BMI

[wafflewaffle]

According to the BMI chart to be a healthy weight for my height I would need to weight 9 stone (I am a 5"3 female), are these BMI things an honest indicator? as I think if I lost 6 and a half stone I would be invisible, I am definitely overweight at 15 stone 6, but i was thinking about 12 stone I would look about right, 9 stone seems a bit extreme.....

 

[xMariex]

According to the BMI chart to be a healthy weight for my height I would need to weight 9 stone (I am a 5"3 female), are these BMI things an honest indicator? as I think if I lost 6 and a half stone I would be invisible, I am definitely overweight at 15 stone 6, but i was thinking about 12 stone I would look about right, 9 stone seems a bit extreme.....

Depends really plenty of athletes can be considered obese according to BMI. So its a indicator rather than a rule. Truth is if your not very muscular then you should aim for a BMI of 25 -18.5 for health reasons but I would not make it a iron clad rule. I am sure there are plenty of people who have BMIs over that who live healthy lifestyles and thus are healthy which is probably more important.

If you consider 12 stone to be right for you then, that is what counts it is your body after all, we usually know our own bodies best. To have a BMI just under 25 which is considerd the ideal range for a people of 5'3 it would not be 9 stone but actually 10. My mother is just slightly over 9 stone and is 5'1 and her BMI is under 25 and thus considered ideal, she is shorter than you. But she has a small build so wants to lose a bit more, but she in no way looks big at all. I think some doctors focus too much on BMI whereas others are much more realistic about it. Some say your waist measurement is better indicator for health then BMI. But then again things like IVF on the NHS many PCTs will refuse you for treatment based on BMIs over 30 so that shows some PCTs are still basing things on BMI. So if your worried about being in the ideal BMI range for your height you do not need to be 9 stone but 10. At 140lbs (10 stone) a person who is 5'3 has a BMI of 24.8. Some women say 24 is better than 25 so that would be 135lbs either way its around 10.

 

[x-emily-x]

I think some doctors focus too much on BMI whereas others are much more realistic about it.

I think this is definitely true. My GP at home used to go on about it everytime I was there, whereas i've been to the doctor a couple of times since i've come to uni, and they did weigh me and comment on my weight, but not about my BMI. To be honest I always thought "yeah whatever" when my GP at home said anything about it anyway lol

I think it's a good target really. I worked out i'd need to be around 12st to be in the 'normal' category, which seems reasonable really.

 

[GretaGrip]

If you are 5 foot 3, then a healthy weight would be anything from 8 odd stone to about 10 stone, depending on your build. I am 5 foot 4 and weight 9 stone. I'm a fairly slim size 8 to 10 but not invisible that's for sure! 12 stone does not put you in a 'normal' weight range however it is certainly a great first initial target.

Also, it depends on where YOU feel happy. So, if you feel happy when you reach 12 stone then great! Stick with that. If you decide to lose a little more for health reasons, then go for it too.

 

[wafflewaffle]

Thanks xmariex, I think I will change my goal to 10 stone, I have never been anything less than a size 12 in my entire life so i just have it in my mind that my body wont go any smaller than that if you know what i mean? your post was really informative and the IVF point deffo gave me something to think about if I was to ever need something like that at my current weight I would be denied, I didn't know that!

Im glad I'm not the only one that is a bit sceptical about BMI x-emily-x!!

And thanks for your post gretagrip, it is good to know that if I was to get to 9-10 stone that I would probably not be too thin, maybe i am just making excuses because it is very daunting thinking about losing 6 stone!

 

[GretaGrip]

That's it exactly waffle- what you're doing is a form of self sabotage. We've all done it. Concentrate on the job in hand for now - personally I'd make my target 10lbs off. Keep that in your mind and go for it. And then , you adjust again.

That's how you lose 6 stone. I'd never have managed it if I'd looked at the end line at the beginning - if that makes sense ?

 

[GretaGrip]

pressed send a bit soon!

My advice would be to amend your target weight to 14 stone 13. Don't under estimate the positive effect this can have on your motivation. You'll reach that in no time at all and then, amend it 7lbs or so lower. It really works.

I use calorie counting too - after a whole raft of various options and in my opinion - it's the best! Keep a close eye on your carbs however...

 

[xMariex]

Hi waffle,
For many of us in this section of the forum the amount you have to lose to start with does sound daunting. I started earlier this year with just over 11 stone to lose! Now I have just under 4, still alot but a way I learnt on here as mentioned by getagrip was small mini goals. I would aim towards them rather than think about the main overall weight loss as much. If I think 4 stone that will take me forever rather than say go into another stone bracket, I actually feel like I achieved something. As I think that is the important thing making sure the scales are going the right way rather than how much or how much left. As all those little losses your chipping away at soon add up. Like you and getagrip I calorie count and exercise. For me it has worked far better than a previous faddy diet I was on where I lost 5 stone really quickly but of course the moment I stopped I gained it back and more. Now I have accepted it was a lifestyle change I needed and with CC you can pretty much do that long term. So I would say aim for your mini goals hit them and move on to the next one to keep yourself motivated

 

[GretaGrip]

You've done amazingly well Maria - what an achievement

 

[ajefitness]

According to the BMI chart to be a healthy weight for my height I would need to weight 9 stone (I am a 5"3 female), are these BMI things an honest indicator? as I think if I lost 6 and a half stone I would be invisible, I am definitely overweight at 15 stone 6, but i was thinking about 12 stone I would look about right, 9 stone seems a bit extreme.....

Hi wafflewaffle,
The Bmi index is like your name waffle waffle! It isnt fit for purpose. Obviously that is my believe and others are welcome to their opinions. Body mass Index as its known works out by using height against weight and comes up with a number which people use especially doctors to say "You are overweight", "you are an ideal weight" etc. The Bmi does not take into account huge factors! This is why it causes more problems than good. I myself got told by the doctor I was seriously obese! Morbidly obese. I am a personal trainer and had been training to build muscle and bulk up. I achieved my goal. The doctor said I was morbidly obese to which I laughed and explained My fitness regime. Because i was clothed the doctor just presumed i was overweight based on a useless BMI. BMI does not take into account Muscle!! and muscle weights more than fat. People who are muscley are going to be told they are obese when clearly they arent. The best idicator That I use myself is body composition and body fat calipers. Then you can work out if people are overweight by fat or even indeed they are actually healthy being heavier.

Aje Fitness