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Original poster

Bmi - I could weigh 6 stone 10 lb !

86 replies

Frostine · 14/01/2022 10:39

Just checked the BMI guidelines and at my height of 5ft ( yes I realise that is short ) BUT surely even at that height 6 stone 10 would be very very slim . I've weighed 8 stone before ( not now ) and personally for me it was a little too slim .

OP posts:
LaurieFairyCake · 14/01/2022 12:54

kevinthekoala

8 stone at 4ft 11 is not 'massive' - so sorry to hear how unwell you got Thanks

(I'd look very slight at 8 stone - and be a size 6)

Original poster
Frostine · 14/01/2022 13:14

@A580Hojas

You have to state age / nationality so nothing like that.

OP posts:
PurpleDaisies · 14/01/2022 13:17

[quote Frostine]@A580Hojas

You have to state age / nationality so nothing like that.[/quote]
I’ve just been playing with the nhs one keeping the same weight and height but changing age/ethnic background/activity etc but it still comes up with the same range every time.

WellTidy · 14/01/2022 13:18

I am 5 foot 1 and have a small frame. The BMI calculator takes into account of age, sex and ethnicity and calculates a healthy BMI for me to be between 7 stone and 9 stone 6 pounds.

I got down to 9st 3.5 lb last year and found it really hard to lose more weight, I have no idea how I could get anywhere near 7 stone despite my frame being naturally quite small.

Even when I was a size 8 in the 90s, I was 7stone 7pounds. It was a weight that I mainted for years then but wouldnt achievable now I don’t think.

I find the bottom end of the healthy BMI to be really quite low indeed.

PurpleDaisies · 14/01/2022 13:19

The BMI calculator takes into account of age, sex and ethnicity and calculates a healthy BMI for me to be between 7 stone and 9 stone 6 pounds.

Does it though? It doesn’t seem to give any different results for me. I’m fairly sure I’m reading it correctly this time!

newrubylane · 14/01/2022 13:20

I'm 5ft 5in and usually weigh 7st 4lbs. Always have. I eat plenty and I'm perfectly healthy. No doubt some people might think I am 'too thin' but I can't really do much about it as it's my natural size. Apart from when I was pregnant I've never weighed more than 7st 8lbs. BMI is a very blunt instrument.

WellTidy · 14/01/2022 13:26

This is the calculator i used nhs I am white, female and 46yo. No idea if it would come out differently if I were of a different age or ethnicity though!

PurpleDaisies · 14/01/2022 13:27

Having played with it a bit more, if I put an overweight weight in, it gives me the same range and tells me to lose 9lb every time. For some ethnicities it also gives me a warning that my ethnicity puts me at higher risk since my bmi is over 27.5. It looks like it isn’t sophisticated enough to tailor the range personally (or how much weight to aim to lose) but it gives you a bit of personalised advice based on your ethnicity.

TheOrigRights · 14/01/2022 13:31

@PurpleDaisies

The BMI calculator takes into account of age, sex and ethnicity and calculates a healthy BMI for me to be between 7 stone and 9 stone 6 pounds.

Does it though? It doesn’t seem to give any different results for me. I’m fairly sure I’m reading it correctly this time!

For some ethnicities there is an added comment "Your ethnicity increases the risk of health issues with a BMI of 23 or more." For white people it goes up to BMI 25.

The actual gauge thingy looks the same, you just have to read the extra bit.

CookPassBabtridge · 14/01/2022 13:55

My BMI guidelines arw ridiculous. I'm 5ft 7 so could be 8 1/2 stone, but I look skeletal at 9 1/2 and very slim at 10 1/2. It doesn't take into account your shape.. I have wide shoulders and hips.

TheOrigRights · 14/01/2022 14:13

@CookPassBabtridge

My BMI guidelines arw ridiculous. I'm 5ft 7 so could be 8 1/2 stone, but I look skeletal at 9 1/2 and very slim at 10 1/2. It doesn't take into account your shape.. I have wide shoulders and hips.
As I said above - the tool is not designed just for you, but for populations. 8 stone 7 is a perfectly fine weight for others.
waterlego · 14/01/2022 14:18

@TheOrigRights, I have a tendency to take things a bit literally so always assume I’m meant to be bang in the middle of that range, but I do understand that isn’t really the case. My BMI is about 23, so I’m within the range, just a bit closer to the ‘overweight’ category than I might like to be, but I will try to make my peace with it. I do have a large frame and quite a lot of muscle mass (lifting weights 5x a week) with low body fat % so I know I’m a healthy weight for me. I just find it hard to ignore that I’m close to the top of my BMI range.

And while I’m sure that some people can look healthy even if they are bony, I really didn’t, so 8.5 stone isn’t a weight I aspire to be these days.

RoseAndRose · 14/01/2022 14:18

@CookPassBabtridge

My BMI guidelines arw ridiculous. I'm 5ft 7 so could be 8 1/2 stone, but I look skeletal at 9 1/2 and very slim at 10 1/2. It doesn't take into account your shape.. I have wide shoulders and hips.
If you are 5'7 and weigh 10st12 then your BMI is 23.8 which is normal.

You could go up to 11st6 and still be in the normal bracket.

So it has taken frame into account, and isn't returning a ridiculous result for you.

Exhausteddog · 14/01/2022 14:19

I'm just under 5ft. I am around 7st 4 . I've been under 7st when I've been on anti depressants but I didn't look unhealthy.
If you looked at me you wouldn't think I was especially slim or petite, I look fairly average.(in build, obvs not height!) I think I would look OK at 6.5st but (sadly) it's not within my natural weight fluctuations.

CrotchetyQuaver · 14/01/2022 14:31

I would agree, I'm 5'5 and if I weighed 8 stone which is the bottom of healthy range, I think I would be skeletal in appearance. I haven't weighed 8 stone since I was 13 years old either. Maybe I have dense bones, I look spot on with ribs slightly showing and all natural curves present at about 10 1/2 stone. It's been a while

Splodgerbodgerbadger · 14/01/2022 14:34

I’m 4ft 11 and my healthy range is 6st 8 to 8st 12. I was 6st 12 at my lowest when quite young.

I went up to 9st 10 a few years ago, but have lost weight since. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near 6st 8 now though!

TheOrigRights · 14/01/2022 15:44

So many people just not understanding the tool.

It's a guide. The vast majority of people whose weight lie somewhere on the range given for their height will be of a healthy weight.

Yes, there are outliers (not as many as you think).
Yes, just because your weight is within the healthy range does not mean you are healthy. Weight is just one part of overall health.
Just because your Mum, or cousin would look and feel unwell at either end of the range, does not mean the tool is wrong.
The range takes into account different body types; that's why it's about 3 stone.

samthebordercollie · 14/01/2022 18:06

I'm listening to 'How not to Diet' at the CB moment which quotes various studies, one of which said that the optimal BMI for longevity is 20 -22 so neither the bottom or top of the range ce if you want to live a long and presumably healthy life!

CookPassBabtridge · 15/01/2022 11:32

@RoseAndRose

I know, I just wish it would put a message on there to account for build so that people my height and frame don't blindly aim for 8 1/2 stone.

OhWhyNot · 15/01/2022 11:37

I’m 5’2

I’m an small to average build. I weighed 9’10 and was a size 10 my doctor didn’t believe I weighed that much when I told him abs was shocked when I got on the scales as I was considered overweight

OhWhyNot · 15/01/2022 11:40

I have large boobs, bum and thighs I think this nay have added to my weight. Having small shoulders also gave the appearance that I am a small frame. At 8 1/2 stone i had a lollipop head (I think I have quite a big head too size wise Grin)

Pashazade · 15/01/2022 12:03

BMI is really not a useful tool to assess your health/weight. It was predominantly created for use by insurance companies to assess health/death risk in new clients. It was developed using data from white, middle aged, middle class European men. (The insurance companies primary market). It needs overhauling desperately.
Brilliant podcast by Maintenance Phase all about it and this is an interesting article.

www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/bmi/bmi-flaws-history-other-ways-measure-body-weight/

Menofsteel · 18/01/2022 21:48

Totally agree that a healthy BMI tells you nothing of your health. Plenty of very fit, athletic people who train with me fail the BMI test but are super fit with low heart rate, blood pressure, super fast recovery time and incredible stamina. My alcoholic cousin has a healthy BMI but I’m fairly sure my gym mates and I are in better nick…

3WildOnes · 18/01/2022 22:26

I have a tiny frame (26 inch rib cage) and look fine at the lower end of the bmi scale. I am obviously slim but I don’t think I look unhealthily so. I would look overweight if I were the top of the healthy range.

moanyhole · 18/01/2022 22:56

I'm 5 foot with a small frame. I'm 8 stone which is fine. I went down to 6.9 stone at one stage in my 20s. I looked awful, people wondered if I was anorexic and I didn't menstruate. So even though I was just a pound lower than the lower end of a healthy bmi I was anything but healthy.