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

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Replies

  • tvanhooser
    tvanhooser Posts: 326 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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: 1,923 Member
    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
    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.
  • Cindy873
    Cindy873 Posts: 1,165
    I'm 5'9.5" and 128...mostly lean muscle. I've always been slim and the couple of times I've put on a little weight it didn't sit well on my frame.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    I'm 5'9 and I weighed 152 when I was at my goal weight last year. I did look thin in pictures..but I find I look pretty good any where between 150 and 170...the blessing of being tall.
  • determined136
    determined136 Posts: 330
    I had this same concern.

    I am 5'10". At one point in my life I was at 145 and a size 0-2. I was way too thin and on the verge of a serious eating disorder. I have consulted my doctor and a dietitian and they both stated that I have a larger frame and my idea weight would be 180. My dietitan was shocked that I had ever weighed 145.

    My point is don't strive for skinny strive for fit! Be smart about it.... you have to fuel your body to get the most out of it.

    Best of luck to you!!!:bigsmile:
  • hannahmcnally90
    hannahmcnally90 Posts: 1
    I'm also 5'9 and I am In the marine corps. I weigh 150 and I'm very comfortable with that. I think 125-135 is crazy for my height though. I would be sick looking.
  • runningfromzombies
    runningfromzombies Posts: 386 Member
    Ok...so this BMI calculator claims that a "healthy" weight for me would be between 125.3 - 169.3 lbs.

    In high school I was an athlete and I weighed around 163-165 lbs.
    Maybe I'm just being pessimistic...but I don't think I'll be able to get to that weight lol! I feel like 172 is okay for me. I haven't weighed 125 since 7th grade (Even then I was 130!)!!! :indifferent:

    Just wondering if there were any other women who fit into this healthy BMI range and think it's perfect for them. I know all body types are different, but I've never been slim, I'm bigger busted and got some big ole' muscle-y arms! haha! I was just a little taken back by that weight.


    But even so, once I hit my goal weight, most likely, I'm gonna keep tryin' to lose more!

    Thanks :wink:

    BMI is a pretty crap way to measure health--as a former athlete you probably have more muscle mass than the average person they take for BMI, and so you can weigh more and still be healthy. I would go by your body fat % more than those charts.
  • RhondaJenkins66
    RhondaJenkins66 Posts: 1
    I was too of skinny at 135. Gawd I can't believe I weigh almost 90 pounds more than then! Boooo! But 180 is where I looked best in my opinion.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    I'm 5'9" and hover between 125 and 130 without really much effort. Yes, if I snacked unendlessly and ate crappy food like I used to, I'm sure I would weigh in the 200's again.

    The key is to tracking your food.

    When I was heavy, I would have swore I was big boned.

    Now that I'm on the low end of the BMI chart(what one poster wrote as anorexic - yeah thanks for that), my bones are just tike everyone else's.
  • lalala541
    lalala541 Posts: 40
    I raelly have no idea, but I'd think 169 would be the low end for your height. I'm 5'6 and am 154, aiming for 135. Below 130 I'm too bony. I can't imagine you at 5'9 being healthy looking at 125. Sometimes I think we have to go by the mirror and how clothes fit rather than aim for a number, or at least be willing to accept a higher goal weight than originally planned.

    No way 169 is the low end. More like the high end.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    Deleted because I suck at the internet. Damn MFP...
  • franzhaydn
    franzhaydn Posts: 44
    Definitely BMIs don't account for build or %s! I'm 5'9" and 112 lbs but I'm not super skinny because of my build. Others who are same height as me weigh more and still look just as slim - but they are bigger overall with things like thicker wrists and stuff like that!
  • 9kitsune
    9kitsune Posts: 21
    im 5'8" & feel best at 120-125 but its because i have a smaller build. i wouldn't trust bmi calculators too much. everyones body is just too different
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    Ok...so this BMI calculator claims that a "healthy" weight for me would be between 125.3 - 169.3 lbs.

    In high school I was an athlete and I weighed around 163-165 lbs.
    Maybe I'm just being pessimistic...but I don't think I'll be able to get to that weight lol! I feel like 172 is okay for me. I haven't weighed 125 since 7th grade (Even then I was 130!)!!! :indifferent:

    Just wondering if there were any other women who fit into this healthy BMI range and think it's perfect for them. I know all body types are different, but I've never been slim, I'm bigger busted and got some big ole' muscle-y arms! haha! I was just a little taken back by that weight.


    But even so, once I hit my goal weight, most likely, I'm gonna keep tryin' to lose more!

    Thanks :wink:

    I'm 5'10, 171-172 right now and want to go down to 155 or 145. Lowest I have been is 148 or so.

    It also depends on your frame. Big, Medium, Small.

    And it just depends what you are comfortable with.
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    im 5'8" & feel best at 120-125 but its because i have a smaller build. i wouldn't trust bmi calculators too much. everyones body is just too different

    Agree with do not trust BMI calculator's too much.

    My 18 yr old is 5'8, 110, size 0. Very petite frame and very healthy. Never dieted, was always active. Eats what she wants.
  • TomfromNY
    TomfromNY Posts: 100 Member
    BMI is stupid. When Michael Jordan was in his prime, his BMI measure said he was obese.
  • Rosyone
    Rosyone Posts: 74 Member
    My sister is 5'9" and I don't think she's ever weighed as much as 130 lbs in her life, pregnancies aside. I'm a couple of inches shorter with smaller hands and feet and a more rounded build, and for most of our adult lives my "set point" weight has hovered around 5 pounds higher than hers. So I was the heavy sister, despite having always been on the lightweight side of average for my height. Of course neither one of us have a weight problem - we're different sizes because... well, that's just the way our genes sorted themselves out. BMI is a "side of the barn" type of target, and your genes (build) will have more than a little bit to do with where it's best to hit it.
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
    Ok, my stats:
    5'8" 176lbs 31% BF

    Goal:
    164lbs 24% BF

    Which would put me right at the BORDER of healthy/overweight according to BMI for my height, but in the "ideal" range for BF%

    Careful with the whole "frame size" stuff though. I have long legs and broad shoulders, so yes, the "frame" for my major muscle groups (pecs, shoulders, quads, hamstrings) is large. BUT, I have the tiniest bone structure I have ever seen on someone my size. I wear a size six shoe and my wrists are 6" around, I can touch my thumb to my pinky when wrapped around the wrist, so for most BMI charts, I get classified as "small frame" even though that's not really the case. Also, while my bone size is petite, my bone density is very high.

    Could I get down in to the 150's, sure, if I was willing to work that hard (I'm probably not). Could I EVER make it in to the low end range of BMI for my height? According to medical professionals NOOOOOO.

    I'm healthy at my current weight (can run 10 miles and lift heavy things), I'm what I would consider "skinny" in the low 160's and I would be VERY lean in the 150's, but given that my lean body mass is around 124lbs, the 125lbs that BMI charts say is the low end, yeah, doesn't work for me.

    TL;DR - every body is different, go with what works for you.
  • mariejoy1995
    mariejoy1995 Posts: 25 Member
    I'm 6ft, 18 and my healthy weight is 143-176 Pounds. I have been 6ft since I was about 15 and have never ever weighed in the ''healthy Weight Range'' I had always been 10 Pounds over. Going to the doctors they would say that I was ''Overweight'' when really i felt great and healthy. I am quite Lean so I psychically don't look as much as I weigh
    I am now 70 pounds overweight and on the journey to lose it.

    BMI's are silly at times as everyone IS different- Different shapes, Sizes, muscle Mass, Bone Structure!
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    Since you asked, the healthy bmi range works for me.
    I'm 5'9" and 145. I've been steady at this weight now for a month or so without logging my food. My big weight loss on the ticker is from my pregnancy high weight but all my adult life I've been 140-145 when not logging to lose and when not overeating. I start looking chubby above 150. I've also been down to 130 when I was logging and exercising consistently.
    I would get your body fat percentage measured to have a better idea of where you are.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    Old thread gaaaah. I've already replied to it in 2012 lol
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    I am 5"8 and was 154 ish when I was an undergrad. Try as hard as you can to get to 166, and see how you feel.

    P.S. You seem to be rather "buxom". When I was 154 I was much less well endowed, so your "assets" may be hampering you a bit :smile:
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