Do BMI's seem unrealistic to anyone else?

I was considered overweight according to BMI in this pic.. BMI is not only a joke but dangerous!! I have seen countless teenage girls on here posting about trying to get under 110-115 lbs because thats where BMI says they should be and they dont have another once of fat to lose looking at their pics.

110-115 pounds seems like a perfectly acceptable weight for some teenage girls especially if they are under 5'5". I'm not saying that it's perfect for everyone or that there won't be some outliers but to completely dismiss it as a joke or even dangerous is, frankly, pretty stupid.

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 even think it's an outlier - it's just a shift in perception among an entire population as to what's considered "good", "normal", or what look is considered "desirable"

the BMI scale hasn't changed since it was designed in the 1850s... we have.

1850's??? Like I said, BMI is a joke.

I'm sorry, how does perception change what is healthy?

are you talking to me?

that's the opposite of what i'm saying. I'm saying BMI has been consistent since the 1850s, and the only reason people think it's a terrible metric is that our perception of "normal" as a society has begun to skew higher in weight, so we think that being 189lbs at 6'1" is "ridiculous" and "justin-bieber-looking", when in fact it's perfectly healthy.

get what i'm saying?

The "overweight" category was expanded in recent years to include those bmi's that were previously considered "normal" There no medical reason for most people to need to be in the "normal" weight category.. Yes, you don't want to be obese.. but for most people they are just as healthy in the "overweight" range. Actually, many women receive some protective qualities from being slightly in the "overweight" category.

Actually, none of that is true. Not too many years ago, a BMI >27 was the low end of overweight. It was lowered to > 25 as more data was collected and analyzed and it became clear that people with higher BMIs were not healthy*.

*that doesn't mean they can't be healthy, it means that statistically most are not.

I 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.

My BMI puts me in the overweight range.

I 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.

MINE

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.

My BMI puts me in the overweight range.

BMI can suck it...you are smokin' hot babe!

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.

I'm 5 lbs over "obese" in this picture:

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.

Right? My ex broke up with me because I lost too much weight. LOL

Chubby chaser.

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

You're my body twin! 5'3" tall, 150, carry weight in hips, thighs, butt. The only difference is that I want to lose 15 lbs still, but I don't carry a lot of muscle so I've still got a few pudgy spots I can get rid of.

bmi suck balls !!!!!!!!!!!!

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.

Yes, I'm close to obese

BMI is a poor indicator of progress/success/health. It's a height to weight ratio that doesn't separate LBM and fat.