Do you follow BMI guidelines?

EllieElla2015 · October 2017

I haven't weighed myself in a while, but always assumed I floated between 130 and 145 pounds. My mom recently started trying to lose weight so we both weighed ourselves. I'm 5'6 and 156 pounds, which according to my BMI makes me overweight. My mom freaked out, asking me how I let myself get overweight. While I was shocked at first, I let it go since I'm pretty close to where I want to be physically but I still found it weird. Also, while I know BMI doesn't account for muscle, I have legitimately zero muscle lol so it can't be that- I've only ever done cardio.

So I'm just wondering if anyone here follows BMI guidelines and if so to what extent. Do the guidelines seem to apply to your body at different stages?

Thanks!

mmapags · October 2017

BMI is a range that helps predict future health. So, yes, I do follow it. The guidelines do fit my body within the range which accounts for muscle mass and bone structure. BMI is designed for population groups and not individuals but most individuals will fit within the ranges. There is a tool online called smart BMI that I find to be more accurate for an individual. BMI does consider muscle mass. The individuals that may fall outside the guidelines are athletes or body builders that may have muscle mass outside of the norms.

estherdragonbat · October 2017

I checked BMI guidelines for setting my goal weight on MFP (at 10lbs below the top of the range for my height of 5'3"). So, I started at 254 lbs (BMI 45, aka Obesity Level III) and am—as of this morning—167.2 (BMI 29.6, aka overweight).

But this was an initial goal a la 'I have to fill in the blank with something'. And I'm well aware that I can be a little anxious and obsessive. I know me. The top of the weight range for my height is 140. If I'm 139.8, I'll be calm and relaxed. If I'm 140.2, I'll start panicking that the weight is coming back on and I'm about to fall into yoyo-ing. And the reality is that sodium, hormones, time between workout and weigh-in, how long it's been since you've used the bathroom, and a whole bunch of other things can make your weight fluctuate. I want to have a bit of a buffer for my peace of mind. Also, everyone says (correctly!) that the last 10 lbs are the hardest. And the reason is because you're close to goal, you don't have the same fat reserves you used to, and loose logging can be costly. Miss logging 150 calories/day when you've got 100 lbs to lose and it won't impact weight loss anywhere near as much as it will if you miss them when you've got 5 lbs to lose. If I get down to 135 and get frustrated with a month of so of no change or playing with the same 0.4 lbs and just say to myself, "Kitten it. This is good enough," well, it actually will be.

However, when I get down to 150, I'm going to ask my family doctor to refer me to an RD or other weight-loss specialist for a couple of sessions, just so I can be clear on where in the range (118-140) is the happiest spot for me.

Iheartrunning36 · October 2017

I follow it, even more now then ever because as a woman obese is called curvy and being unhealthy is a new norm. The BMI height weight charts serves as a good guideline. Im fat, right now.....nothing healthy and liberating about an increase in heart disease and diabetes. Of course life circumstances happen, that we should embrace. Pregnancy bodies, pre and post, sickness, medication, disability.....unless you have a qualifying life event that prevent you from achieving the right BMI (which your physician should confirm with you) following it is a good idea and not because of appearance per say, but because of the health benefits. My goal is my BMI for my height. Striving to get to that or near it is a good idea, but if unsure ask your doctor what is right for you and find what you think is right for you.

jondspen · October 2017

Yes, but with a "grain of salt", esp for women. I would suggest if you're that concerned about it, be sure to use (correctly done) measurements and not just height/weight.

mmapags · October 2017

jondspen wrote: »

Yes, but with a "grain of salt", esp for women. I would suggest if you're that concerned about it, be sure to use (correctly done) measurements and not just height/weight.

Why?

xvolution · October 2017

For the most part no, because BMI doesn't take into account people who have a decent amount of muscular mass. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger during his Mr. Universe days (according to the BMI charts he had a BMI of 31 back then, which is obese).

kenyonhaff · October 2017

Although it's not a perfect system, it's not bad as a rough indicator of whether you are in a healthy weight range or not. BMI does not take very muscular builds into consideration. But that means muscular and abnormally low body fat... that isn't the average person. To get a really accurate reading on body fat, there's all sorts of tests that do that. But when it comes down to it, for a rough idea of healthy weight the BMI isn't horrible.

At your height and weight, you are indeed in the overweight catagory, but not terribly much. If you lost about 6 pounds you'd be in the more normal range... that's not really a lot. Your mother's freak out was not really justified.

One can be both very fit by cardio and strength measures, and still be overweight. I know--I was one of those kinda in denial about that. One of the hard lessons I learned is that I have to watch what I eat AND what I do for workout.

I set my goal weight smack dab in the middle of the healthy BMI range. I figure that's a good number that's not picked out of unrealistic standards, low standards, or a random guess.

KrazyKrissyy · October 2017

I used to follow BMI until I started developing digestive issues (14+ pound intestinal blockage, abdomen swelling, etc). Now I go by DXA scans. They're more accurate. I'm also 5'6. My regular weight is 117-121 but can easily temporarily balloon up to 145 in less than two weeks if I'm not careful what I eat. I'll literally look 7 months preggo.

EricLFC1892 · October 2017

in short for me no.. bmi says I am over weight yet my body fat percentage is 12% but for a rough guide for people aim for when losing weight it could be a useful tool

Jthanmyfitnesspal · October 2017

Remember that BMI is just your (weight in kg) divided by your (height in meters, squared). That's it!

That formula has only one thing going for it: simplicity. Because of this, it has been used in a wide range of health studies showing that, yes, if your BMI is high (particularly over 30) you have an increased risk of a range of health issues. That risk is a population risk, so applying it to an individual is tricky. There are many other factors that lower or raise your risk, such as BP, lipids, exercise, diet, genetics, etc.

Other simple metrics you can try are waist-to-hip ratio and skinfold thickness ("pinch test"). Pick the one that makes you feel the best about yourself!

(Actually, I doubt that the pinch test makes all that many people feel good about themselves.

)

Rooskie73 · October 2017

Right now, I am going by what my doctors want me to be. I am 62, went through cancer 6 years ago, am on different meds. My oncologist told me 185-190. I am 5'8". I will not be in the normal weight range, but with other issues, she and my family doctor have agreed that this is fine for me. I also have a large frame, so that helps a bit with not looking as heavy. I go to the gym and walk, so they know that I am exercising. I am down from 250+ from December, 2010. Currently 194.

ladyreva78 · October 2017

I use it as a rough estimation of how much I need to lose. I started at a BMI of 40 and those risk factors associated with that category were starting to slowly rear their ugly heads.

My doctor and I agree that I should try for a BMI of 25 and then we'll reevaluate according to other markers.

AnvilHead · October 2017

xvolution wrote: »

For the most part no, because BMI doesn't take into account people who have a decent amount of muscular mass. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger during his Mr. Universe days (according to the BMI charts he had a BMI of 31 back then, which is obese).

So the entire concept of BMI should be discarded because steroid using bodybuilders are outliers? Elite bodybuilders are genetic freaks in the first place, and use of steroids/PEDs allows them to exceed even their outlandish genetic potential. They’re nowhere near normal or average. I guess if your genetics are that elite and you’re taking steroids, I can see why you wouldn’t consider BMI a valid metric.

BMI is a tool which has been co-opted for a usage it was never intended for. It also skews inaccurate at extremes in height. With that said, it’s a reasonable enough estimate for the average Joe/Jane.

I’m a fairly extreme outlier height-wise at 6”6’. Yet my current BMI is 23 and I’m height/weight proportionate at 200 lbs. and around 14% body fat.

texteach66 · October 2017

I think BMI is probably great for the vast majority of us. You are barely overweight - I plugged in your numbers and got 25.2; 24.9 would be normal. For you, that's 2 pounds. I'm 50 and have been morbidly obese for all but about 4 years of my adult life. I got down to 143 when I was in my mid-thirties, but never maintained it for very long - I was able to maintain 150-155 for a fair amount of time, which is overweight for me. I'm currently at 162, having lost 105 pounds. My doctor is fine with me being in the overweight range, as long as I can maintain it and continue to exercise.

You're at a place to lose a few pounds and be back in the healthy range. Whether or not you need to is between you and your doctor.

amusedmonkey · October 2017

I do. My goal is not to be obese by BMI, and I'm aware by choosing my goal weight in the overweight category I have a slightly increased risk of certain diseases, but not as significant being in the obese category. A risk I'm aware of and willing to take, which is why I will always and periodically keep watching my parameters. As it stands, I'm not planning to go down to normal BMI unless I have to. If something comes up out of order and weight loss helps it, I will work on going lower, but I hope I will be able to happily maintain in the overweight category for as long as possible.

Some people could proudly claim that they're muscular enough not to need the guideline and they're right in that they aren't "overfat", but any extra weight as per statistics means increased risk, even if it's coming from muscle. Now the risk is not as high as if the extra weight was predominantly fat, but it's still there, and it's smart to acknowledge that. Wanting a much higher than normal muscle mass to the point where it makes you an outlier is a valid personal choice, but people need to be aware that it's not without cons.

newheavensearth · October 2017

Yes I follow BMI guidelines and I weight train regularly. But from what I've learned of the stats of professional female physique athletes most of them fall in normal BMI ranges. And I know for a fact I will never reach that level. So it can't automatically be scrapped because you pick up a weight.

I also don't like the argument that BMI ranges exclude certain ethnicities. I have been told numerous times to disregard it because it wasn't meant for "women like me". That IMHO perpetuates another excuse for epidemic overweight and obesity in certain communities. But that's a whole other debate.

For the record my doctor said the highest I can go is 145. I'm there now and not happy. I want to get back to 137 (my comfortable weight) aiming for 125.

VintageFeline · October 2017

BMI is a range. A range that for the vast majority of people and particularly women, is going to be accurate. You're not going to find many women so well muscled as to be a healthy body fat in the overweight range. So yes, I have used it to give myself a ball park figure and at the moment that still stands. And I'm someone with an athletic past who also now strength trains. I'm about 10lbs from healthy BMI and about 19lbs from where I think I want to be. But I won't know until I get there. BMI is a perfectly fine measure for most of the population.

YosemiteSlamAK · October 2017

I take BMI into consideration, but I try not to focus on it. I freaked out a bit when I saw where I was on the BMI. Fortunately my doctor was less concerned, she pointed out I completed a half marathon in April and my job is all exercise so my weight should come back down in a couple months. I am in relatively good shape cardiovascular wise, so right now I am monitoring myself on the belt scale and resting pulse rate.

macchiatto · October 2017

To a degree. I'm 171cm (5'7.3") and the most I've weighed outside of pregnancy is 161 lbs which is just barely in the overweight category. However, at that weight I was a size 14 and I think my body fat percentage was higher than many women would be at my height and weight. For me, a healthy weight is no more than about 140 and I prefer to be in the 130-135 range.

Even now at 133, I'm not particularly lean, so I do pay more attention to body composition than BMI but I think BMI can give you a decent general idea of what to aim for. Someone like my husband is at the other end of the spectrum, where he has a LOT more lean mass than I do (even though he's only 2cm taller) so for him, a healthy weight is more in the "overweight" BMI category.

Kst76 · October 2017

EllieElla2015 wrote: »

I haven't weighed myself in a while, but always assumed I floated between 130 and 145 pounds. My mom recently started trying to lose weight so we both weighed ourselves. I'm 5'6 and 156 pounds, which according to my BMI makes me overweight. My mom freaked out, asking me how I let myself get overweight. While I was shocked at first, I let it go since I'm pretty close to where I want to be physically but I still found it weird. Also, while I know BMI doesn't account for muscle, I have legitimately zero muscle lol so it can't be that- I've only ever done cardio.

So I'm just wondering if anyone here follows BMI guidelines and if so to what extent. Do the guidelines seem to apply to your body at different stages?

Thanks!

Your current weight is my goal weight and we are the same height

Do you follow BMI guidelines?

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