Healthy Weight/BMI?
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forestfamilies
Posts: 6
So I'm currently 5'5" with a weight of 110 lbs and a BMI of 18.3. Is that healthy? Some of my friends are suggesting that I need to gain weight, but I very strongly disagree -- I still think I'm too big!
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I don't put one ounce of trust in a BMI. I think mine is somewhere in the mid 20's basically saying that I am obese. my body fat % is in the low 13. I'm in better shaped then young men half my age in most cases. Don't be a slave to a number.0
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Healthy BMI is from 18.5-25, so yes, you are slightly underweight0
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Based on BMI, you are at the border of underweight and healthy. You may or may not be healthy at that weight...it depends on your frame and other factors.
However, assuming your friends are good friends and have your best interests at heart, the fact that several of them think you need to gain probably means that you should at least consider it. Even if healthy, their comments may indicate that you would look better if you gained a little.0 -
BMI in the mid 20's is NOT obese. 25-29.9 is overweight. Obese begins at 30.I don't put one ounce of trust in a BMI. I think mine is somewhere in the mid 20's basically saying that I am obese. my body fat % is in the low 13. I'm in better shaped then young men half my age in most cases. Don't be a slave to a number.
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Your profile says you're 18 - if that's true, you're probably just fine. Teenagers are often perfectly healthy on the lower end of the BMI spectrum.
However, you certainly don't need to be losing weight. If you don't like the way your body looks, you might consider strength training to lower your body fat percentage and look more muscular/"toned", but if you think you look heavy than that is more likely to be a mental thing than something you need to change physically.0 -
forestfamilies wrote: »So I'm currently 5'5" with a weight of 110 lbs and a BMI of 18.3. Is that healthy? Some of my friends are suggesting that I need to gain weight, but I very strongly disagree -- I still think I'm too big!
You're a teenager, your BMI is underweight which has a higher risk of health issues; your friends are suggesting you put on weight and yet you say you still think you are too big
Do you have the mental capacity to read that last line objectively and realise that kind of thinking is disordered and you may need to seek help?0 -
I stand corrected, nonetheless my point is the same. There isn't one sane person is this world that would see me in real life and consider me "overweight". I don't put much into body scales or BMI in most cases.MoiAussi93 wrote: »
BMI in the mid 20's is NOT obese. 25-29.9 is overweight. Obese begins at 30.I don't put one ounce of trust in a BMI. I think mine is somewhere in the mid 20's basically saying that I am obese. my body fat % is in the low 13. I'm in better shaped then young men half my age in most cases. Don't be a slave to a number.
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I just looked at your pics, and agree you aren't overweight (not that my opinion should matter!). However, you look to be significantly more muscular than the average person on the street. And even if your BMI is slightly over 25, you are close enough where it makes sense that the difference is muscle.
I stand corrected, nonetheless my point is the same. There isn't one sane person is this world that would see me in real life and consider me "overweight". I don't put much into body scales or BMI in most cases.MoiAussi93 wrote: »
BMI in the mid 20's is NOT obese. 25-29.9 is overweight. Obese begins at 30.I don't put one ounce of trust in a BMI. I think mine is somewhere in the mid 20's basically saying that I am obese. my body fat % is in the low 13. I'm in better shaped then young men half my age in most cases. Don't be a slave to a number.
For the vast majority of the population...over 90% is my guess... BMI is a good indicator. Most people, even those who do work out, don't do enough of it to build that kind of muscle mass. I am doing body weight exercises three times a week, and am currently a BMI of 26...just a few pounds overweight. However, I am under no delusions that a few sets of squats, my sorry excuse for pushups, and some ab exercises is creating so much muscle that BMI does not apply to me.
I have seen dozens of threads of people claiming they have large muscular frames and BMI is irrelevant to them. I look at their pics if they have them, and 9 times out of 10 see no visible muscle definition at at least a moderate amount of pudge. These people are fooling themselves.
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BMI is an actuarial tool for insurance. It works on populations well, but there are outliers of course. But you take 1,000 or 10,000 Individuals in the US with a BMI of high 20s or low 30s you will find relatively few people who are "overweight" due to being overmuscled rather than overfat. You will also some (I would argue more but not with any data) people with a healthy BMI who are overfat but just so undermuscled they have low bodyweight.
But once you start putting on muscle then both the scale and BMI become much less relevant. I can actually file a form with my insurance as a way to request bodyfat % be used instead of BMI in asking for preferential rate.0 -
forestfamilies wrote: »So I'm currently 5'5" with a weight of 110 lbs and a BMI of 18.3. Is that healthy? Some of my friends are suggesting that I need to gain weight, but I very strongly disagree -- I still think I'm too big!
You're a teenager, your BMI is underweight which has a higher risk of health issues; your friends are suggesting you put on weight and yet you say you still think you are too big
Do you have the mental capacity to read that last line objectively and realise that kind of thinking is disordered and you may need to seek help?
That was the most condescending thing I have ever read.
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forestfamilies wrote: »forestfamilies wrote: »So I'm currently 5'5" with a weight of 110 lbs and a BMI of 18.3. Is that healthy? Some of my friends are suggesting that I need to gain weight, but I very strongly disagree -- I still think I'm too big!
You're a teenager, your BMI is underweight which has a higher risk of health issues; your friends are suggesting you put on weight and yet you say you still think you are too big
Do you have the mental capacity to read that last line objectively and realise that kind of thinking is disordered and you may need to seek help?
That was the most condescending thing I have ever read.
It didn't seem condescending at all to me. The statements you made in the original post are very typical of statements made by individuals with eating disorders. That is an objective assessment. Someone who has an ED will not be able to see that objectively and will justify it til kingdom come.0 -
pollypocket1021 wrote: »forestfamilies wrote: »forestfamilies wrote: »So I'm currently 5'5" with a weight of 110 lbs and a BMI of 18.3. Is that healthy? Some of my friends are suggesting that I need to gain weight, but I very strongly disagree -- I still think I'm too big!
You're a teenager, your BMI is underweight which has a higher risk of health issues; your friends are suggesting you put on weight and yet you say you still think you are too big
Do you have the mental capacity to read that last line objectively and realise that kind of thinking is disordered and you may need to seek help?
That was the most condescending thing I have ever read.
It didn't seem condescending at all to me. The statements you made in the original post are very typical of statements made by individuals with eating disorders. That is an objective assessment. Someone who has an ED will not be able to see that objectively and will justify it til kingdom come.
It's very well a possibility that I may have an eating disorder -- that's not what I was on about. But "do you have the mental capacity" seems a bit condescending to me.0 -
Eating disorders are mental illnesses...do you have the mental capacity to recognise you potentially have one and seek help or are you attempting to divert attention from your OP and the huge warning klaxon it sounds with accusations of condescension?
The mental capacity to step outside yourself and see your thought processes and actions objectively is not common in those suffering from illnesses. Certainly not those who are not ready to seek help.
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forestfamilies wrote: »pollypocket1021 wrote: »forestfamilies wrote: »forestfamilies wrote: »So I'm currently 5'5" with a weight of 110 lbs and a BMI of 18.3. Is that healthy? Some of my friends are suggesting that I need to gain weight, but I very strongly disagree -- I still think I'm too big!
You're a teenager, your BMI is underweight which has a higher risk of health issues; your friends are suggesting you put on weight and yet you say you still think you are too big
Do you have the mental capacity to read that last line objectively and realise that kind of thinking is disordered and you may need to seek help?
That was the most condescending thing I have ever read.
It didn't seem condescending at all to me. The statements you made in the original post are very typical of statements made by individuals with eating disorders. That is an objective assessment. Someone who has an ED will not be able to see that objectively and will justify it til kingdom come.
It's very well a possibility that I may have an eating disorder -- that's not what I was on about. But "do you have the mental capacity" seems a bit condescending to me.
If you believe you have one, then you need to speak to a professional. She didn't do anything wrong.0 -
Eating disorders are mental illnesses...do you have the mental capacity to recognise you potentially have one and seek help or are you attempting to divert attention from your OP and the huge warning klaxon it sounds with accusations of condescension?
The mental capacity to step outside yourself and see your thought processes and actions objectively is not common in those suffering from illnesses. Certainly not those who are not ready to seek help.
I think you might be reading into this way too much to the point of seeing things that aren't there. I just think you could've worded your post better is all, although I appreciate your feedback.0 -
forestfamilies wrote: »Eating disorders are mental illnesses...do you have the mental capacity to recognise you potentially have one and seek help or are you attempting to divert attention from your OP and the huge warning klaxon it sounds with accusations of condescension?
The mental capacity to step outside yourself and see your thought processes and actions objectively is not common in those suffering from illnesses. Certainly not those who are not ready to seek help.
I think you might be reading into this way too much to the point of seeing things that aren't there. I just think you could've worded your post better is all, although I appreciate your feedback.
No I'm trying to give you objective clarity ...I'm not reading too much into someone who thinks they are too big whilst professing an underweight BMI and mentioning friends who are worried enough to be talking to you about putting on weight
I actually think this is either a huge cry for help, or a troll posting
And I think you need to speak to your parents and your primary care physician
If you were my child, either biologically or a professional charge, I would already have a professional team involved in trying to support and help you.0 -
forestfamilies wrote: »forestfamilies wrote: »So I'm currently 5'5" with a weight of 110 lbs and a BMI of 18.3. Is that healthy? Some of my friends are suggesting that I need to gain weight, but I very strongly disagree -- I still think I'm too big!
You're a teenager, your BMI is underweight which has a higher risk of health issues; your friends are suggesting you put on weight and yet you say you still think you are too big
Do you have the mental capacity to read that last line objectively and realise that kind of thinking is disordered and you may need to seek help?
She's just asking a question ! So many people are rude on this site. Don't say she is disordered if you haven't met her or seen a picture of her! Being so short and 110lbs sounds normal to me especially because your young. Ignore nasties xxxxxxxx
That was the most condescending thing I have ever read.
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P.a I cannot work the quote thing lol I Don't know why your sentence is at the end xxx0
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Sometimes you just don't realise how thin you are because the brain takes time to catch up
after a loss... I've experienced this before going to a shop and buying size twelve when I'm a 6-8 and not realising. X
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lydiarose9419 wrote: »forestfamilies wrote: »forestfamilies wrote: »So I'm currently 5'5" with a weight of 110 lbs and a BMI of 18.3. Is that healthy? Some of my friends are suggesting that I need to gain weight, but I very strongly disagree -- I still think I'm too big!
You're a teenager, your BMI is underweight which has a higher risk of health issues; your friends are suggesting you put on weight and yet you say you still think you are too big
Do you have the mental capacity to read that last line objectively and realise that kind of thinking is disordered and you may need to seek help?
She's just asking a question ! So many people are rude on this site. Don't say she is disordered if you haven't met her or seen a picture of her! Being so short and 110lbs sounds normal to me especially because your young. Ignore nasties xxxxxxxx
Go back and read the OP...her friends ask her to put on weight and she still thinks she's big. 5'5 is fairly average height, 110 is an underweight weight at that height. Going lower can put her even more at risk of serious health issues.
Some people (not necessarily the OP) seem to aspire to extreme levels of underweight on this board, why should that go unchallenged? This is not a pro-Ana site or similar, there are unfortunately many sites where the underweight are glorified. MFP is designed for healthy approaches to healthy weight loss or gain and it's a great community to be part of
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