BMI, an unreachable target ?

DomCraigKing · February 2017

I have started this trip back in November 2016, weighed in at 19st 4lb with a BMI of 42 and morbidly obese.
Now I am down down to a more respectable 17st 9lb with my BMI down to 36.4 and obese.
Now that I know and I am doing what I can but see I am a large framed fellow, wrists are 9" around so I know that for certain so the maximum I can be to stay "healthy" is 12st 2lb according to all the investigations I have done which I know is pretty much unobtainable.
Question is does anyone else have the same problem or is it just me not thinking it through properly ?

courtneyfabulous · February 2017

How tall are you?

DomCraigKing · February 2017

5' 9"

cmriverside · February 2017

You're still a ways away. Keep it going and reevaluate when you get closer. Even my wrists and feet got much smaller when I got to a healthy BMI.

VintageFeline · February 2017

I honestly wouldn't concern yourself with it until you get closer to that point. You'd be surprised just how much you can lose without looking emaciated.

crzycatlady1 · February 2017

Well, my wrists got smaller as I lost weight, I also lost an entire shoe size lol. Your perspective of what's attainable will change as you keep going further along in the process

Great job on your loss so far!

U2R2 · February 2017

I have seen BMI calculators which take frame size into account.

Perhaps this article would be of interest to you.

SezxyStef · February 2017

I am 5 ft 7 and wear a size 8-8.5 shoe..makes me large framed too yet I am still in a good BMI range..

the only people it doesn't apply to mainly are people like athletes etc.

rileysowner · February 2017

I agree, both my wrists and feet got smaller as I lost weight. Not really length in the feet, but my shoes did get loose. Just keep at it and see where you are. BTW BMI is not really an individual thing, it is really meant for population studies. It can give a goal for you, but you will have to evaluate if that goal is appropriate as you get closer to it.

By the way, once you start thinking a goal is unobtainable the danger is that you will make it unobtainable even if it actually is obtainable.

courtneyfabulous · February 2017

Well BMI charts are only for the average population, bodybuilders and people with larger than average frames can show as overweight when they are actually at a healthy weight. I know a guy that has a very large frame for his height and lots of muscle, there's no way he would be healthy at his BMI chart "ideal" weight.

everher · February 2017

I have a large frame (for a 5'5 woman) but still think I'll be able to reach the high end of the BMI range (I have been in it before). I do think though you'll probably end up in the high end of the range if you have a larger frame than say the low end.

SolotoCEO · February 2017

My goal weight is still in the "overweight" BMI range. I haven't been at the "healthy" range since 6th grade - lol. Follow your instinct - IMO, when you get to YOUR perfect weight you'll know.

Tacklewasher · February 2017

Similar boat. I'm 6'. Started at 330, so morbid. Down to 263, so just barely Obese class II. But looking at what is a healthy BMI, that's max under 184 and I really don't see me getting there. My wrist size is about 8.25", which more than qualifies for a large frame (like @DomCraigKing ) and in doing some reading, means I should be looking at the normal range plus 10%

http://www.ehow.com/how_5591155_calculate-accurate-bmi-large-frame.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/298631-the-ideal-body-weight-for-large-boned-people/

So that would give me a max, healthy BMI of 202.5.

Now I'm not sure how accurate the 10% adjustment is, as it's a blanket 10%, but 200 seems much more attainable than 184. Might just be my mind set right now, as I'm a long way from either, but I think this makes sense.

Let me know if I'm out to lunch.

TavistockToad · February 2017

You've got a couple more stone to go before you need to consider a goal weight really

seska422 · February 2017

My Primary Care Physician wants me to aim for the BMI overweight range for my goal. He doesn't want me to try to lose more than that.

For anyone coming from morbidly obese, overweight is a huge improvement. Even the most effective weight loss surgery methods aim for losing 80% of excess weight which lands those successful people in overweight or obese.

Ultimately, we each need to find a weight that works for us and that we can maintain.

zyxst · February 2017

I thought I had skinny wrists until I lost my weight, then I had *really* skinny wrists. Not sure since I can't see your wrists, but some people have really fat wrists (like some have fat ankles) and you might drop a couple inches with weight loss.

Your frame size might be better measured using your elbow joint. It can be a pain to measure without another person doing the measuring and how much fat/skin/flab you have near your elbows.

cross2bear · February 2017

seska422 wrote: »

My Primary Care Physician wants me to aim for the BMI overweight range for my goal. He doesn't want me to try to lose more than that.

For anyone coming from morbidly obese, overweight is a huge improvement. Even the most effective weight loss surgery methods aim for losing 80% of excess weight which lands those successful people in overweight or obese.

Ultimately, we each need to find a weight that works for us and that we can maintain.

My doctor told me the same thing - I think I can go a little lower, but we will see.

annacole94 · February 2017

My husband is only about an inch taller than I am. I know what weight I need to be to hit the statistically healthy BMI; there's no way that's where he needs to be. He's kind of just got short legs - his torso and arm proportions would be at home on a guy a few inches taller.

BMI is one statistical measure. It's not the be all and end all of choosing a goal weight. Do something that seems reasonable, maintain it for a while, and know that you're MUCH better off than you were. You can adjust your goals later, if you want to.

mitch16 · February 2017

SezxyStef wrote: »

I am 5 ft 7 and wear a size 8-8.5 shoe..makes me large framed too yet I am still in a good BMI range..

the only people it doesn't apply to mainly are people like athletes etc.

5'7" with a size 8.5 shoe makes me large-framed???? I always thought I was completely average

SapioEnigmate · February 2017

When I was 230 lbs (36 BMI), I thought there was no way that I could ever be a normal BMI. Now that I'm down to almost 170 lbs, I know that is BS. I only need to lose another ~15 lbs to get to normal BMI. And there is still plenty of fat on me that I know it is not only possible, but extremely likely that I will get well into the "normal" range.

The BMI is far from perfect and is a better indication of population health than individual health, but for most people the range is pretty on point. The ranges are fairly large to help account for frame size (which isn't really all that varied in humans anyway) and musculature. Of course there are outliers, there are in everything, but it is almost always a good benchmark.

CattOfTheGarage · February 2017

BMI does allow for frame size - it's not one single "ideal weight", it's a pretty wide range. Of course there are outliers, but by definition the thing about outliers is you are probably not one.

Pick an intermediate goal for now and reassess when you get there, but the chances are that the ideal BMI goal is perfectly obtainable. It just doesn't look like it at the moment because you're used to being big. Most of us go through this.

genpopadopolous · February 2017

I thought I had "large frame". Turns out my wrists were fat, too.

Even my wedding rings are going to have to be resized.

I am not sure of my goal weight- I figure I will know when I get there. I've never been that small, so I don't know what my body is capable of.

tomteboda · February 2017

I had a large frame by all measurements at my highest weight. I'm now the lightest I've ever been as an adult, and within the healthy BMI, and I still have a large frame. My wrist has gotten a little smaller... Less than 0.5 inches after a 110 lb weight loss.

My feet got narrower, but not much (went from C width on 10.5 shoes to the border of A). The length did not change.

Just thought I'd put this out there because the frame size dilemma is not universal. And while I achieved a healthy weight, I don't think it's necessary for everyone with a similar frame to reach this level to be healthy or happy. Without a significant and compelling reason to continue, I probably could have lived my life perfectly well with an additional 15-25 lbs.

Theo166 · February 2017

It feels like Normal range BMI is too low for me as well, but then I recall what I weighed in college when I was also in sports and must have had more muscle yet was still well within the healthy range.

My current goal is to get within 10lbs of my 'normal' BMI range.

Packerjohn · February 2017

courtneyfabulous wrote: »

Well BMI charts are only for the average population, bodybuilders and people with larger than average frames can show as overweight when they are actually at a healthy weight. I know a guy that has a very large frame for his height and lots of muscle, there's no way he would be healthy at his BMI chart "ideal" weight.

And the group you describe as not fitting is probably 10% or less of the population.

tomteboda · February 2017

It's like to add that you shouldn't worry about a 25 Bmi right now. Focus on getting under 30 (to overweight) and improving your overall physical fitness and your nutrition. As you get lighter, you'll get a much clearer idea of where you want to be and what you're willing to do to get there.

BMI, an unreachable target ?

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