How realistic is the BMI?

Yep I agree, for my height and age it says my healthy weight is 125, that just sounds really low:huh:

I think it is totally unrealistic because it does not take into consideration of bone structure or if yu are muscular. Muscle weighs more than fat! I have a friend of mine kid who was refused health insurance recently because his height to weight ratio was not in proportion but he is all muscle and runs 10k races. He is healthier than the people that ruled he did not meet the qualifications!

There is usually a range of healthy BMIs given. Anything under 25 and above 18.5 is supposed to be good. Where does 115 fall in your range?

As to how I generally feel about it, BMIs describe populations and not individuals. So applying them to individuals is a misapplication. Also, I think body fat percentage is a much better indicator of health than BMI is. An athlete with tons of muscles and a lot body fat percentage could be considered overweight if only BMI is taken into consideration. But looking at body fat, it's clear they are healthy.

That said, most people use the fact that BMI has limitations to rationalize their weight. A healthy BMI for me is supposed to be anywhere from 98 to 132 and those numbers seem pretty reasonable to me. In fact, given my frame size, I'd say 132 is probably still too heavy.

Mine says I should be 118-160. I want to be about 135... It says I am normal now, and I am. I just want to get rid of some of the fat.

Your BMI is to be used as a tool to help you find a weight inside of that healthy weight range for yourself. My BMI says I should be between 125 and 168, that is quite a large range, 43lbs worth of range to be exact.

Personally, and according to my doctor that gives me the talk everytime I see him I should aim for 140-150 and try to stay in that 10lb range. My daughter is the same height as me and I can say at 121 lbs she looked scrawny and a bit sickly, but at 128 she looks great. I was 150 when I met my husband and I thought I was fat, and to be honest, I would love to be near that 150 now!

The lower end of the index may not be right for your build, your lifestyle or help you look healthy, but somewhere in the middle might look great!

Best advice I can give you is to quit focusing on that number and look at both ends of your range. When you reach the higher number loose 5lbs at a time and when you reach the number that best suites you stop.

I don't think its realistic at all- Even the range has my numbers too low for my build-

By just putting in your height and weight isn't enough for me- I have ALOT of muscle it doesn't take that into account-

You can't generalize people in 1 catergory.

So my goal is set for me not a calculation.

I agree with singfree and what most people on here are saying.

BMI is a nice, very general way, to get an idea where you are if you are not an overly athletic person or pregnant. Body fat % is a far better judge of where you should be.

IMHO weight is probably the worst of all to judge yourself by because it factors in neither lean tissue or body fat. For most women, shooting for a body fat % of between 20% and 25% is a very good measure. And for men, shooting for 10% to 16% is good.

A note, the best way to reduce body fat is a healthy dose of cardiovascular exercise coupled with small (250 to 500 calorie) meals that meet all the nutritional aspects of a healthy diet. That includes carbs, fats, and protein (along with vitamins and minerals of course). Having a deficit is good, but it's JUST as important to eat right and exercise. Put another way, even if you eat your maintenance; if you exercise and eat healthy, if your BF% is high, that will lower.