Your thoughts on BMI & ideal weight

I'm the same way. People are shocked when I tell them what I weigh. According to the charts I should weigh about 114. At 127 I looked sick. My neck was sunken in and my spine and ribs showed. I still had chub on my thighs and arms though. I think it's all in how our bodies are made. You'll know when enough is enough. You've got a harder job of losing weight while still letting your daughter know that the most important thing is a healthy and safe body image and to be happy with how you are built. Good luck!!

I understand you on this. I am 5'10 and now weighing 238lbs. No one believes me when I tell them my weight... My ideal is 138-154 lbs, I think that is ridiculous, I will be one skinny. So I am just going to lose until I am comfortable with myself and feeling good. Good Luck...

I think you should probably look at your body fat. Why not use that as a way to measure where you should be? For instance...i'm 5'0 and 117. But people tell me I look skinny and I have a high body fat %, it was at 28 now after 1 month down to 26.8...realistically I could go for 22%, which would probably drop the weight down several more lbs.

I agree that its tricky, but types vary a lot. I would suggest to get to a weight where YOU feel comfortable and healthy. I think the bmi levels seem a bit extreme. My husband is considered "obese" and thats just ridiculous.

I have two daughters. The oldest is starting to worry about her image as well. it's very important that they know their self worth and value now, before some idiot, some chick, some guy try to tell them otherwise. BMI is a bit of a crock to me. I don't believe in the whole big boned theory, but some people do have more muscle mass on their bodies. This is my favorite pic in regards to the whole BMI theory.

Muscle weighs more than fat, so just get your BF % down and don't worry too much about the # on the scale

i have heard many people say 'there is no such thing as being big-boned'. and that's it's just a nice excuse for fat people to feel better. well, i gotta say i firmly believe in being big boned, cause i am. no one ever believes i am the weight i am. i was at the doctor the other day for a physical, and the pretty little young nurse had me get on the scale, the was something wrong with their pro scale, so they had a crappy little bathroom scale that only went to 300lb, and she totally though i would be under 300lb. i had to tell her what my scale at home said cause of course, for the moment, i am still over 300. lol

i also was talking with my younger brother about what my goal weight atm is, and we got talking about what my weight was now...he swore i only had to be around 260lb. i may have to think of something really nice to get for him as a present :P no one thinks i am as heavy as i am, i have big wrists, ankles, feet, hands, shoulders...you name it, and no, it's not because those areas are covered in fat, i have always been that way. my mom is also pretty big boned, and carries her extra weight like i, i just happen to be taller, and a little heavier.

so my thought on BMI and your 'ideal' weight? it should be what you feel comfortable with. if you think you are fine 10lbs above what your ideal weight should be according to your BMI, well then go for it. everybody is different, with a totally unique to them body, and if we were meant to look alike, well...we would look alike

"Limitations of BMI
Although BMI is a reliable indicator of total body fat and predictor of disease risk, it does have some limitations. Since it’s solely based on body weight, the BMI measurement does not differentiate between fat and muscle. So, if you’re an athlete or you have a muscular build, your BMI value may indicate that you’re overweight or obese when in reality, you may have little body fat and a lot of muscle. On the contrary, for people who lost muscle mass (such as older persons or people with injuries), BMI may underestimate the amount of body fat (1).

Also, keep in mind that BMI is only one measurement used to determine health risk. Other factors to consider include waist circumference, family health history and lifestyle habits." http://www.circleofresponsibility.com/page/101/bmi-calculator.htm.

In our heart clinic, we base more of our concern for overweight/obese on waist circumference. For a woman your waist should be less than 35" and for a man, less than 40". And to clarify on where to measure your waist in simple terms, it's the part of your abdomen that goes through the door first! You can't go by your waist size of your pants as sometimes the "stuff" over the top of your pants has a bigger circumference than the waist size of your pants.

The BMI chart gives a fairly wide range of healthy weights for different heights. It's a tool, giving a general idea of a healthy weight for you. I learned in Nutrition in nursing school, that since it does not take into account build or body fat %, it should be used as a general guideline, not gospel. A muscle-bound body builder could very likely come up as being obese because of their weight, even though their body fat may be 8%. Measurements and body fat % are the things I've learned to base my goals on. That, and the way you feel. One of the most dangerous things, is the unseen visceral, or belly, fat. The fat that may surround your organs. I'm not sure that a number on the scale, or in a chart, can tell you this. I would just shoot for a goal that you feel is right for your body! :flowerforyou:

for me be in my ideal BMI, I would need to weigh between 118 and 155. I haven't weighed that since maybe the 5th or 6th grade. Let alone I have one of those muscle mass measuring scales and I have roughly 190 lbs of muscle on my 5'7" frame. Granted I am sure the muscle mass reading isn't 100% accurate but if I were to get down to say 140 lbs, I would look like a short version of Skeletor. That's not going to happen. BMI, in my opinion is bs. Obviously if your BMI is 50 you should pay attention, but if you are in the neighborhood of 25% to 30% muscle you should be healthy. My BMI right now is around 50, I still have ways to go, but my cholesterol is good and my blood pressure this morning was 116/68. It's amazing what eating healthy and exercise can do in such little time.