Do BMI's seem unrealistic to anyone else?

I think body fat percentage is more important than weight, honestly. Once I hit a certain point in my fitness routine, I stop losing weight and start gaining it because I build muscle in place of fat. I continue losing inches off of my waist, thighs and neck, but I usually gain anywhere between 2 and 7 pounds in the process. Once you've started toning your body after weightloss, I think fat percent is more attention-worthy than weight.

I agree, and bf% is the main thing generally. But I will not be easily convinced that even 1/4th of the 33% of Americans who are obese all have ideal or even normal bf%, and that their real problem is too much muscle.

Agreed. I'm seeing a lot of slightly disturbing images floating around of a nation more likely to accept unhealthy weights and out of shape bodies than to strive for health and wellness. I'm also seeing a lot of "skinny" shaming happening lately which is uncalled for, imho. I'm not saying they're bad people, but I AM saying that the bar should not be lowered because there are more people now who refuse to reach it than there used to be. Curves are gorgeous! Being overweight or morbidly obese is really not.

Agree again! Well, I think it would be hard not to want to resist a beauty ideal that is so difficult for people to get anywhere near. That 33% of Americans wouldn't be obese if society didn't make it so easy. Even just walking is not something modern US work arrangements and city design support.

If everyone around you, where you live, work, & study looks so completely different from the most common examples of mid-range BMI (distorted images of celebrities), 'normal' bmi must feel like an unreal thing.

I think body fat percentage is more important than weight, honestly. Once I hit a certain point in my fitness routine, I stop losing weight and start gaining it because I build muscle in place of fat. I continue losing inches off of my waist, thighs and neck, but I usually gain anywhere between 2 and 7 pounds in the process. Once you've started toning your body after weightloss, I think fat percent is more attention-worthy than weight.

I agree, and bf% is the main thing generally. But I will not be easily convinced that even 1/4th of the 33% of Americans who are obese all have ideal or even normal bf%, and that their real problem is too much muscle.

Agreed. I'm seeing a lot of slightly disturbing images floating around of a nation more likely to accept unhealthy weights and out of shape bodies than to strive for health and wellness. I'm also seeing a lot of "skinny" shaming happening lately which is uncalled for, imho. I'm not saying they're bad people, but I AM saying that the bar should not be lowered because there are more people now who refuse to reach it than there used to be. Curves are gorgeous! Being overweight or morbidly obese is really not.

Agree again! Well, I think it would be hard not to want to resist a beauty ideal that is so difficult for people to get anywhere near. That 33% of Americans wouldn't be obese if society didn't make it so easy. Even just walking is not something modern US work arrangements and city design support.

If everyone around you, where you live, work, & study looks so completely different from the most common examples of mid-range BMI (distorted images of celebrities), 'normal' bmi must feel like an unreal thing.

Excellent point. But instead of saying "this is the new OK," we should be figuring out ways to change the norm to better fit a healthier lifestyle. I see this beginning (painfully) slowly in several areas around the US. I'm hoping it takes off in a very good direction soon.

I think body fat percentage is more important than weight, honestly. Once I hit a certain point in my fitness routine, I stop losing weight and start gaining it because I build muscle in place of fat. I continue losing inches off of my waist, thighs and neck, but I usually gain anywhere between 2 and 7 pounds in the process. Once you've started toning your body after weightloss, I think fat percent is more attention-worthy than weight.

I agree, and bf% is the main thing generally. But I will not be easily convinced that even 1/4th of the 33% of Americans who are obese all have ideal or even normal bf%, and that their real problem is too much muscle.

Agreed. I'm seeing a lot of slightly disturbing images floating around of a nation more likely to accept unhealthy weights and out of shape bodies than to strive for health and wellness. I'm also seeing a lot of "skinny" shaming happening lately which is uncalled for, imho. I'm not saying they're bad people, but I AM saying that the bar should not be lowered because there are more people now who refuse to reach it than there used to be. Curves are gorgeous! Being overweight or morbidly obese is really not.

Agree again! Well, I think it would be hard not to want to resist a beauty ideal that is so difficult for people to get anywhere near. That 33% of Americans wouldn't be obese if society didn't make it so easy. Even just walking is not something modern US work arrangements and city design support.

If everyone around you, where you live, work, & study looks so completely different from the most common examples of mid-range BMI (distorted images of celebrities), 'normal' bmi must feel like an unreal thing.

Excellent point. But instead of saying "this is the new OK," we should be figuring out ways to change the norm to better fit a healthier lifestyle. I see this beginning (painfully) slowly in several areas around the US. I'm hoping it takes off in a very good direction soon.

I hope so too. I think a lot of it will have to come, as you suggest, through cultural conversations, because people are so attached to what they think of as freedom from government regulation (around cars/roads, calorie counts on menus, whatever). Which makes things a million times harder for any individual, especially once they've gained weight.

But change is happening, as you point out

And MFP and other sites like it are part of it. I think apps have made it easier for a lot of people to feel more in control of their food intake. And talk to others

BMI doesn't figure in cup size either. I read that a woman with D or DD breasts is carrying an extra 8-10 pounds of weight. Since you can't lose weight from your breasts (once they're down to their natural size, of course), worrying about those extra few pounds isn't worth it. The only way to lose that weight would be a surgical reduction. Nobody can blame you for being heavier in the chest.

'


Whoever told you that you can't lose weight in your breasts once they are natural size was kidding right? All my life, even when I was 14 & skinny as hell I had big boobs. We are talking BIG. Now that I'm down to the same weight I was back then my boobs are way way way smaller than "natural" size for me. I've lost a huge amount from there.

I don't know where some people get BS from. Seriously...boobs are made of fat...once the fat goes unless you have built up the muscle under it......... ummm sorry but your getting smaller.

Ya. This site is pretty bad ayse.

Agree again!

<--- 5'9" 170lbs BMI lists me as overweight.

It puts your BMI at 25.1 which by point 1 is technically over weight but by a miniscule amount as Bmi is abroad brush average approach no one using the scale would say you were overweight. The scale is meant to be used with common sense and not the numbers in isolation. It is a good easy to use general guide it is not meant to be a perfect individual assessment but a general guide.

<--- 5'9" 170lbs BMI lists me as overweight.

It puts your BMI at 25.1 which by point 1 is technically over weight but by a miniscule amount as Bmi is abroad brush average approach no one using the scale would say you were overweight. The scale is meant to be used with common sense and not the numbers in isolation. It is a good easy to use general guide it is not meant to be a perfect individual assessment but a general guide.

I'm know that BMI is a general scale, I'm simply posting the facts provided to me by the BMI scale in order to display one shouldn't judge their physiology based solely on the BMI scale.

^^ Exactly right.

I am using one of those body fat calculators that someone posted, and I need help!
When I stick in my measurements, for my "Hips (at widest)" I plug in the measurement that goes right around my booty, and then it classifies me as obese. However, out of curiosity, I used my hip measurement that is a little higher up (like where jeans button) and with that measurement, I'm classified as Acceptable. The width of both of those measurements are the same, so the only difference is my bottom.

So which of these measurements do I use? I am very confused because one measurement has me at obese, but then I'm acceptable, and that seems like a huge jump to me!

I have a healthy BMI, my waist is 34". I wear a size 4/6 and will never have a <31 inch waist. I am just not built that way. The space between my rib cage and hip is about 1/2". You cannot cookie cutter BMI or waist measurements for everyone. There are always exceptions.

If it's not too TMI, what's your height? I'm guessing you must be a lot taller than my 5'4". When I was a size 4, my waist wasn't over 26 inches at the waistband. I'm guessing the taller you are, the sizes measure differently?

5'-5". I have very narrow hips allowing me to wear smaller sizes, not much difference between waist and hip measurements at all. I would love a 26" waist!

One issue I have with using wrist measurement to determine frame size is that the wrist measurement can change as you lose/gain weight. My wrist is currently 6.75", but I know that isn't its true measurement since I have bracelets I used to wear that don't close around my wrist anymore. To get my true wrist measurement, I'd have to find a watch or bracelet I wore when I weighed 160 pounds, look for the worn-out area where the buckle/clasp used to sit, and measure that for a better approximation.

It's the same for "forearm at the elbow". I can squeeze fat in that area, and based on pictures, I know for a fact that area used to be much smaller. Even my neck has changed quite a bit. I'm wearing a choker I couldn't wear 60 pounds ago because my neck was 3" bigger. So, for me, the Met Life tables and such don't really help when it comes to frame size. I'd have to get an x-ray.