Recommended BMI - is it realistic?

jayliospecky
jayliospecky Posts: 25,022 Member
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
So, I've been feeling very motivated lately until I calculated my BMI. I'm just barely out of the obese zone into overweight. According to BMI, I would have to lose another 28 pounds to be healthy. At my skinniest ever I was still technically overweight according to BMI. I find it very discouraging and am wondering about others who find they are healthy but don't "fit" the category BMI puts them in.

Replies

  • TooFatToFit
    TooFatToFit Posts: 285 Member
    I wonder about this too. I am 5' tall and even under all this fat, my bones are fat, too! I have a heavy frame to be accounted for...there should be 3 BMI scales (and I have seen them somewhere before) for those tiny bird boned people (yeah, I'm jealous :oP), medium frame, and built like a brick sh!thouse types likes me. :)

    For now, I've chosen my goal to 125, which is the very high end of the healthy range MFP's BMI chart. I doubt I'll go below that.
  • kassied09
    kassied09 Posts: 397
    I think that everyone's body is different and we all hold weight differently. While I do think that the BMI is accurate in most ways (any site you go on will be roughly the same) I don't think it is a guideline we should follow too strictly. Do what is right for you!
  • llbreell
    llbreell Posts: 37
    I'm anti bmi. I was considered obese in size 8 jeans. Everyone had different body types, so it cannot be accurate.
  • davidpm
    davidpm Posts: 208 Member
    I wouldn't take the BMI numbers too seriously. They showed how flawed it is. Shaquille O'Neill was very obese according to this scale and he was pure muscle and very fit. It doesn't take into account things like muscle mass.
  • moushtie
    moushtie Posts: 371 Member
    BMI was a scale invented by a physicist about 50 years ago to help with some of his research. Just as women's clothes based on 1950's measurements no longer fit the modern woman, I suspect that the BMI scale needs a similar adjustment.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    I don't find the BMI all that accurate, it's a great guide definately for the average person, but not the be all and end all. Body fat, inches etc should matter alot more along with how comfortable you feel and how your health is doing (blood pressure, cholesterol, resting HR)
  • mrau719
    mrau719 Posts: 288 Member
    BMI was not created for individual use. It was made to describe different populations. It should not be taken extremely seriously in regards to one person. You can use it as a guideline, but that's it. It's for populations like according to BMI the city of Who-ville is overweight.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    BMI is garbage. It doesn't take people with 9+ inch wrists into consideration or people with more muscle mass. Go by fat percentage or just by how you look.
  • prettyfitchick
    prettyfitchick Posts: 502 Member
    you are better off knowing your body fat % and working on lowering that number.
  • Puckermann
    Puckermann Posts: 52
    BMI is garbage. It doesn't take people with 9+ inch wrists into consideration or people with more muscle mass. Go by fat percentage or just by how you look.

    Yip according to my BMI I'm overweight haha
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    For a lot of people it is accurate, but for some it isn't. For me, it's accurate and I plan to be right around the middle of my BMI range.
  • beccadaniixox
    beccadaniixox Posts: 542 Member
    I don't really trust the BMI, it's okay to use as an estimate really but it all counts on being healthy in the long run.

    http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm
    ^ This chart has estimated weights depending on height & body frame.
  • Nina74
    Nina74 Posts: 470 Member
    I dont think it is realistic for everyone. Try googling bmi and body frame. At some point I got to a test where it was bmi but took you bone structure into account. I was considered a large bone structure at 5'4" because of the size of my joints ( wrist, elbows, etc. There is a little measuring test you can do).

    The regular bmi chart puts me at a max of 134. I smallest I ever was in high school was 145-155. I would have to develop an eating disorder to get under 134, which is not so healthy aftterall.
  • Puckermann
    Puckermann Posts: 52
    For a lot of people it is accurate, but for some it isn't. For me, it's accurate and I plan to be right around the middle of my BMI range.

    For the majority it is inaccurate as your bodyfat is a better indication whether you are obese or not.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    BMI is garbage. It doesn't take people with 9+ inch wrists into consideration or people with more muscle mass. Go by fat percentage or just by how you look.

    Yip according to my BMI I'm overweight haha
    when I was in the army, there was this body builder in my company who had to get tape tested and do remedial PT every month because he was overweight according to the BMI scale. He actually didn't mind so much because he wanted to keep track of his body fat percentage anyway, but still... I've had 9 inch wrists since I was a teenager and had to do that a few times myself.
  • jayliospecky
    jayliospecky Posts: 25,022 Member
    I've also read that up until 1998 the "overweight" category was up to a BMI of 27. Then the (American) government decided to lower it to 25. This seems pretty arbitrary to me. I think, based on my body type I may always be slightly overweight, even at my ideal size. This also matches with some of my family members, like my cousin who is my height and a fitness instructor; she doesn't fit into the BMI scale as healthy and she's been in body-building competitions. Thanks for all the input; sometimes when I'm alone with my own brain I just need some encouragement from other sources. I'm going to try to focus on "healthy" and I think I'll ignore the BMI scale from now on.
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