How important is your BMI?

[*ruby*]

I have never really looked at the BMI side of things before, and simply set my personal target at the weight I was when I looked and felt good, (if you know what I mean) nothing to do with BMI.

When I got weighed by the practice nurse last week, I asked what the BMI should be. She said that ideally it should be under 25, but not to worry about that because it's pretty unlikely I'll ever get that low. That due to my general build, (looking at my shoulders, wrists, ankles, etc.....) I will always be above the 'guidelines'.

Is your BMI important to you, or is it just the weight/size issue you work towards.

By the way, the nurse is lovely and very supportive. She wasn't being nasty or funny (like it might sound). We were having a good laugh about it, especially when she said I'm actually 'just' fat now. :8855:






And........does this mean I can use the excuse of being officially big-boned?
:giggle:

 

[MadameLaMinx]

I do take a bit of notice of BMI but it is known to not be a terribly reliable guide, particularly where athletes are concerned because it doesnt take into account any muscle mass. Take Rugby players for an example. They can be 6ft+ amd 16 stone would be considered fairly light for them, but they are pure fit and extremely heavy because of the muscle they carry. Therefore they would be considered to be obese or even morbidly obese, when in fact they are not.

I have always gone by the "well I am tall and therefore I must be "big boned", but when you actually scrape back the wall of lard I am carrying around, I find that I am decieving myself and that I dont actually have a big bone structure. So I am interested in the BMI side of things, but more realistically, I just want to get to a size 12 if I can.

 

[Woodsylou]

i think bmi is kind of relative, im quite petite naturally, i've been slim before and i have small bones so BMI is a good indicator for me, and i do personally want to get below 25 on my BMI, but it's DEFINITELY not for everyone because like Madamlaminx says, it doesn't take into account muscle mass or bones or body size etc.

 

[*EB*]

I think they (expert doctors!) were looking at designing something new called the BVI - Body Volume Index but not sure if this has been created yet. The revision was due to the BMI being created YEARS ago, and being quite outdated with current times.

I looked at my BMI and i was morbidly obese, but i didnt see myself as THAT bad....im still obese and i am a size 18 bottom, 16 top....i am looking forward to getting into the overweight range.

For me, its another milestone, i love breaking targets - so getting into a new stone bracket, a new dress size, dropping below X kilos, getting a new shiny sticker - its all part of my journey!!!

x

 

[Jaffaqueen]

I will never be under 25 unless I become uncomfortably thin. My boobs weigh about a stone between them, and i'm apparently "tall for a woman" so i'd be quite happy as a size 14. I was before and looked in proportion and not fat. yes I weigh more than someone who is textbook at my height should, but i'm not textbook I don't tend to pay much attention to my BMI, just try to get my weight and dress size down. That's enough of an indicator for me

 

[Gettingthinnerbytheday]

I recently got into the healthy BMI - but TBH I am still towards the top end & figured I would be rediculously thin/anorexic looking if i were towards the begining of the chart - yet the chart would class me as healthy??? I don't think so!

I was pleased when I got into the right zone, but, I agree it isn't accurate so not the b all & end all for me

 

[captain nemo]

4yr ago id lost almost all of my weight, i thought i was maybe 1/2 st over where id like to be , i was about 31bmi, yet i was running over 20m a week and going to the gym 4-5 times and pretty fit, i had a resting heart rate of 60bpm yet my bmi said i was obese, im natural quite big with a big shoulders and rugby players legs, i thought i was bang on, doctor even said, the bmi can be misleading and is a guide and wont be right for everyone.
oh and im a bloke ,if i was a lady with rugby players legs that would have been worse.

 

[miss_williams]

I want to lose a total of 6stone. My BMI will still be obese. But surely I will be healthier being 6 stone lighter? To have a normal BMI I need to lose 9stone, I don't think I could lose that much or would I look normal

 

[freyasmommy]

i like to see my bmi going down lol and i would love to get in to that under 25 range, BUT i know when i was younger, at my smallest i was 9.5stone and was just on the border of going into overweight! i was a size 12 bottoms and 8/10 on top!
i ideally want to get to 10stone (which im guessing will give me about a size 12/14)

 

[Crys]

I do pay attention to it for me, though I am also aware that I'll never be anything more than just inside normal from dieting in the past. I use it aas an indicator because alot of the fertilty treatment I need to have is regulated by your BMI level.

 

[MadameLaMinx]

I want to lose a total of 6stone. My BMI will still be obese. But surely I will be healthier being 6 stone lighter? To have a normal BMI I need to lose 9stone, I don't think I could lose that much or would I look normal

Of course you will be significantly healthier being 6 stone lighter. Even losing 2 stone from where you are now will give significant health benefits! (hence the club 10 thingy).

See how you feel when you reach your first target. You may want to push on and lose more, you may not, but first things first. Lose the amount you want to lose, then decide if you are happy as you are or if you want to take some more off.

It is your body, and you have all the decisions, and all the answers, in you.

 

[Wish]

I think lowering of your BMI has got to be a good thing, although I am not sure I want to lower mine below 25, as I think I would lose all my curves. I think you do need to take it to account, but also be sensible, you will know when you have lost the right amount of weight for you, for me personally I don't want to be skinny, so I won't be heading for the government ideal weight to height ratio. I want to keep some of my curves, as thats what makes me, me

 

[Indieflower]

I have always kept an eye on my BMI as an indicator, but definitely not as a goal. As many have already stated it is unreliable. I go to my local Boots and weigh myself once a week religiously. The scales they have tell you your BMI and body fat percentage. Personally I find the body fat percentage a far more reliable source and funnily enough if I haven't been exercising my weight can stay the same but my body fat percentage goes up!!

 

[daisymae2]

I think your bmi is a good indicator but now they are saying waist size is quite important ie 32" max for a woman and 36" for a man.

 

[cocktailprincess]

My overall target was based on getting in the 'healthy' range of BMI- I started in the 'Morbidly Obese' section.

I know it isn't 100% reliable, but for an average framed person who isn't a bodybuilder it is a rough guide of what is considered healthy- it also has a 3 stone range of what is considered healthy, so I think it is pretty realistic for me

xxx

 

[minx]

when i'm assessing my patients for 'keep well/well woman/well man' clinics i HATE having to use the whole BMI system its so outdated we really do need something new.

Waist circumference is so much more indicative of health. most of your vital organs sit right undernieth this area and having a larger than recommended waist size (central obesity) is far more dangerous than a silly BMI number that doesnt even take into consideration general build or fitness. some people i see in surgery have skinny wee arms and legs, but have huge amounts of fat in their abdo area and assume because BMI is healthy - so are they..

my hubby is 6ft 6 and has a very healthy 34 inch waist. according to the BMI calculator he is verging on being overweight, its utter utter nonesense!

rant over xx

 

[*ruby*]

Thanks everyone for your opinions.

I'm not that bothered about it really, but I've got to admit that a very small part of me would dearly love to be in the healthy range. Just so I could maybe one day (in the far distant future :8855, say that I'm not overweight.

I know...... silly really......

So long as I get to where I want to be and feel that it's right for me, then that's what counts.

 

[zombiecakes]

I think your bmi is a good indicator but now they are saying waist size is quite important ie 32" max for a woman and 36" for a man.

I'm not sure this is entirely true. Surely someone who is 5ft 10 and has a 31 inch waist cannot compare the state of their weight/health with someone who is 5ft 1 and has a 31 inch waist.

 

[judimac]

It's really not a very accurate measure. Lynford Christie would be classified as obese and he's all muscle. It's % of body fat that matters and where it's carried.

 

[IanH]

Ahhh BMI... One of the most inaccurate popular measures going in my opinion - and based on so many averages to be unbelievable - and afterall - who's actually average?


According to BMI - for me to be healthy - i should at the VERY most weight 12st. I asked my (previous) GP about what realistically i should aim for - and was told that unless i had the physique of Charles Atlas, then BMI of 25 would be a useful guide but more importantly to stop when i was happy. how useful that advice was (and the primary reason that he's my previous GP).

So according to the charts i'm meant to be 11st13lb or less. All I can say to that is BOLLOX.

I'm now at 13st10lb, I'm about to have to go buy my first pair of 34inch waist trousers since I was 12-14years old. I'd have to probably buy 30inch waist if i was 12st or less. I'm also starting to wear medium sized tops and 16inch collar shirts. Nope. I'm stopping at 13st7lb - even if that still classifies me as far as the medical profession is concerned as being "overweight". If this is overweight - then i'm happy to be overweight.


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