BMI says I'm overweight still

[dorabora]

I've lost about 2 stone thanks to mounjaro and very happy with it, I look great now I think, am wearing clothes that I could never wear before and feel good for once. I'm now 10.7 and I'm 5ft 4, my bmi is now 25.2 but apparently I'm still overweight ! How does that work?! I have a c section pouch which will always have some skin/fat hanging over it sadly but other than that I look really slim, so why do they still class you as overweight ?

Ideal range for your height would be 24.9 or below, so you are nearly there. Well done.

BMI is a poor measure if you have a lot of muscle and you are only very slighly overweight. What is your waist height ratio? That is a more reliable measure of health.

I was overweight when I was a size 8.
Got down to a size 6 in the end and was only just under a BMI of 25.
Madness

Don’t worry about BMI I think I have heavy bones - even when people would say I was a bit thin in the past ( many years ago now!) my BMI was nearly 25. Agree re waist height ratio.

I used to think this when my BMI was just under 25... "How can I be nearly overweight when I am just slim and normal looking?" I did carry a lot of muscle so I assumed it was just that. A few years later my BMI went down to 22 and I stayed there. Now when I look at photos from when my BMI was at the top of the healthy range I look so porky. Not overweight in an flabby unhealthy way, but chubby cheeks, chunkier upper arms etc. Still fine and healthy but definitely not slim.
My point is that it is VERY difficult to accurately assess what you currently look like. Your eyes may well be deceiving you. But does it matter? If you are happy with the way you look then great! Health wise you really aren't going to have additional risks at 0.2 into the overweight range.

I think it depends on how you carry your weight. I am happiest with how I look at about 10.5 stones but still technically overweight. I once got my BMI down to about 22 and looked really ill.

I also think I read a study once that said that most health benefits of losing weight are seen once your BMI is below 27, so not necessarily a big deal.

If you lost 2lb more you would be classed as healthy BMI and probably wouldn't look any different. Being a tiny bit overweight (as opposed to obese) isn't likely to impact on your health so I think at this point if you are happy with how you look and feel I wouldn't worry about it. There has to be a cut off point somewhere for BMI though - it's a guide not an absolute.

BMI is a rough tool. I'm 5 ft 8 and would look overweight at 10 stone 7lb, but that's because I have zero muscle. I'm very doughy!
I know people of around 5ft 4 who look slim at 11 stone. This is because they carry a lot of muscle. My friend doesn't have a gram of fat on her but is apparently overweight. She's pure muscle.

Bmi is such a rough tool. At one point due to illness mine dropped to 22 and I honestly looked so bad , it was shocking. Even when I started to get better and got back up to 25 I still didn't look great. I look best at around 27/28 . Which is over weight but I'd rather that than looking how I did before

I'm definitely not carrying any muscle 🤣 well only muscle I build is lumping around two babies !!
I don't like my upper arms they could definitely be smaller but I can't say I look big anymore at all. Pre pregnancy I was 9.5 stone so that's my goal weight

Could it be that you have carried extra weight for such a long time, that now the new slimmer you, looks great to your eyes, but has a little way to go. But to a medical professional, you still need to lose a few more pounds to be at your ideal weight. It's just a matter of perception.

If it worries you, lose the extra two pounds.

I'm more interested to hear how you get on, maintaining a steady weight using MJ.

I mean yes possibly ! I'm not thin far from it (and to be honest I don't want to be thin) but I feel I look good, I can happily look in the mirror in my underwear and feel confident now, before I was like eugh !!

Yes slightly worried about putting it all back on, I have another month of 5mg then I plan to stop. Hopefully this month will get me down to my goal weight and then I have to keep it off 😆 not to mention it costs a fortune !

Ive lost 3.5 stone with Mounjaro and am now a slim size 12 and I am really pleased! However my BMI is still 26.6!! I am tending to think its a load of old bollocks.

@dorabora When you reach your target weight, do you gradually reduce the MJ dose or move to a lower 'holding pattern' dose or stop taking it completely?

Is the theory that your stomach has shrunk to reflect your less hungry MJ appetite, and therefore, should be easier to maintain?

For women as they come into menopause and beyond, lower BMI is a risk for osteoporosis - and the first 10% of your weight lost makes the biggest difference - so you are probably just right!

It's saying you're very borderline. And the couple of pounds of sagging skin etc you say you have would account for it. So if you took that away then your not in that category. It's not like it's really that precise. Things like lots of muscle, or low bone density, or sagging skin, boob jobs etc can warp the results.
You are undoubtedly feeling better because you're doing great. Don't let the BMI calculator dictate how healthy and confident you feel. X

I was wearing size 10 jeans at my lowest weight and still about a 26 BMI. I don't really understand how that's possible, I suppose I have a 'big frame' - size 8 feet, big head and hands (seriously, they are man-sized, I've measured) wide shoulders, etc. I'm definitely not 'all muscle' heh.

BMI is a rough tool however I'm afraid I think we've all become so accustomed to seeing people carrying more weight that our views are skewed. When you see photos of people back in the 60/70s people are much slimmer.

At the end of the day it's what you feel happy with. I am trying to lose weight at the moment and would like to have some wriggle room. It also gives me a target to focus on.

I have no idea !! I plan to just stop and hopefully my stomach has shrunk (and my craving for nightime biscuits) I have seen people on here mention a maintenance dose ? So maybe some people do that but honestly, I can't afford too. Next week I'll be going into my third order of mounjaro and second month of 5mg. I've really noticed on the 5mg I'm actually struggling to eat, food doesn't appeal to me and I don't like that, as I enjoy good food, so I think it's time to stop after this next month. If I can shift another stone I'll be absolutely over the moon !

Thanks all for the reassurance, the main thing is how we feel in ourselves isn't it and I do feel so much better for it

Same height as you and just got down to 9 stone 10 and I’ve only just scraped into my ok BMI, I am a size 12 now and feel great, I really don’t need to lose any more but if I was at the lower end of my bmi I would look completely haggard!

even after both DC I only weighed 8stone 10 so I’m putting it down to my age.

well done for doing so well.

Do you have big breasts? That would make your BMI higher even if you looked quite slim, which is part of why there is a range.

BMI isn’t perfect.

Do you know your body fat percentage?

Sorry I mean BMI as a measurement isn’t perfect. Not your BMI isn’t perfect.

Same, I have a wide skeleton so BMI overweight definition looks thin on me. If I go down to a size 10 I look skeletal and periods stop etc. I don't go by BMI now

I remember when I was at my slimmest my bmi said I was overweight. I put it down to having big boobs because no matter how much weight I had lost my boobs never got below a GG cup.