Always gonna be fat according to BMI

BMI was created to analyse averages for demographics, countries and race etc

It should not be applied to individual people. There are many overweight/obese people on here who have a bf% below 20% so don't worry about it.

You want to change your life for the better that's what matters.

Try to focus on health, not so much on the # on the scale or BMI. What's important is that you're healthy and have a body that makes you feel comfortable doing what you love and living your best life.

Why don't you just get to 160 and worry about this later. You can see how you feel at 160, and see if you want to re-adjust. Weight loss is hard enough sometimes. Don't get upset about something like this prematurely.

Agreed

BMI is not very good at the individual level it is better for populations. Having said that, except for extremely athletic people, it is a pretty good general guideline. There was a time in my life that I spent a whole bunch of time in the gym and had a high lean body mass and was "overweight" according to BMI though my body fat was low. Right now, my BMI says that I am overweight and I am not at a body fat percentage that I am happy with so it is pretty accurate.

It is entirely possible that your scale is not accurate at giving your body fat percentage/lbm. Body fat scales, like BMI are good on average but on an individual level can be wildly off. If you have your body fat measured professionally, bod pod, hydrostatic weighing, or DXA scan, you might have a better idea.

The more overweight people are, the more muscle they tend to have (with no exercise at either level) because it takes more muscle to move around. When people lose weight, unless they are very careful, they tend to lose lean body mass. Regardless of deficit, without a weight lifting program in place, the body will need less muscle on a day to day basis. Which means that the amount of lean body mass you have now will not be the same as the amount of lean body mass you will have in 120 lbs.

Lifting weights as you lose weight will help you keep the muscle mass you have now. When you get down to 160 you may realize that you want to lose more weight and can readjust your goals but you may also realize that you are at 20% body fat and are happy there. BMI doesn't really matter if it isn't accurate.

I think that if you start a good lifting program now and keep up with it, you will be more likely to get to that weight and be happy with your body fat percentage.

Other than that, there isn't really anything you can do about it now and being at 160 will surely be better for you and make you happier than you are right now, so don't sweat it.

Good Luck.

I never really worried about BMI. I try to tell my best friend not to worry about it either. She is 4'11" and 158lbs, she is in the obese category, but I swear nothing on her jiggles ever! I am the same weight and almost have a foot on her and I jiggle way more than she does.

Who cares what the BMI tells you? Look in the mirror first, worry about external stuff last.

According to the calculators I tried, 5'2" and 160 lbs is 29.3 BMI which is considered OVERWEIGHT, not OBESE. OBESE is 30 or greater.

I set my initial goal weight at what it would take to get me out of OBESE and into OVERWEIGHT, which is exactly what 160 is for you.

Although I know not to rely on BMI, mentally I need to get out of OBESE. Hopefully I will reach that goal and keep going from there, but I need a number to focus on right now, so that is why I chose one the number I did.

Lifting weights as you lose weight will help you keep the muscle mass you have now. When you get down to 160 you may realize that you want to lose more weight and can readjust your goals but you may also realize that you are at 20% body fat and are happy there. BMI doesn't really matter if it isn't accurate.

5'2, 160 lbs, 20% bodyfat is about 2 months of cutting from being a competition bodybuilder. That's a huge amount of lean mass for a woman.

No it's not. I'm 5'2", 99.5 and 20 percent body fat and I haven't done lifting of any kind for months. I know it's hard, but you need more background. A woman bodybuilder would be far below 20 percent, and 160 is not a healthy weight for a woman our height. But I would focus on getting there first.

Lifting weights as you lose weight will help you keep the muscle mass you have now. When you get down to 160 you may realize that you want to lose more weight and can readjust your goals but you may also realize that you are at 20% body fat and are happy there. BMI doesn't really matter if it isn't accurate.

5'2, 160 lbs, 20% bodyfat is about 2 months of cutting from being a competition bodybuilder. That's a huge amount of lean mass for a woman.

It's right about the lean mass that I have (of course, I'm 5" taller). I'm just making the point that there is no way to know what body composition will be once the OP loses 125lbs. Worrying about it now won't really help anything.

As you said, it's not a precise measurement for individuals, but it usually is a pretty accurate guide for people unless they have exceptionally dense bones or musculature.

I looked up your BMI at 160 and I agree with the other posts that said you would be "overweight" not "obese". But don't get hung up on either. You know you need to lose weight. 160 is a good goal to shoot for right now. Much more reasonable than trying to get to 115 or something. So focus on losing weight and being healthy. I looked at your inspirations on your home page and you said your son Mikey. So make this about him, not some number, whether it be weight or your BMI. Hang in there and good luck!