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

ummlovelovesyou
ummlovelovesyou Posts: 1,024 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
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:
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Replies

  • angisnee
    angisnee Posts: 236 Member
    I'm 5' 9" as well, and they used the BMI chart to determine if we met weight requirements in the Army. I was almost never within these guidelines. Even after basic training, I still weighed 165, which is just barely "passing." I was very thin.

    I've used a few online calculators to determine lean body mass and percent body fat, and they all indicated I had around 140 lbs of weight other than fat. So if I'm aiming for 20% body fat (which is considered "athlete"), that would mean my minimum weight would be around 175. My goal now is 170, but I'm starting to think that might be loo low for me.

    Maybe talk to your doctor about what a healthy weight would be for you. I'm thinking about having my actual body fat % measured, so I'll know if my current goal of 170 is realistic and healthy. No sense beating ourselves up over an unrealistic goal!

    Good luck to you! :)
  • brwneyedmandi
    brwneyedmandi Posts: 12 Member
    Don't beat yourself up! I'm 5'9 and currently weigh 204! I was most comfortable in my skin when I was at 150-160. The lower end of the BMI for our height is way too low, my doctor even said so when I went in for my physical. Focus on what makes you feel good! I would kill to be where you are right now. :)
  • nikkit321
    nikkit321 Posts: 1,485 Member
    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.
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
    well, yeah that range works for me...I'm 5'9" and a freakishly tiney frame and long thin muscles for this height! Even when pregnant 20 years ago, i looked like a thermometer with a bump! LOL

    My goal weight is 130 ish....that said - Each woman deserves to feel comfortable in her own skin, no matter the weight! BMI charts and their weight ranges are put together using insurance company dictates, averages of who knows what women....just a giant average hopefully taking into account all of our different frame sizes and muscular genetics.

    So go for what you want, what makes you happy and feel vibrantly healthy! It will change over the decades of your life to be sure.

    Be happy and take good care of your strong lovely body!

    :flowerforyou:
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
    Hi - I am 5'8 and a half..I started out at 181 and am down to 144....My ulitmate goal is 140, but was happy when I hit 150 with my overall shape...my goal now is to work on areas that are still not as shapely as I want (thighs, hips and butt)...I think I will get to the 140 with no problem once I lose the fat around those areas....but 125, no way...lol

    It is really just a self preference - if you are happy with you body now - then you are at your goal :)
  • kiki75243
    kiki75243 Posts: 194 Member
    I'm 5'9 as well and i weight about 160 in high school and I look at my pics I was skinny. My goal is to get to about 170 I think that'll work for me...
  • notOpel
    notOpel Posts: 46
    BMI standards are pretty unrealistic in general. Try calculating your body fat percentage for a better idea of where you stand. :flowerforyou:
  • Ding724
    Ding724 Posts: 791 Member
    Hey girl! I know what you mean about it seeming unrealistic...but I also think it's easier to think that when it seems SO far away! & trust me, I can totally relate!

    I am a little over 5'9 and started at 204.8 with a goal weight of 170. I have always considered myself to be athletic and I also have some awesome muscley arms not to mention very strong "thunder thighs" so I was just hoping to get into the healthy bmi range...but then when I reached that I changed it to 160...and when I reached that I changed it to 155...and now I am 154 (comfy size 8) and aiming for 145! haha :laugh:

    I am VERY happy with my body now, I'm just shooting to keep lowering my body fat and lose the last bit around my thighs and butt and love handles. Good luck! Add me as a friend if you'd like as it's always nice to have friends with similar heights/goals :flowerforyou:
  • Tinan76
    Tinan76 Posts: 56 Member
    Recent studies have suggested that your BMI Should also consider your ethnic background. My BMI is 22. Personally I would be more comfortable at 19.5 . I think it's a personal preference, but health is closely related to BMI.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
    I'm 5'8.75, and right now I weigh about 160, but my goal weight is around 130. I have a smaller frame though. I played basketball yearly throughout middle school and high school and weighed between 145-155 and always felt chunky, even though I had/have a somewhat muscular frame. If you're happy and healthy I wouldn't pay that much attention to a few extra pounds on BMI chart, especially since you said you're muscular. The BMI is just a base line and isn't very accurate for people who may weigh more but have a low body fat percentage. My suggestion to you is to check your body fat percentage. I'm sure you're perfectly healthy! :smile:
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    It seems like you have a larger frame, so try looking up appropriate weight based on frame size.

    I'm 5'9 and my BMI is the same way. Personally I'm looking to get down to about 140-150.. right now I'm at 160 and look perfectly fine, but like I just need to tone a little bit more.I also have a medium sized frame. The 126 though is totally un-realistic for me... I wouldn't exist anymore.. lol!
  • iluminadaonix
    iluminadaonix Posts: 79 Member
    I'm also 5'9". I'm now 130 and want to get down to 128lbs. I have a small frame but tend to hold weight too much in my hips. I'm almost there, but almost tempted to make it 125lbs but will stop at 128lbs because I don't want too look sick.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    It really depends on your build. I'm 5'9" and was 135 for most of my younger adult life. 155 makes me look "big" on my frame. Of course, I'm now 188 and was 210, which looked HUGE on my frame.
  • jenniferfelice
    jenniferfelice Posts: 61
    I agree with Elizabeth! I was 135 all through high school and now being 151 (after losing some weight) I still look "big". So it does really depend on your frame and I'm thinking I'm on the smaller end.
  • HeatherFeather10
    HeatherFeather10 Posts: 92
    I am 5'9 and weigh 145 at the moment - my goal is 140 to 135. I have a small frame and can get that low without looking "too thin" - I've been "too thin" way back in my twenties I was weighing in at about 110 - 120, looking back at pictures I don't look healthy. I however was working in a very physical job (greenhouse) and couldn't put weight on if I tried. Now 10 years later and 3 kiddos I am looking to tone, not necessarily too worried about the number on the scale, but inches on my waist.
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
    Also, BMI doesn't take into consideration having a lot of muscle. If you have a lot of muscle, it will completely throw off your BMI. So, as long as you're fit and strong, I would ignore your BMI. It's only a guideline.

    Someone can be obese by their BMI and be in tip top condition, as long as it's muscle and not all fat.
  • Swimgoddess
    Swimgoddess Posts: 711 Member
    It's perfect for me! All my stats are below and the profile pic is a month old, tops.

    As for my "frame": wrist 6", underbust 34", size 9 shoe.

    Oh yeah, highschool weight range was 128-135, pre-bootcamp 142, low bootcamp 131, pre-kids 142, between/after kids 145-155.
  • ummlovelovesyou
    ummlovelovesyou Posts: 1,024 Member
    I wish I was on the tiny side of the 5'9" body build lol. :grumble:

    I swim a LOT and gained a lot of muscle in the past 2 months. So I'm not going to worry too much about BMI guidelines anymore. I just want to be healthy, enjoy shopping, feel good in a bikini, and not get tired going up a flight of stairs (Which I don't anymore haha!).

    Thanks you for the feedback. Feel free to add me if you'd like. I give good support...teehee. :laugh:
  • Swimgoddess
    Swimgoddess Posts: 711 Member
    Oh, as for accessible body fat testing, try this:
    http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html#accurate

    I calipered at 19.8% and the measuring-tape home test gave me 22%, so not far off!
  • cmo115
    cmo115 Posts: 73 Member
    I am 5'9 as well. I was always an overweight child and so I prob weighed 125 in like the 3rd grade. But anyway in highschool I started out weighing close to 170 and a size13/14. Then I went on a crazy diet and lost over 50lbs. At my ALL TIME SKINNIEST I weighed 128 and that was for like a week before my body bounced back into the 130s. I was getting comments about looking anorexic. I was devastated because I had worked so hard to lose that weight the right way and then people said such bad things. But I did look so so thin. I think I more realistic goal would be no less than 135 for someone 5'9. More in the 140s. And that is where I am shooting now. On my wedding day I want to weigh 140! I have 15 lbs to go and a year to lose it and keep it off!
  • lizzie1242
    lizzie1242 Posts: 1
    I'm 5'9 and was very athletic in high school. I'm a junior in college, and I still play volleyball or swim at least once a week, and most of the time I'm pushing to stay at 120. I eat normal amount and am not THAT active, but I don't gain weight. So technically according to the range I'd be underweight. If you saw me though, I'm skinny, but I look healthy, I AM healthy.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I wish I was on the tiny side of the 5'9" body build lol. :grumble:

    I swim a LOT and gained a lot of muscle in the past 2 months. So I'm not going to worry too much about BMI guidelines anymore. I just want to be healthy, enjoy shopping, feel good in a bikini, and not get tired going up a flight of stairs (Which I don't anymore haha!).

    Thanks you for the feedback. Feel free to add me if you'd like. I give good support...teehee. :laugh:

    First bmi and weight are not effective measures for athletic men and women. Second, not to burst your bubble, if you are on a deficit then you did not gain muscle. You probably gained strength and lost fat but did not gain new lean body mass (sorry i am a stickler for semantics).

    Btw, i am a guy and at 5'11, 194 lbs and 12% body fat i am classified as over weight in bmi and weight. You are better off tracking body fat.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    125 is the lowest healthy weight within the range and most "normal" weight women fall somewhere around 20-21 (these are THIN WOMEN)...I wouldn't make my goal to be the very lowest healthy weight.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    If you look and feel good, I'd ignore the BMI charts. They aren't set in stone.
  • PrettyUgly18
    PrettyUgly18 Posts: 31 Member
    I'm 5'9 and I started at 170, but people were telling me you don't to lose weight blahblahblah, its all about how you feel.
    im now at 154 and i'm still not comfortable in my own skin , my goal is to maintain between 140 and 135
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    I'm 5'9" and although pregnant now, when I wasn't pregnant I could comfortably maintain at 140-145. I got to 130 when I was really pushing hard with the exercise. I guess it depends on your frame. I never felt comfortable in my skin above 150 but I don't have a big frame.
  • samanthawarren
    samanthawarren Posts: 120
    I think everyones body is different. When I was in my 20's I was 145. Much heavier than my friends who wore the same size clothes as me. It used to frustrate me that I was 20 lbs heavier than my best friend, and yet we wore exactly the same size clothes. Then one day I invited her to play tennis with me and realized that I was much more fit than she was. I don't know if that could really account for such a difference, but I could never get below 145. I was pretty cut as well, you could see definition in my arms, legs, but, abs. I think once you get the body you want you should forget about the weight.
    By the way I am 5'8"
  • tonightokayalright
    tonightokayalright Posts: 289 Member
    I'm currently 153 lbs at 5'9" and I think I look good, but there's definitely a few more pounds to lose.

    The thing to consider is that your scale doesn't differentiate between a pound of fat and a pound of muscle. I don't have much muscle mass, so I can go lower. When I decide to make gains, I'll be heavier, but look relatively the same.
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    Forget weight and BMI. I'd say body fat percentage is a better indicator than the scale. But out of all, the mirror is what's important :)
  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,115 Member
    I am 5'9" and talked to my doctor about a healthy weight and he told me for my body type it is more realistic for me to be around 170 - 200lb area. I was 129lb in high school but I never ate and used diet pills. So for me it is not a healthy option. I would rather be healthy than unhealthy. Plus I am large chested and there is nothing I can do about that.
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