BMI vs feeling comfortable
joannewakeley
Posts: 6 Member
Hi all!
So far I've lost 4 stone and 5 pounds which I'm really proud of. I only want to lose another 2 pounds which makes me a comfortable uk 10 with a healthy body fat percentage. My quandary is my bmi at 5ft 1inch will be 24.9. That is the maximum for healthy. Is it important to get further into a healthy bmi eg. 23 or if I'm happy should I just stick with where I am?
So far I've lost 4 stone and 5 pounds which I'm really proud of. I only want to lose another 2 pounds which makes me a comfortable uk 10 with a healthy body fat percentage. My quandary is my bmi at 5ft 1inch will be 24.9. That is the maximum for healthy. Is it important to get further into a healthy bmi eg. 23 or if I'm happy should I just stick with where I am?
5
Replies
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If your happy and healthy that’s all that matters.
You can always revisit your goals. Your comfortable weight isn’t written in stone.
Cheers, h.5 -
Impressive weight loss for a little 'un. Well done. :flowerforyou:
Health isn't a binary yes / no it's a range and your weight is one just one, but very significant, factor.
Clearly you are likely to be far healthier now and in the future having lost all that weight.
Should you choose to be happy? Yes, definitely.
Should you strive for happier? Maybe.
If you are unsure then I would say learn to maintain at your goal weight and reassess in a few months time. It takes time for your body and mind to catch up with significant weight loss.
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BMI is a range. 24.9 is still in it -- and few health practitioners would look askance at even a 25 or 26 (although if they use an electronic health record, it might do some "you are overweight" shaming if you're at a BMI above 25). If you are happy at 24.9, there's nothing wrong with staying there.
How do you *feel*?3 -
No need to make a "final" decision. Set this goal for now, maintain for a while and see how you feel.6
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At my highest BMI of 26.7, no healthcare provider ever called my overweight and suggested I lose weight, even through it was truly overweight weight for me.
IMHO, your health will not suffer at all from having BMI on the high side of the healthy range.0 -
That is why normal is a range, and not a specific number 🙂. There is not necessarily anything healthier about being a 23 BMI than a 24.9. Once you are in that range, it's really just about how far you want to go for personal preference.
And it's important to understand that BMI is just a measurement tool, and the classifications aren't absolutely. You don't magically go from healthy to unhealthy because you put on an extra pound and go from 24.9 to 25 and get classified as overweight. Being in your 25s and even low 26s is probably more or less indistinguishable from a normal BMI for most people.
If you feel happy about your weight, and you have a good body fat percentage, then I wouldn't worry at all about it. BMI can be a useful measure, but it was never meant to be the be all and end all.2 -
Body fat percentage and waist size seems to be the true signs that you're on the right track.joannewakeley wrote: »Hi all!
So far I've lost 4 stone and 5 pounds which I'm really proud of. I only want to lose another 2 pounds which makes me a comfortable uk 10 with a healthy body fat percentage. My quandary is my bmi at 5ft 1inch will be 24.9. That is the maximum for healthy. Is it important to get further into a healthy bmi eg. 23 or if I'm happy should I just stick with where I am?
I've seen pro ball players and body builders with high bmi, but nobody ever could say they were too fat.
Ameuter body fat measurement tools are cheap. I use Accu-Measure. My son has a professional one called "too expensive for this man."
0 -
Body fat percentage and waist size seems to be the true signs that you're on the right track.joannewakeley wrote: »Hi all!
So far I've lost 4 stone and 5 pounds which I'm really proud of. I only want to lose another 2 pounds which makes me a comfortable uk 10 with a healthy body fat percentage. My quandary is my bmi at 5ft 1inch will be 24.9. That is the maximum for healthy. Is it important to get further into a healthy bmi eg. 23 or if I'm happy should I just stick with where I am?
I've seen pro ball players and body builders with high bmi, but nobody ever could say they were too fat.
Ameuter body fat measurement tools are cheap. I use Accu-Measure. My son has a professional one called "too expensive for this man."
Sure, there are outliers for the very fit. But overall, BMI is a pretty good indicator for most people. I've seen a lot of people with obese BMIs delude themselves into thinking that BMI is meaningless so they are not really that overweight. That is wishful thinking in my opinion.
However in the OPs scenario, a BMI of 24.9 is perfectly fine. It was never meant to be an exact measurement, just a general one. So worrying about a BMI of a 25 vs a 24 or 23 etc isn't really what the measurement was about.
ETA: my bigger issue with BMI is that it the low end of normal is usually really low and for a lot of people, probably too low to be considered a healthy weight. But since they are in a normal BMI, they feel like they are at a safe weight, even though there is a good chance it is less than ideal.13 -
Body fat percentage and waist size seems to be the true signs that you're on the right track.joannewakeley wrote: »Hi all!
So far I've lost 4 stone and 5 pounds which I'm really proud of. I only want to lose another 2 pounds which makes me a comfortable uk 10 with a healthy body fat percentage. My quandary is my bmi at 5ft 1inch will be 24.9. That is the maximum for healthy. Is it important to get further into a healthy bmi eg. 23 or if I'm happy should I just stick with where I am?
I've seen pro ball players and body builders with high bmi, but nobody ever could say they were too fat.
Ameuter body fat measurement tools are cheap. I use Accu-Measure. My son has a professional one called "too expensive for this man."
Sure, there are outliers for the very fit. But overall, BMI is a pretty good indicator for most people. I've seen a lot of people with obese BMIs delude themselves into thinking that BMI is meaningless so they are not really that overweight. That is wishful thinking in my opinion.
However in the OPs scenario, a BMI of 24.9 is perfectly fine. It was never meant to be an exact measurement, just a general one. So worrying about a BMI of a 25 vs a 24 or 23 etc isn't really what the measurement was about.
ETA: my bigger issue with BMI is that it the low end of normal is usually really low and for a lot of people, probably too low to be considered a healthy weight. But since they are in a normal BMI, they feel like they are at a safe weight, even though there is a good chance it is less than ideal.
I agree, especially with your ETA. I've seen multiple posts lately from women who have lost their period but think it's ok because they're still (barely) within normal BMI range.4 -
There are different ways of calculating BMI and there are endless body types, age groups, etc. Feeling comfortable in my own skin is the end result I am hoping for.2
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Thank you everyone. As needy as it is I just need a little reassurance. I'm happy as I am. I just need my head to catch up with my body, which will take time. I'm determined to keep the weight off. I cant face doing this again!8
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Body fat percentage and waist size seems to be the true signs that you're on the right track.joannewakeley wrote: »Hi all!
So far I've lost 4 stone and 5 pounds which I'm really proud of. I only want to lose another 2 pounds which makes me a comfortable uk 10 with a healthy body fat percentage. My quandary is my bmi at 5ft 1inch will be 24.9. That is the maximum for healthy. Is it important to get further into a healthy bmi eg. 23 or if I'm happy should I just stick with where I am?
I've seen pro ball players and body builders with high bmi, but nobody ever could say they were too fat.
Ameuter body fat measurement tools are cheap. I use Accu-Measure. My son has a professional one called "too expensive for this man."
Sure, there are outliers for the very fit. But overall, BMI is a pretty good indicator for most people. I've seen a lot of people with obese BMIs delude themselves into thinking that BMI is meaningless so they are not really that overweight. That is wishful thinking in my opinion.
However in the OPs scenario, a BMI of 24.9 is perfectly fine. It was never meant to be an exact measurement, just a general one. So worrying about a BMI of a 25 vs a 24 or 23 etc isn't really what the measurement was about.
ETA: my bigger issue with BMI is that it the low end of normal is usually really low and for a lot of people, probably too low to be considered a healthy weight. But since they are in a normal BMI, they feel like they are at a safe weight, even though there is a good chance it is less than ideal.
That's my thing, though. BMI can be misinterpreted by the obese. How many fat men walk around thinking they're linebackers, when it's far from the truth.
Body fat measurements, not so much. When you pinch that gut fat to measure, it's really obvious. When you try to get your 44" waist into a 32" pants, it's really obvious.
Even if a perfect way to measure healthy weight was invented, it would have to factor in self-delusion. I've a few mirrors in my home gym and they're very kind to me. They reflect a master bodybuilder surrounded by supermodels. The reality is a (fit and strong) old man with his wife and her damn cats all encouraging me to go just a little bit heavier...9 -
Congratulations on your weight loss! Hurray for clothes that fit! Don’t take away from your happiness with doubts. You are doing great!1
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Body fat percentage and waist size seems to be the true signs that you're on the right track.joannewakeley wrote: »Hi all!
So far I've lost 4 stone and 5 pounds which I'm really proud of. I only want to lose another 2 pounds which makes me a comfortable uk 10 with a healthy body fat percentage. My quandary is my bmi at 5ft 1inch will be 24.9. That is the maximum for healthy. Is it important to get further into a healthy bmi eg. 23 or if I'm happy should I just stick with where I am?
I've seen pro ball players and body builders with high bmi, but nobody ever could say they were too fat.
Ameuter body fat measurement tools are cheap. I use Accu-Measure. My son has a professional one called "too expensive for this man."
Sure, there are outliers for the very fit. But overall, BMI is a pretty good indicator for most people. I've seen a lot of people with obese BMIs delude themselves into thinking that BMI is meaningless so they are not really that overweight. That is wishful thinking in my opinion.
However in the OPs scenario, a BMI of 24.9 is perfectly fine. It was never meant to be an exact measurement, just a general one. So worrying about a BMI of a 25 vs a 24 or 23 etc isn't really what the measurement was about.
ETA: my bigger issue with BMI is that it the low end of normal is usually really low and for a lot of people, probably too low to be considered a healthy weight. But since they are in a normal BMI, they feel like they are at a safe weight, even though there is a good chance it is less than ideal.
That's my thing, though. BMI can be misinterpreted by the obese. How many fat men walk around thinking they're linebackers, when it's far from the truth.
Body fat measurements, not so much. When you pinch that gut fat to measure, it's really obvious. When you try to get your 44" waist into a 32" pants, it's really obvious.
Even if a perfect way to measure healthy weight was invented, it would have to factor in self-delusion. I've a few mirrors in my home gym and they're very kind to me. They reflect a master bodybuilder surrounded by supermodels. The reality is a (fit and strong) old man with his wife and her damn cats all encouraging me to go just a little bit heavier...
Man, I need your wife’s cats. My cats tell me to slack off and go have dessert.5 -
Some men have all the luck. I'll trade you. Your cats for my wife and her two cats. The wife's high mileage and maintenance, can't cook at all, but was a Vegas showgirl in '78 when I married her. 40 years later, that still counts for a lot. Her cats have fur, claws, annual vet bills, and go "mrrrrr".rheddmobile wrote: »Man, I need your wife’s cats. My cats tell me to slack off and go have dessert.
Let me know...
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Feeling comfortable... FTW!1
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