What's the deal with the "ideal weight" charts?

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13

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  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
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    Rusty740 wrote: »
    Debmal77 wrote: »
    http://www.bmivisualizer.com/

    How do I install abs on this thing. :o

    lol
  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
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    TeacupsAndToning wrote: »
    Debmal77 wrote: »
    http://www.bmivisualizer.com/

    I actually hate these things. I type in my stats and they always looking nothing like me lol

    True. They give a good weight range though.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    Rusty740 wrote: »
    Debmal77 wrote: »
    http://www.bmivisualizer.com/

    How do I install abs on this thing. :o

    And pecks and quads and my cycling booty...
  • KelGen02
    KelGen02 Posts: 668 Member
    edited June 2017
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    I am 5'4 as well... the "chart" says I should be 110-148... My dr said she would like to see me at 145, I compromised and said 165-170. I started this journey at 260 with a mind set of getting to 180 and now that I have lost 60lbs I am thinking 165-170 is perfect. It's not about my size or how much i weight but how healthy and fit I can be. If I get to the 165 and I want to do more then I will. Not everyone fits into a the same mold, we all have different shapes and sizes so personal preference (as long as health is taken into factor) See how you feel as you go and toss aside the "chart"

    okebdos0903z.jpg
  • TashaFat2Fit
    TashaFat2Fit Posts: 11 Member
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    sawyeram wrote: »
    I'm 5'4 and my personal "ideal" weight has always put me over the BMI scale. I work out a lot and am fairly muscular. I prefer to be around 160-170.

    beforeandafter_zps1d9cafb7_edit_1495678864641_zpsw9bgb4vw.jpg

    I'd be happy with that waist!!
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
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    I'm 5'3 and my "ideal" weight according to charts is something like 104-140. That's a pretty large range.

    I'm just shy of 140 right now and still wearing a size 4. Body composition plays a role in where you should fall within that range.
  • ttparks11
    ttparks11 Posts: 15 Member
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    As for me, I am also 5'4". I started out at 184 pounds and have been in the 170s-180s for most my life. However, the BMI charts don't work well for my body type. I have a large bone structure (I wear a size 12 shoe for crying out loud!), so 140 and below is definitely NOT feasible. I currently weigh 152-154 (depending on the day), but my body fat percentage when I last checked almost 3 months ago (and weighed a little more) was 25.3% and I have definitely gotten more lean muscle mass since then. So, all that to say, the BMI calculator is just ONE of many measurements to consider. As long as my body fat percentage and lean muscle mass is in a healthy range and I don't have a high visceral fat rating, I'm good.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,085 Member
    edited June 2017
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    No one knows the right answer for you . . . except you (and maybe your doctor, if you have a good one). Don't submit the question to a popular vote.

    It's a combination of body composition, skeletal shape, breast size, your personal body's health & hormonal balance factors, cultural norms, personal preference and more.

    You've heard from women who prefer to be on the mid to upper side of the BMI range. I prefer to be lower: At 5'5", 120ish is good. I have no breasts (mastectomies), and the skeletal frame of a 14-year-old boy - broad shoulders, no pelvic width - even though I'm a 61-year-old woman, fairly muscular.

    Figure out what's right for you. You don't need to know the answer now. Unless you have a quite-unusual body type, I agree with those who suggest aiming for the upper end of the normal BMI range as a start, then re-evaluate as you get close.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I'm 5"8 and any lower than 143lbs makes me look gaunt, sickly and old (er), I'm 45. Around the middle, upper of the bmi range suits me just fine.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    pinuplove wrote: »
    I'm 5'4 and weighed 130-135 in high school. That was a size 6 then (20 years ago; who knows now with vanity sizing!) 112 would definitely be too low for me to try to attain.

    I'm 5'4" (well, I was still about 5'3.5" in high school) and at that weight range was size 12 to 14. Of course, that was about 40 years ago, so I guess "vanity sizing" took its toll between my day and yours.
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,321 Member
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    I'm 5'4 as well. I started at 196 & now I'm 155. I would be satisfied at 150 but I'm going for 145
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    JerSchmare wrote: »
    I disagree with almost all of this. Most Americans are fat, and they don't see it. They think fat is healthy. We are huge, as a nation. The ideal weight and BMI are ranges, but they aren't that far off.

    What am reading is people justifying being larger. If you're happy, that's fine. But, it's not ideal for optimum health. That's all the charts are trying to tell you.

    The range for my height is 121-162lbs. I weighed around 127lbs for a couple of years in my late 20's, I cringe looking at pics of me at that time, i looked like skeletor. I was slim before then, but then got skinny! The reason i got down to that weight was because i had a drug habit and barely ate.

    I am so NOT down with the fat acceptance movement and settling at an over weight weight because I'm used to seeing obese people on every corner. It's just that the lower end of that bmi range looks uummm not so good nor healthy on me. Simple as that!

    Oh, and there are no overweight or fat people in my family, so it's not as if i was raised to think that being chunky was normal.
  • ElisaH444
    ElisaH444 Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm 5'4" and my ideal weight is between 150 and 155, which I achieved with resistance training and healthy eating about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, over the years I gradually gained weight and I'm at 206 now. I've joined MFP and I'm working with a trainer again. I think those weight charts are crazy. It's probably better to focus on BMI.
  • peckchris3267
    peckchris3267 Posts: 368 Member
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    I'm a 5"4' male and in my experience I look best at 140.pwrp0b3d3djj.jpg
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited June 2017
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    JerSchmare wrote: »
    The ideal weight and BMI are ranges, but they aren't that far off.

    The "ideal weight" that OP asked about was NOT a range, it was a specific number, and it was at the very bottom of the BMI range. I mostly don't see people saying she should ignore the BMI range.

    Please explain why someone who is 5'4 needs to be 112. (There's nothing wrong with being 5'4 and 112, that's a good weight for some, but why is it the "ideal weight" for everyone 5'4? What's the science behind it?)

    Oh, and I'm 5'3 and 125, which is within the healthy BMI, and I'd like to be 118-120, ideally (for me), also within the healthy BMI (although greater than whatever that particular chart might have it). My former trainer was 5'3 and 135 or so (also within the healthy BMI) and looked great (looked more fit than me, IMO), because she carried quite a bit of muscle and was lower body fat.
  • NoLimitFemme
    NoLimitFemme Posts: 118 Member
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    This is me today... clinically obese with a height of 5'4 and a weight of 176.8. BMI of 30.2%.

    PicsArt_06-02-07.57.58_zpsfvx6diac.jpg
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    sawyeram wrote: »
    This is me today... clinically obese with a height of 5'4 and a weight of 176.8. BMI of 30.2%.

    PicsArt_06-02-07.57.58_zpsfvx6diac.jpg

    Jeez, that's crazy! You don't look overweight, let alone obese.

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    http://www.bcbst.com/MPManual/HW.htm tables do have ranges and include 1" heels and indoor clothing.

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