BMI and picking a goal weight
MomLarisa
Posts: 225 Member
I'm just curious others thoughts on selecting a goal weight. If you're overweight it seems reasonable to just get it into the "healthy" range. That seems self explanatory. But for those of you already under 24, what is your goal? Bottom end of the range, whatever feels/looks good to you, something else? Perhaps I shouldn't be so focused on what the scale actually says, but I'm not sure what else to go by.
Just to note, I'm already in the healthy range at 21.
Just to note, I'm already in the healthy range at 21.
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Replies
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I'm just curious others thoughts on selecting a goal weight. If you're overweight it seems reasonable to just get it into the "healthy" range. That seems self explanatory. But for those of you already under 24, what is your goal? Bottom end of the range, whatever feels/looks good to you, something else? Perhaps I shouldn't be so focused on what the scale actually says, but I'm not sure what else to go by.
Whatever looks and feels good when I get there. I assume I am about 25 pounds away from it so I will start evaluating in 20. The main advantage of getting inside my "healthy" BMI range is the cost of insurance. Beyond that it is not a factor.4 -
Why chose bottom end? You might not look healthy in the end. Apart from that, also evaluate how you want to live: the less weight the lower your bmr, hence the less food to stay on that specific weight. I accidentally ended up close to being underweight. Didn't do anything for my body, but my face looked emaciated, my blood pressure was constantly low, and one little cold and I felt even worse because of too little reserves.8
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Once I am in a comfortable weight range, I focus on body composition. I am currently at a weight I have been many times during my life and I've looked different each time, so for me my weight itself is not as important as my physique right now.10
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I'm just curious others thoughts on selecting a goal weight. If you're overweight it seems reasonable to just get it into the "healthy" range. That seems self explanatory. But for those of you already under 24, what is your goal? Bottom end of the range, whatever feels/looks good to you, something else? Perhaps I shouldn't be so focused on what the scale actually says, but I'm not sure what else to go by.
Just to note, I'm already in the healthy range at 21.
I focus on body composition, not an arbitrary number on the scale. BMI is a range to accomodate various body frames, muscle mass, etc. I would look like death warmed over at the low end of the range for my height and I would also have to atrophy a lot of muscle mass.5 -
I loosely use the BMI scale for a range, but I know I tend to go toward the heavier end when at a healthy weight... not sure why, but always have. As a teen I was a very active and healthy 5’4” 140, most people guessed me around 120 (at the fair it was always fun at the booths where they would guess your age/weight... I won every time). See where you are comfortable and go from there... every person is different, the BMI scale is good for an idea of average.6
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This comes up a lot and there is no definitive answer. I agree with @yirara that being underweight is not a great goal. So, it's up to you to pick a weight that you are comfortable with.
It's very reasonable to get to a goal and try to stick there for a while, then perhaps try to lose a few more pounds later, if you feel like it.
But: I've always found maintaining to be harder than losing!4 -
I'm just curious others thoughts on selecting a goal weight. If you're overweight it seems reasonable to just get it into the "healthy" range. That seems self explanatory. But for those of you already under 24, what is your goal? Bottom end of the range, whatever feels/looks good to you, something else? Perhaps I shouldn't be so focused on what the scale actually says, but I'm not sure what else to go by.
Just to note, I'm already in the healthy range at 21.
I was just flirting with the top of the healthy weight range when I decided to do something about it. I decided to shoot for the middle of the range and see what happened when I got there. When I got there, I still wasn't sure, so I decided to focus on fitness for awhile and see if getting more fit made me happier with that weight. That's still what I'm doing. I suspect I will end up trying to get 5-10 lbs lower at some point.
At a 21, you are already right in the middle. I'm assuming your post means you are still not happy with where you are? How strict do you have to be with your eating and exercise to maintain your current weight? In other words, how much of a struggle would it be to stay at a deficit for another 6 months to a year, and would it be worth it to you?
Another option is a recomp, check out these posts:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p13 -
For me my range is around the top of the BMI scale, usually aim for 24. I can be at a healthy weight by all other metrics at BMI of 25.5. So I prefer to work on composition instead. My preferred composition is between 20 and 25%. BMI is about 25.2 and my BF% is about 27% so I am trying to drop a few lbs while working on lifting and building muscle.
It sounds like you might be better served by starting a lifting routine and going the recomp method where you lower body fate while maintaining your weight.2 -
When i hear hoofbeats, I think horses.
When I hear BMI below 22, not Asian, not vertically challenged, no long discussion about delicate structure plus non satisfaction with current weight, but no clear and overriding goals and desires, I start thinking I am not 100% liking what I see in the mirror.
There are two components to this "not 100% liking" business and usually neither gets fixed by straight up additional weight loss.
You can actually use some muscle building and "toning" in which case re comp is your path.
You are already perfect but can't see it, in which case re comp would still be you path 😹
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Following a large metastudy of 2007 by AICR, meaning review of hundreds of studies recommendation #1 for cancer prevention;
"be as lean as possible without being underweight."
Still current in their documentation, although they added normal range later (see page 5), with no more explanation.
https://www.aicr.org/assets/docs/pdf/education/heal-well-guide.pdf
This translates to me as BMI of 18.5, for somebody average not muscular and regular constitution.0 -
The recommendation, which I did see in page 5, is, in my opinion poorly written and also feeds into a misunderstanding of what a normal BMI means.
It is also written in a way that can easily feed into Eating Disorders. And while it does take a stance against "carrying extra body fat-particularly excess abdominal body fat" because it "means a higher risk for certain cancers" it also fails to establish healthy minimum fat levels.
Your interpretation "This translates to me as BMI of 18.5, for somebody average not muscular and regular constitution" also indicated a lack of understanding of what the healthy BMI range MEANS.
The BMI range only establishes that people of a certain height whose weight falls within a range tend to have less health problems than people of that height whose weight tends to be higher or lower.
It does NOT MEAN that ANY ONE PERSON of a certain height is EQUALLY HEALTHY and has EQUAL LOW RISKS at ANY ONE POINT in the range.
Does not mean that. You don't get to pick and choose at which point in the BMI range you are at minimum risk. Not all points in that range offer equal risk to you. The BMI range does NOT give you any information about this.
ALL YOU KNOW is that at SOME POINT IN THAT RANGE you PROBABLY have minimal health risks.3 -
a lack of understanding of what the healthy BMI range MEANS
Didn't I just write; "for somebody average not muscular and regular constitution" ?
I know exactly what BMI means.1 -
Following a large metastudy of 2007 by AICR, meaning review of hundreds of studies recommendation #1 for cancer prevention;
"be as lean as possible without being underweight."
Still current in their documentation, although they added normal range later (see page 5), with no more explanation.
https://www.aicr.org/assets/docs/pdf/education/heal-well-guide.pdf
This translates to me as BMI of 18.5, for somebody average not muscular and regular constitution.
Well, good thing I am neither average nor regular.
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I go by how I look lean enough but not boobless at 120 lbs and that comes out to a BMI of 21.3. It should also be sufficient to get my blood sugar properly controlled. Then I don't have to stay on these meds forever.3
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a lack of understanding of what the healthy BMI range MEANS
Didn't I just write; "for somebody average not muscular and regular constitution" ?
I know exactly what BMI means.
You don't.
You're operating under a common misunderstanding of what it means as indicated by the fact that you believe that all "average" people of a certain height will be healthy and not-underfat at BMI 18.5.
And I've explained above what it does mean. Feel free to read it.6 -
a lack of understanding of what the healthy BMI range MEANS
Didn't I just write; "for somebody average not muscular and regular constitution" ?
I know exactly what BMI means.
You don't.
You're operating under a common misunderstanding of what it means as indicated by the fact that you believe that all people of a certain height will be healthy at BMI 18.5.
And I've explained above what it does mean. Feel free to read it.
Sorry, no, you didn't get the point.0 -
a lack of understanding of what the healthy BMI range MEANS
Didn't I just write; "for somebody average not muscular and regular constitution" ?
I know exactly what BMI means.
You don't.
You're operating under a common misunderstanding of what it means as indicated by the fact that you believe that all people of a certain height will be healthy at BMI 18.5.
And I've explained above what it does mean. Feel free to read it.
Sorry, no, you didn't get the point.
Then my apologies for not getting it. Feel free to explain though I don't see why you would want to invest time in defending a poorly written recommendation.3 -
Well thankfully I'm not unhappy with my weight. I just wanted to lean down a bit more because I can and because I wanted to be a good example of healthy living to my kids, and because seeing my pooch shrink is pretty cool. Who wouldn't want to be in the best shape of their life at 44? The re comp comments were just the kind of thing I was looking for so it's a good thing I've already been doing HIIT and running and riding my horses. Thank you for everyones commentsThere are two components to this "not 100% liking" business and usually neither gets fixed by straight up additional weight loss.
You can actually use some muscle building and "toning" in which case re comp is your path.
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I'm just curious others thoughts on selecting a goal weight. If you're overweight it seems reasonable to just get it into the "healthy" range. That seems self explanatory. But for those of you already under 24, what is your goal? Bottom end of the range, whatever feels/looks good to you, something else? Perhaps I shouldn't be so focused on what the scale actually says, but I'm not sure what else to go by.
Just to note, I'm already in the healthy range at 21.
If you are trying to lose 'weight' (I'll assume you mean fat) for aesthetic reasons. Use the mirror. BMI is not a terribly relevant metric to go by and in the grand scheme of things weight isn't either. Unless of course you are trying to make weight for a specific sport etc2 -
While BMI is an easy to calculate indicator of one's risk for certain medical problems associated w/obesity (which is what it was desgned to enable doctors to use in a health assessment), I do not think it should have much if anything to do w/picking your specific goal wt.
So, if your BMI is anywhere between 18.5-24.9, you will be w/in healthy weight range and itcwon't matter, at least in terms of your wt related heslth risks what your goal wt is, as long as it is w/in that range.2 -
How I look in a full length mirror is how I chose my goal weight.2
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So, if your BMI is anywhere between 18.5-24.9, you will be w/in healthy weight range and itcwon't matter, at least in terms of your wt related heslth risks what your goal wt is, as long as it is w/in that range.
Unfortunately this isn't always the case, I have some health issues at BMI 24.9 which disappear at lower numbers.2 -
So, if your BMI is anywhere between 18.5-24.9, you will be w/in healthy weight range and itcwon't matter, at least in terms of your wt related heslth risks what your goal wt is, as long as it is w/in that range.Unfortunately this isn't always the case, I have some health issues at BMI 24.9 which disappear at lower numbers.
Yes, the BMI is a range because people are built differently. I'm best at the top of the range. My family would do an intervention if I got mid range.5 -
At a 21, you are already right in the middle. I'm assuming your post means you are still not happy with where you are? How strict do you have to be with your eating and exercise to maintain your current weight? In other words, how much of a struggle would it be to stay at a deficit for another 6 months to a year, and would it be worth it to you?
Another option is a recomp, check out these posts:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
Thank you so much for sharing these links. They're super helpful. I'm pretty happy where I am. I would just like to look a bit leaner, no more pooch and gain some upper body strength. Re comp sounds like my path. Deficit for another 6 months sounds fine too. But I feel like I'd want to maintain after that for a while to see how I feel, reassess and kind of give my body time to normalize to the new weight.
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So, if your BMI is anywhere between 18.5-24.9, you will be w/in healthy weight range and itcwon't matter, at least in terms of your wt related heslth risks what your goal wt is, as long as it is w/in that range.
Unfortunately this isn't always the case, I have some health issues at BMI 24.9 which disappear at lower numbers.
Understood. Just because you are w/in the healthy BMI wt range doesn't mean that one still might not have a wt related health problem.
It just means that you are at a lower RISK for such problems based on the BMI calculation, which is acknowledged to be a crude standard of measurement for such problems.
But, it wasn't designed to identify the likelihood of such problems in ALL cases. It was designed as a quick and easy way to medically screen patients for the RISK of such problems w/o the need for (or the availability of) medical equipment or labs, especially in places where such equipment or labs are not readily available.5 -
Anything in the healthy range is good. I prefer to be in btw 20 & 21 BMI. That's when and look and feel my best. My clothes look good and I have energy.1
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At a 21, you are already right in the middle. I'm assuming your post means you are still not happy with where you are? How strict do you have to be with your eating and exercise to maintain your current weight? In other words, how much of a struggle would it be to stay at a deficit for another 6 months to a year, and would it be worth it to you?
Another option is a recomp, check out these posts:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
Thank you so much for sharing these links. They're super helpful. I'm pretty happy where I am. I would just like to look a bit leaner, no more pooch and gain some upper body strength. Re comp sounds like my path. Deficit for another 6 months sounds fine too. But I feel like I'd want to maintain after that for a while to see how I feel, reassess and kind of give my body time to normalize to the new weight.
So maybe what you can try is to do a recomp, focused on a strength training program, while eating at a small deficit like 250 calories. Don't worry too much about the scale, expect fluctuations, but just make sure you aren't losing too fast over any 4-6 week period. Then re-evaluate in 6 months.
I'm pretty much on a recomp for the rest of my life I think
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my goal weight puts me in the overweight category. goal is 5'4 147lbs.1
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I'm just curious others thoughts on selecting a goal weight. If you're overweight it seems reasonable to just get it into the "healthy" range. That seems self explanatory. But for those of you already under 24, what is your goal? Bottom end of the range, whatever feels/looks good to you, something else? Perhaps I shouldn't be so focused on what the scale actually says, but I'm not sure what else to go by.
Just to note, I'm already in the healthy range at 21.
BMI is a screening tool and not a definitive indicator of poor health or risk.
Example at age 50, 6'3", 247lbs, I would be considered overweight BMI(31) This is because my above average LBM is not factored into the calculation. That being factored in, I am considered normal weight.
Another screening tool that might be coupled with BMI is waist circumference. Which reams scientific evidence.
If you are not Asian, females and males with a waist circumference over 37" and 40" are considered higher risk for chronic disease and shorter life span. This is where we might generally prioritize weight loss.
You might chose to implement this screening tool as well to help guide you in your decision.
To get a accurate measurement we feel for the bony prominences on the front of your hip and find the highest one, theanterior superior iliac spine (ASIS). Measure the circumference on top of ASIS without compressing the skin.
Hope this helps you in some way.2 -
So, if your BMI is anywhere between 18.5-24.9, you will be w/in healthy weight range and itcwon't matter, at least in terms of your wt related heslth risks what your goal wt is, as long as it is w/in that range.
Unfortunately this isn't always the case, I have some health issues at BMI 24.9 which disappear at lower numbers.
Asians tend to consider the upper limit for BMI at 23, above is starting the overweight range. I also think that 25 is too high.
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