my goal weight is overweight according to BMI

Cheeky_0102

I know it's different for everyone, but really?! I'm tall (5'7) and I have big hands and feet, and not a petite frame... when I get to 160, I'm a size 8, I can do up a size 6 even... do I need to be smaller than that? I got down to 155, and my hands looked old and shriveled, I also had to lose muscles to get that weight off... is it possible that 160 is a really healthy weight for me and that the BMI is just wrong for me? people suggested the first time I was losing that I should aim for 140... and I see people on here that are my height aiming for 130... Am I so used to being fat that I have the wrong idea of what skinny for me is?

Cheeky_0102

can you see this pic?
this is me at my fittest; I was around 158 lbs... do I look fat still?

servilia

No you definitely don't look overweight to me.

DalekBrittany

BMI is a very debated thing around here. If you have been that weight before and think you looked good, then go for that and don't pay attention to that stupid chart. But if you get there and decide you could lose some more, go for that too. I think too many people get obsessed with how they are "supposed" to look/weigh rather than how they feel and look when they get there. Granted, there is such a thing as underweight, too, but most people realize what that looks like.

Also, if you want to avoid losing muscle, just work some weight training and resistance into your workouts I really gotta work on my arms...my legs are f*cking KILLER, though! (I do a lot of walking and biking with a high resistance :laugh:)

Jobeth1961

No you don't look fat but more to the point, you look happy. If you feel good, enjoy a healthy lifestyle ~ drop the numbers game. Don't judge yourself by others goals, set your own.

nxd10

First, I think you look great - muscly and with a thin face and hands.

Second, 'overweight' in BMI talk means you are in a zone above the 'ideal weight'. You actually aren't at risk for health issues.

Third, BMI is a measure of populations, not individuals. People who have a lot of muscles will be heavier per height. My husband is classified as 'obese'. He is overweight. He's not even close to obese. He is a tai chi instructors with muscles like iron. When he loses all his fat he will still be classified as overweight.

Finally, I looked just like you at 170 (I'm 5'10" and 54). I think I looked fine. I think YOU look fine. I'm now back to my post-college weight of 155. I'm shooting for 150. And yeah, I look and feel better. You have a bit of fat on your gut that it wouldn't hurt you to lose. Abdominal fat isn't healthy for you in many ways.

Whether or not you decide to lose it though, is completely up to you. It won't make you unhealthy. All of us look different. That's a good thing.

Cheeky_0102

this picture is 5 years old. I'm working back to this... it just gets me that the BMI charts still say you are overweight. Bite me. I was so much fitter than most of the skinny people I knew. I glowed, my skin was radiant... I'm 24 lbs from this still.

nxd10

No you don't look fat but more to the point, you look happy. If you feel good, enjoy a healthy lifestyle ~ drop the numbers game. Don't judge yourself by others goals, set your own.

Like she said.

Amazon_Who

BMI can be used as a guideline not something written in stone. I think your goal weight should be based on how you feel and your health.

JeanMBK

No you don't look fat but more to the point, you look happy. If you feel good, enjoy a healthy lifestyle ~ drop the numbers game. Don't judge yourself by others goals, set your own.

Well said

retiree2006

BMI is just a basic guideline and isn't one size fits all. Too many other factors. Many say go by body fat % to be more accurate...but I think when you look healthy and feel comfortable with the weight you reach, then that's more important. I would have to lose another 8 lbs. myself to reach a "normal" BMI, and at that weight I no longer look healthy but more emaciated. So don't use it as the final determinant of health.

tanashai

Pffft, I'm 5'7" too and 160 is my goal weight. i chucked BMI out the window, lol! I just don't think I'd look very good at 150 lbs anymore; I'd be a stick and lose my curves. body fat percentage always seemed more important to me.

rachiepoo91

If you feel an attachment to numbers as a mark of your progress, which most of us do, combined with size (also a number) and how we feel, maybe you should measure your body fat percentage instead. That really is a better measure of fitness than BMI.

MissPerfect2012

My goal weight is 140lbs and 10st which is apparently overweight for my height

RedneckMomma77

If you feel that you look and feel good at a weight that is classified as overweight by the BMI chart (which is BS and out-dated), set your goal at that weight and don't look back until you get there. When you get there you can decide if you want to maintain there, or lose more. That is totally up to you!

Good luck and God bless.

CristinaL1983

I'm 5'7'' with a large frame (just over the border of medium/large) I just adjusted my goal weight to 145 because I decided I want to get to a lower body fat than I had originally planned and calculated out what that weight would be for that goal. If that number had turned out to be 165 (at 17% body fat) that's what I would have shot for BMI can go suck it. Turns out that that body fat level is well within BMI range so whatever.

I would rather feel good and look good and be at the body fat percent that I want to (for the look I want) than worry about what BMI says.

watfordjc

My goal weight is 2.7 lb less than my lean mass. A normal BMI for me is below 11% body fat (unless I lose some lean mass). I set my goal weight when I thought I was an inch shorter and in the middle of the normal BMI range, with the assumption 20% of my weight loss would be from lean mass (will find out in a week on my next Bod Pod assessment if I'm still gaining lean mass).

If my goal is impossible, it just means I might have to knock 2-3 months off my expected goal date. Too early to tell. I might graze normal BMI before I switch to increasing muscle mass before dropping further making a normal BMI impossible, no idea.

I still use BMI though as I know I'm 66" tall and lb/66/66*703 is easy to type in the calculator to see where I'm at (I'm now Obese Class I, down from Obese Class III). I still need to lose another 5.25" off my waist before I move from the red "high health risks" to the pink "increasing health risks" on my tape measure, so I'm a long way away from making a decision on a realistic goal weight.

As long as your time-frame and weekly target is realistic, you'll make progress towards your goal weight. As you get closer to it, you may well change it in either direction.

meganfoster12

I am 5'7 and my doctor told me to get down to 160 and not focus on BMI....

Kst76

At my goal weight I am at a BMI of 24.7 ( 145 pounds ). So almost overweight. Which is ridiculous. I wrote on here before, that at that weight I was a size 6 in almost all clothing. I was told by people here that I should not look at clothing sizes because of vanity sizing, which is a bunch of bull. I believe you should look at how clothes fit you along with how you feel, your energy level and so on. When I was 145 pounds ( at 5'5") I was in extremely good shape. I ran everyday for one hour at a 7 mph pace. I spent probably 8 hr a week at the gym. So yes, I was a size 6 ( maybe less ) and I was in great shape but he BMI told me I was overweight. So my opinion of the BMI is garbage.

neandermagnon

go by body fat percentage not BMI

BMI was designed for comparing populations (and it's not too great at that either) not for telling individuals if they have too much body fat. BMI only looks at height and weight, not muscle mass, bone density or frame size. Body fat percentage, if measured in a reliable way (I'd advise using 2-3 different ways of measuring it at least) tells you how much fat you are carrying.

My lean body mass is in the healthy range of BMI for my height. (130lb, 22%bf, 101lb LBM, healthy range for my height: 100-132lb) My ultimate goal is to gain at least 5lb of muscle, while having a healthy range body fat percentage, that's likely to mean that my goal weight is overweight according to BMI (I'm currently only 2lb away from that as it is).... if my body fat percentage is in the healthy range, then I really don't care what BMI says.

Leigh Peele's blog has a free download on body fat percentage, the pros and cons of different ways of measuring it, and pictures of women and men at different body fat percentages.

marciebrian

No you don't look fat but more to the point, you look happy. If you feel good, enjoy a healthy lifestyle ~ drop the numbers game. Don't judge yourself by others goals, set your own.

Completely THIS! I think you look fabulous and one person's goals should not impact your own. I agree you look happy and HEALTHY!! You decide what you should weigh not some chart. Congratulations you look great!:flowerforyou:

Theresafinallygetsitright

I'm right there with ya! 191 pounds and a size 10. Had a dexa scan this week to get a better idea about body fat with all this loose skin and my BMI will still be overweight, even taking into account the extra skin, when by body fat is at 24%. Those numbers don't apply well to those of us whose lean body mass is higher. The thing is though, our health insurance would still consider us as risk which is stupid!!! Thank for letting me get on my soapbox for a minute

lithezebra

BMI is an average range, for statistical purposes. If you're an outlier, it might not work for you. You could have your body fat percentage tested, and aim for the healthy range, or you could just stick with your goal, which sounds, and looks, great.

ghhosstt

i have a very petite frame and the opposite issue when it comes to the bmi charts. It's just meant to be a guideline based on averages and not a rule set in stone, especially if you're very athletic and have a lot of muscle tone. You look fantastic at that weight! Like others said, gauge things based on what works for you and how healthy you personally look and feel.

evansproudmama

HI there, I am in a very similar position.. I am also 5'7 and currently I've lost 45 lbs and stuck at 160.4 lbs I did not know what my goal weight should be since I've never been real healthy in my adult life but since a healthy bmi starts at 159 for our height I thought 140 should be perfect. Since I've been halted at this weight for almost three weeks and no matter how much or how little I workout and how clean or dirty I eat I seem to stay at this number unless I binge eat then I will gain weight I am starting to think my body wants me here but I still have belly fat I would like to lose so I decided that I would focus on training for a 10k, tightening my mid section, getting into my size 7 jeans and how my cloths fit instead of watching the dumb scale and bmi chart... long story short I think you should focus on how you feel and how your body looks not what the scale says.. it is a good idea to measure body fat percentage also I think it is much more accurate since those bmi charts are so crazy extreme everyone is so different....

Good luck on your journey and bravo you look great!!

Kst76

BMI is an average range, for statistical purposes. If you're an outlier, it might not work for you. You could have your body fat percentage tested, and aim for the healthy range, or you could just stick with your goal, which sounds, and looks, great.

Where can I get my body fat % checked? Once I reach my goal thats what Im going to do.

Zoejohnse91

Howdy!
Im 5ft 8in and my ideal weight ranges (according to BMI) between 8 stone and 12 stone
My comfortable weight was around 12st 7lb and I was incredibly happy at that Screw the numbers, your target picture looks great!

Just aim for happiness!

professorRAT

... BMI can go suck it.

QFT. I also think BF% is a much better goal than weight and/or BMI.

neandermagnon

BMI is an average range, for statistical purposes. If you're an outlier, it might not work for you. You could have your body fat percentage tested, and aim for the healthy range, or you could just stick with your goal, which sounds, and looks, great.

Where can I get my body fat % checked? Once I reach my goal thats what Im going to do.

google Leigh Peele's blog, it has a free download on body fat percentage with all different ways of measuring it, some that you can do in your own home (although they're less accurate, so it's best to use more than one method) and also more expensive methods like DEXA that you can get done.

RumpusP

No, you look a healthy weight there. In fact, on the thinner side. Chuck BMI and go by what your body feels and looks like.

I'm 5'3" and when I was in my peak physical condition I was 140 which is right on the cusp of healthy/overweight BMI, but my body fat percentage was well within healthy range... I'm prone to a lot of muscle for a female, as is my mother. Once I get to about 130 or below I start having bones stick out unpleasantly and have immune system issues causing me to be ill almost constantly with one thing or another.

Different bodies have different bone and muscle builds. Focus on body fat % and how you look and feel, not BMI.

thecakelocker

My husband is obese according to BMI and he has a 34 waist. So. No. I don't put a ton of faith in BMI.