue what you're aiming for, it's a good place to start. But I've met people who had a healthy BMI who were obviously living a lifestyle that took a huge toll on their body, I've met people at an "overweight" or "underweight" BMI who looked fine, were active, ate healthy, etc.

Charts are never a substitute for critical thinking- If you were calculating your BMR and eating below it, but not losing weight for several months, you'd either adjust the way you counted your calories or eat less or more, right? Because your BMR might vary slightly from average.It's not that the equation you were using was BS, or that your body is somehow defying the laws of thermodynamics, it's just that the chart is based on an average and you are an individual, and suddenly you eat a little more or a little less and BING! you found your "sweet spot" calorically. If I get 8 hours of sleep a night, I feel like crap on a crap cracker, If I get 4-5 hours of sleep a night I feel great. I'm not going to keep sleeping for 8 hours a night just because it's the RDA of sleep if it doesn't work for me!

Most medical professionals agree that BMI is an easy, offhand tool to start deciding if someone is overweight, but it's only one tool in the arsenal. Don't get so caught up on any one measurement that you lose sight of why you are doing this- I'm 90% sure all of us are getting in better shape so we can be healthier, feel better, and look nicer, and that type of quality of life is not measured by a number.

LydiaShackelford

I just blogged about this! Yay!!! Check it out here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LydiaFair10/view/nine-pounds-from-my-first-goal-why-you-shouldn-t-always-listen-to-your-doctor-512960

ChgingMe

Is someone else's expectations for what your body should look like using a survey conducted before you were born an accurate representation of what your body should look like today? Is that a better representation of your health and risk factors for disease than someone who knows what your daily routines are like and has actually seen your body can make?

The answer to both questions is obviously no, and any medical professional who hasn't learned the values of common sense and treating patients like people who face unique challenges to their health based on their lifestyles and biological quirks is not one I want treating me.

BMI is not total crap, and if you have no clue what you're aiming for, it's a good place to start. But I've met people who had a healthy BMI who were obviously living a lifestyle that took a huge toll on their body, I've met people at an "overweight" or "underweight" BMI who looked fine, were active, ate healthy, etc.

Charts are never a substitute for critical thinking- If you were calculating your BMR and eating below it, but not losing weight for several months, you'd either adjust the way you counted your calories or eat less or more, right? Because your BMR might vary slightly from average.It's not that the equation you were using was BS, or that your body is somehow defying the laws of thermodynamics, it's just that the chart is based on an average and you are an individual, and suddenly you eat a little more or a little less and BING! you found your "sweet spot" calorically. If I get 8 hours of sleep a night, I feel like crap on a crap cracker, If I get 4-5 hours of sleep a night I feel great. I'm not going to keep sleeping for 8 hours a night just because it's the RDA of sleep if it doesn't work for me!

Most medical professionals agree that BMI is an easy, offhand tool to start deciding if someone is overweight, but it's only one tool in the arsenal. Don't get so caught up on any one measurement that you lose sight of why you are doing this- I'm 90% sure all of us are getting in better shape so we can be healthier, feel better, and look nicer, and that type of quality of life is not measured by a number.

I love you! For you:flowerforyou:

nwg74

The BMI formula has been around for 200 years for populations not individuals. It was renamed to BMI in the 70's and suddenly suitable for individuals.

BMI is not realistic to me.

CoachReddy

Here I am in a size 6 dress at Banana Republic, 5'4 BMI 29.3. Yes I still am trying to lose weight (why else would I be here) but for me, BMI is NOT realistic. I am aiming for a BMI of 25-26.

why are you trying to lose weight if you don't think you're overweight? this is what confuses me.

finallydetermined

My daughter is a high-performance athlete (competitive swimmer) who has a body fat % far below what is recommended for her age however she eats more then I every could (she's only 15). She can swim fly for an hour without issue!!! She was playing on a friends Wii and it "measured" the BMI based on her height and weight and it said she was at the top end of healthy bordering on overweight!!!!! She laughed....so at 15 to know the tool is completely useless should tell everyone something.....putting in two or three numbers to define "health" cannot. It does not account for your activity level, body fat, body frame, etc.

Measurements, determining your body fat percent and how you feel are the best indicators of "healthy weights"

Good luck!!!

Yep - same thing happened to my niece when she was in high school. She was annorexic and had a perfectly healthy BMI because of her muscle mass since she was an athlete. The poor thing had major health problems because of the damage from annorexia but if you looked only at her BMI she was perfect

aliciaje

When did I say I didn't think I was overweight?

I am just making a point that for me, an overweight BMI (26) is a healthy weight.

ryry_

I would also add that people shouldn't be using the whole BMI can overestimate people with an athletic build as a reason to remain overweight (or more accurately Overfat). Everyone needs to reflect and ask if they are at a health bf %. Don't use it as an excuse to not lose the extra fat that may be causing you health problems. Not my place to judge that but something to think about.

If you are not an athlete and have not been lifting for a signifcant amount of time to build muscle mass, chances are it's probably more accurate for you than others.

runningagainstmyself

I would have to get down to 140 lbs to have a mid range BMI, that is just not realistic. I would be comfortable at 160-170 but that still puts me at overweight BMI. Are BMI a realistic measuring tool for most people?

My highest 'healthy' BMI is at 179lb. At my leanest I've ever only been 172lb, and the 'mid-range' weight is about 165lb. I think for me to be that weight, I'd have to be suffering from some kind of eating disorder. Seriously.

So yeah, BMI isn't the be-all, end-all. It doesn't account for everything. The trick is (and I learned this the hard way) not to use it as an excuse for failing to transition to a healthy lifestyle.

SarahBeth0625

I honestly think the military body fat calculator is a far better tool.

mrphil86

BMI is an old system from the early 1900's and I have no idea why anybody still uses it.

We have tools to figure out BF%'s

Topsking2010

My doctor swears by BMI and think I am overweight being 6 feet tall 191 pounds.

I must agree I need to lose 10 pounds.

CoachReddy

When did I say I didn't think I was overweight?

I am just making a point that for me, an overweight BMI (26) is a healthy weight.

based on what, out of curiosity?

lindafjohnson

i agree with the unrealistic.. i am now at 175 and still considered obese. At about 160 I am overweight. My goal is 150 so i guess i will still be overweight. When i went to the dr last wk and got my blood work done I received a paper in the mail with the results and it had my BMI at 34%. I have never seen it before

CoachReddy

BMI is an old system from the early 1900's and I have no idea why anybody still uses it.

We have tools to figure out BF%'s

that are also wildly inaccurate.

dimsumkitty

I honestly think the military body fat calculator is a far better tool.

What, the tool that underestimated mine by 5% and said my OH had a negative body fat percentage? :noway:

CoachReddy

I would have to get down to 140 lbs to have a mid range BMI, that is just not realistic. I would be comfortable at 160-170 but that still puts me at overweight BMI. Are BMI a realistic measuring tool for most people?

My highest 'healthy' BMI is at 179lb. At my leanest I've ever only been 172lb, and the 'mid-range' weight is about 165lb. I think for me to be that weight, I'd have to be suffering from some kind of eating disorder. Seriously.

So yeah, BMI isn't the be-all, end-all. It doesn't account for everything. The trick is (and I learned this the hard way) not to use it as an excuse for failing to transition to a healthy lifestyle.

how tall are you if you don't mind me asking?

jessilee119

I agree that BMI has its limitations as pointed out by some of the other posters. Although I prefer to use body fat percentage as a means of tracking my progress, it is more difficult to accurately measure than BMI.

Unless you are very short or extremely muscular, BMI is a good indicator for most adults which can easily be determined.

Here is an excellent brief summary (from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute) on how to assess your weight and health risk using BMI:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm

Vibrams!! Do you love yours? I love mine-especially for aerobics where other shoes try to come off my feet :happy:

Rhondacjohnson

No way r they realistic. I looked up my child's just for curiosity and it considers her overweight, almost obese. She is perfectly healthy, she isn't overweight or under for that matter, and that's just not her mother talking, her doctor too. You have to look like death eating a cracker to fit into that thing.

mrphil86

BMI is an old system from the early 1900's and I have no idea why anybody still uses it.

We have tools to figure out BF%'s

that are also wildly inaccurate.

Uh... yeah... so is BMI. There is only one method to BMI vs BF%. So of course there are some really bad BF% calculators out there.

Density is not a new concept and we have a pretty good idea how to measure it.

JazzyTimmy

She keeps telling me that it's not realistic for her to be my weight because she'd be just skin and bones. I ask if I looked like skin and bones, no, she thinks I look good. So why would she be skin and bones and I look fine? Because she's been 240 for so long her head can't get around that she could lose over 100 lbs and not be sickly.

This. I need to remember it.

TheFitnessTutor

BMI is good for insurance companies charging you more. That's about it. I'm obese according to bmi.

mrphil86

I honestly think the military body fat calculator is a far better tool.

What, the tool that underestimated mine by 5% and said my OH had a negative body fat percentage? :noway:

The only way that is possible is if your neck is bigger than your stomach... Yeah....

bcattoes

My daughter is a high-performance athlete (competitive swimmer) who has a body fat % far below what is recommended for her age however she eats more then I every could (she's only 15). She can swim fly for an hour without issue!!! She was playing on a friends Wii and it "measured" the BMI based on her height and weight and it said she was at the top end of healthy bordering on overweight!!!!! She laughed....so at 15 to know the tool is completely useless should tell everyone something.....putting in two or three numbers to define "health" cannot. It does not account for your activity level, body fat, body frame, etc.

Measurements, determining your body fat percent and how you feel are the best indicators of "healthy weights"

Good luck!!!

Yep - same thing happened to my niece when she was in high school. She was annorexic and had a perfectly healthy BMI because of her muscle mass since she was an athlete. The poor thing had major health problems because of the damage from annorexia but if you looked only at her BMI she was perfect

No. BMI does not measure anything other than how a person's weight fits into the national averages. So, looking only at BMI, her weight was perfect.

Using a tool incorrectly does make the tool bad.

mnqi

To me BMI is a quide and maybe is unrealistic because it doesn't take into consideration muscle, sex, etc. However, for me, I am obese and to hear I have a BMI of 36% is daunting. So, for now, I look at trying to be "overweight". That is the goal for now. Taking it in small steps. According to the doctors I can weigh between 100-140lbs. I can't imagine that.....so my goal is get under 200lbs and my BMI will be 33%....small goals working toward fitness. Good luck

Bridget0927

She keeps telling me that it's not realistic for her to be my weight because she'd be just skin and bones. I ask if I looked like skin and bones, no, she thinks I look good. So why would she be skin and bones and I look fine? Because she's been 240 for so long her head can't get around that she could lose over 100 lbs and not be sickly.

This. I need to remember it.

YES!!!!!!!!! Its this, people get used to what they are and can't imagine something so drastically different. Also we have become so changed in our perception, just because most in america are overweight doesnt mean thats how we should be.
Same goes the other way just because some models, or famous folk are underweight doesnt mean we should be that either.
I think the BMI tool is excellent, and yes ppl have rightly pointed out that the extremes like athletes and other very muscular individuals can go outside the range that is the case with any chart, there are always outliers. I would wager at least 95% of the people on this are not in this category.

theblackspot

We all live in the rich part of the world Europe or the north Americas, where getting enough to eat is easy for most. Not becoming overweight is hard, we are encouraged to eat and snack and grow wider. Over time we all get used to seeing bigger people as normal. You compare yourself and decide your normal, regardless of the facts that we weigh more and have more calorie rich foods. So when people say, 'bmi has to be wrong, as it says I'm fat or obese, when there are clearly people fatter than me', it doesn't mean they aren't fat. It just means people are fatter than them. My bmi says I'm overweight. If I loose 14 lbs I won't be. But if I loose 56lbs I won't be underweight just skinny! If I then hit the gym hard, and put on over 56lbs of pure muscle, then my bmi will suggest I am over weight. If you are trying to lose weight, and are going to the gym and building muscles, good on you. But you are probably still carrying a lot of fat too. If you can see your six pack, and it says you are obese, then bmi is wrong, but if you can't...