BMI for a 5'9" Female...seems unrealistic??

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  • lizzie1242
    lizzie1242 Posts: 1
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    I'm 5'9 and was very athletic in high school. I'm a junior in college, and I still play volleyball or swim at least once a week, and most of the time I'm pushing to stay at 120. I eat normal amount and am not THAT active, but I don't gain weight. So technically according to the range I'd be underweight. If you saw me though, I'm skinny, but I look healthy, I AM healthy.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    I wish I was on the tiny side of the 5'9" body build lol. :grumble:

    I swim a LOT and gained a lot of muscle in the past 2 months. So I'm not going to worry too much about BMI guidelines anymore. I just want to be healthy, enjoy shopping, feel good in a bikini, and not get tired going up a flight of stairs (Which I don't anymore haha!).

    Thanks you for the feedback. Feel free to add me if you'd like. I give good support...teehee. :laugh:

    First bmi and weight are not effective measures for athletic men and women. Second, not to burst your bubble, if you are on a deficit then you did not gain muscle. You probably gained strength and lost fat but did not gain new lean body mass (sorry i am a stickler for semantics).

    Btw, i am a guy and at 5'11, 194 lbs and 12% body fat i am classified as over weight in bmi and weight. You are better off tracking body fat.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    125 is the lowest healthy weight within the range and most "normal" weight women fall somewhere around 20-21 (these are THIN WOMEN)...I wouldn't make my goal to be the very lowest healthy weight.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
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    If you look and feel good, I'd ignore the BMI charts. They aren't set in stone.
  • PrettyUgly18
    PrettyUgly18 Posts: 31 Member
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    I'm 5'9 and I started at 170, but people were telling me you don't to lose weight blahblahblah, its all about how you feel.
    im now at 154 and i'm still not comfortable in my own skin , my goal is to maintain between 140 and 135
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I'm 5'9" and although pregnant now, when I wasn't pregnant I could comfortably maintain at 140-145. I got to 130 when I was really pushing hard with the exercise. I guess it depends on your frame. I never felt comfortable in my skin above 150 but I don't have a big frame.
  • samanthawarren
    samanthawarren Posts: 120
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    I think everyones body is different. When I was in my 20's I was 145. Much heavier than my friends who wore the same size clothes as me. It used to frustrate me that I was 20 lbs heavier than my best friend, and yet we wore exactly the same size clothes. Then one day I invited her to play tennis with me and realized that I was much more fit than she was. I don't know if that could really account for such a difference, but I could never get below 145. I was pretty cut as well, you could see definition in my arms, legs, but, abs. I think once you get the body you want you should forget about the weight.
    By the way I am 5'8"
  • tonightokayalright
    tonightokayalright Posts: 289 Member
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    I'm currently 153 lbs at 5'9" and I think I look good, but there's definitely a few more pounds to lose.

    The thing to consider is that your scale doesn't differentiate between a pound of fat and a pound of muscle. I don't have much muscle mass, so I can go lower. When I decide to make gains, I'll be heavier, but look relatively the same.
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
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    Forget weight and BMI. I'd say body fat percentage is a better indicator than the scale. But out of all, the mirror is what's important :)
  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,118 Member
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    I am 5'9" and talked to my doctor about a healthy weight and he told me for my body type it is more realistic for me to be around 170 - 200lb area. I was 129lb in high school but I never ate and used diet pills. So for me it is not a healthy option. I would rather be healthy than unhealthy. Plus I am large chested and there is nothing I can do about that.
  • tvanhooser
    tvanhooser Posts: 326 Member
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    Well, I am NOT 5'9" but the low end of BMI recommendations border on anorexic in my opinion for me too. I don't want to push the limit of being unhealthy on either end, over OR underweight so I am aiming for the middle of the recommended range. But it seems to me that you are close enough to the healthy range that you could just drop a few more pounds and if that's enough to make you happy or even if you want to stay right where you are, you are not in any serious danger health-wise. Just go with what satisfies you....you are who you are no matter what the scale says so don't let the number define you!
  • makemewannadie
    makemewannadie Posts: 401 Member
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    I find bmi charts a bit useless/not that helpful really... I think it's important to take your frame into consideration. I'm 5'11 and currently 150ish (haven't weighed myself in a while!) I want to get to 135/140 or so again. At 16 I weighed 115 which was definitely erring on the side of being too thin and I can see that now; I felt good between 130-140 though, but just let my weight slip up a bit! I have a very small frame considering i'm a tall girl. Someone else with a medium or larger frame would totally need to weigh more in my opinion to look and feel good/comfortable. Whatever makes you happy :)
  • meovaldi1
    meovaldi1 Posts: 1
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    from a males perspective im 5'8'' 140 and recently lost 80 pounds in a 2 year period. 1/3 of my weight is quite an amount to lose but i think it's not unrealistic for an active lifestyle.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    These things are meant to be general guidelines, not absolute law for every person. I don't think a few pounds over what the chart says will make a big difference. If it is a concern, check with your doctor.
  • jessicataylor2
    jessicataylor2 Posts: 150
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    This just shows how off BMI really is, I've never been in the healthy range of it. I'm 5'8" and I've always been in the "underweight" section of it but my doctors have always told me that I'm healthy, even with a BMI of 16. It really just depends on your body's structure.
  • anniebasterd
    anniebasterd Posts: 2
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    personally i think the BMI is bs and doesn't account for some of the most important factors regarding weight. for me, I am 5'9" and I have fluctuated between 135-165 for years. 135 was way too thin for me, and my body tends to want to stay around 160, but i'm most comfortable at 145. it's different for everyone, I say disregard the BMI entirely, personally I think it's just a tool used to make people feel bad about their weight. cheers!
  • twentyquestions
    twentyquestions Posts: 5 Member
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    I'm 5'9" and currently weigh around 135 give or take a pound or two most days. I don't track calories anymore but my weight is slowly creeping down. When I got to 165 at my (non pregnant) highest I was very uncomfortable and didn't like the way I looked or felt. I could lose another 5-10 pounds and still feel and look and be quite healthy (and run better). I'm also an athlete (runner) and don't think that BMI is a bad measure. I know I'm in the minority on that one but the 40 pound range is pretty wide and has room for different body types and preferences.
  • oceangirl37
    oceangirl37 Posts: 37 Member
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    I'm 5'9 and currently weigh184 lbs. Right now I'm overweight according to every bmi chart out there, but I'm healthier than I've ever been. In high school and college, I weighed around 130 lbs and I was out of breath just after running a lap around the track and I ate absolute junk. Today I have muscle and can hike and snowshoe for hours. My goal is between 165-170. but 125 lbs?? No freaking way man. At 130 people asked me if I was anorexic or a heroin addict. I HATED how bony I looked and was miserable in my skin. so, I'm going to say go with the weight you feel healthy at not what some chart says.

    Oh and my profile pic is old. it's me over 200 lbs, not that you can tell under zombie makeup. I need a new one to show off my progress
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,926 Member
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    Only speaking from experience, I'm 5'11,147 and 34 years old (medium frame) and still could afford to lose some fat. For my BMI the highest "healthy weight" is 179. So I would think 5'9 and 165 would be easily attainable.

    Unless you are very large framed or VERY athletic, the high range of your BMI should be attainable. I honestly never though at 190 I'd ever see below 160, but I worked and worked and I love what I see. I'm not boney, still have curves (34D and 38" hips).
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    BMI is not supposed to be applicable to athletes, any healthcare professional will tell you it is for the general population. The ranges do take most frames into consideration but cannot account for high muscle mass.

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