Obese according to BMI but healthy - how much shoyld I lose?

starvinkevin
starvinkevin Posts: 331
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys,

I have a very heavy body build and am currently at a BMI of 31. I used to be a heavy lifter so that may have contributed to my high bmi but what confuses me is how much I should aim to lose. My health is perfect right now with a bp averaging around 110-115 over 60-70 and I have very good cardio health (Just started running 2.5 weeks ago after a 1.5yr hiatus and am already at 5 miles @ 9min pace. The last time I lost a lot of weight I got down to a bmi of 25.7 which gave me a visible 4 pack but everyone said I looked too skinny.... Despite still being overweight at that BMI. Should I be aiming for my recommended 140ish? I know if I aim for that I will have to make drastic changes to my current diet/exercise program

Replies

  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    BMI is not the best way to judge how much to lose. I am considered overweight according to BMI and I would have to lose another 20lbs to be in the healthy range. Not going to happen.

    Don't let a chart depict your goals.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Few different things going on.

    It's possible to be healthy and have layers of fat.
    There are a lot of fat people who want to think someone who isn't fat is "too skinny".
    BMI is a very simple ratio of height and weight.

    Given a probable 15-18% bodyfat at 25.7 BMI, achieving a "normal" BMI of 24-25 seems pretty reasonable to me. But if ab definition is a scary thing, then go with whatever you're comfortable looking at.
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
    Find a place with an inBody machine. Do the assessment. It will tell you how much body fat you have, and other very useful information.

    Just be honest with your height.
  • beekay70
    beekay70 Posts: 214 Member
    BMI is not a good way to evaluate an individual. Get your body fat percentage checked and shoot for a healthy range. Or go to: http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/. There you will see a pictorial representation of body fat to help you gauge where you are versus where you want to be.
  • beekay70
    beekay70 Posts: 214 Member
    You can use this tool to help illustrate what you would look like at different weights: http://www.modelmydiet.com/men.html
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    For someone with muscle and dense bones (due to weight training), BMI is not accurate. I agree with the others telling you to get your body fat % checked. This is a much better measure for you. My daughter was "overweight" by BMI but only had 9% body fat using calipers.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    My daughter was "overweight" by BMI but only had 9% body fat using calipers.

    That's more muscular than most Ms Olympia contestants. Impressive.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    My daughter was "overweight" by BMI but only had 9% body fat using calipers.

    That's more muscular than most Ms Olympia contestants. Impressive.

    She was working like a mad woman at the time. Her legs were pure muscle from skiing and running hurdles.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    For someone with muscle and dense bones (due to weight training), BMI is not accurate. I agree with the others telling you to get your body fat % checked. This is a much better measure for you. My daughter was "overweight" by BMI but only had 9% body fat using calipers.

    Calipers are notoriously ill used.

    A woman with 9% body fat is a rarity, and can be extremely dangerous.

    You're saying your daughter had the same, or less, body fat than the first woman here:

    http://www.builtlean.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/body-fat-percentage-women.jpg

    And here:

    http://www.leighpeele.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/female-8-9-percent-body-fat.jpg
  • bvincentelp
    bvincentelp Posts: 36 Member
    Put up a pic, we'll tell ya if you look healthy or not. Just a BMI number is meaningless, you could be lean and loaded with muscle or you could have a big fat gut.
  • starvinkevin
    starvinkevin Posts: 331
    According to some fat calipers Im at 19%.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    If you are that muscular than I would not want weight to be my goal. You might want to take this from a different approach maybe use your BF% as a goal or some other physical goal. Even a pant size. Focus on fitness and not weight.

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