to think the NHS bmi calculator is a bit 'off'

[SaggingTits]

Hoping I don't get flamed for this or offend anyone. This is me pondering on my own weight more than anything.

I'm 5"3 and weigh 10stone. I have made an effort to get my weight down after having ds and reaching over 11stone. Checked my measurement's today and according to NHS website my bmi is in the 'healthy weight range' by a few pounds. I am unquestionably 'fat' and look overweight.

Unsure if it's how I personally carry weight, body shape etc, or is the bmi concept a bit shite?

[TheSecondViola]

So yeah, it is a bit off because it puts me as being obese and my mother as overweight when In fact I am much fitter ( I walk 4 miles every day, I just love my food!) have lower BP and can chase after a bus and my mother gets breathless walking around a supermarket and is pre diabetic

No, that doesn't make it off at all. It doesn't pretend to tell you that you are healthier in the overweight category rather than the obese one. It merely tells you that one of you is obese and one is overweight. Which is true no matter how healthy you are relative to each other or anyone else.

This is why people misunderstand the bmi calcs.

[TeacupDrama]

BMI means that at 5'3 and 10 stone this is healthy with no increased risk of ill health due to weight there is a range as different builds etc the range from BMI of 18.5 to 25 are over 21lbs.

Some people with larger solider frame will look fit and trim at 25, others like yourself feel they look better at less. Conversely some look nice and healthy slim at 18.5 and others look gaunt and ill. So while you may prefer to be lighter still at 10 stone your risk of adverse health is minimal, there is no medical evidence that a BMI of 20 has better outcomes than 25, though there is some evidence in older women that outcomes are better for those in range 23-27 than 18-23

So if you would be happier losing another half stone go for it

[WorraLiberty]

I really doubt that anyone within normal range of BMI looks "massively fat"

But how do you define massively fat? I think we all have different ideas of what is massive and what isn't...depending perhaps on what we're comparing it to.

According to the NHS BMI calculator, I could gain another 2 stones and still fall just inside the normal range.

Yet I would without doubt be massively fat. In fact I would definitely be fat if I gained another stone...just not 'massively' so.

It's all about the individual person and how they carry their weight I think.

[ZanyMobster]

I don't think BMI is way off, it is just guide though. Some people are naturally a heavier build of course.

If you do extensive exercise and have a high amount of muscle (ie body builders) then you will be heavier and therefore have a higher BMI but actually a lower fat %. This won't be stones different though so anyone a stone or two over or under the lowest or highest end of 'normal, is likely to be an unhealthy weight. This doesn't mean people will be ill etc but it does mean you are at a higher risk.

I think people's view of normal weight is skewed TBH and generally people should be a lower weight than they think.

I am 5ft4 and weigh just under 9st, 9st 7 is definitely the highest weight I can be without feeling fat. I do a lot of high intensity exercise and look athletic /muscly , before I started to exercise 18 months ago I used to weigh less (only a few lbs) so had a lower BMI but was a size bigger and my waist and hips were several inches bigger.

[SaggingTits]

My body fat is 20%. I carry weight on my stomach mostly around my c-section scar so my stomach is saggy rather than bloated iyswim. Small waist and bum and chunky legs too.

I agree with BMI being generous to short people but not those that are tall. But yes I know BMI does work as a concept. Maybe someone of my height and weight who was toned/muscular wouldn't look look overweight.

[ZanyMobster]

Totally agree with Worra, at the top of my BMI I would be very fat IMO,I would be 2 clothes sizes minimum larger so a large 14 which is big for someone my height. I was that size after DS1 and definitely looked fat. I lost over 30lb and did not look skinny at all (at 8 st 11)

[ZanyMobster]

Saggingtits - you are definitely right, there was a thread on here a few years back and it was all people around 5ft4 saying what they weighed etc and what they looked like. There was one lady who was a stone and a half heavier than me (so towards higher end of healthy BMI) but was a size smaller and looked really toned, she posted photos.

[SaggingTits]

small waist compared to my frame I should have said. Have searched for a tape measure to no avail on the plus side I'm now feeling motivated enough to do the 30 day shred dvd now everyone's in bed and won't see me looking ridiculous

[TelephoneIgnoringMachine]

My issue with it, is that it doesn't account for different body types. My DH is 6'4" & literally built like a viking - massively broad shoulders, big muscles, his wrists are quite a bit larger than my ankles. According to the BMI calculator, he's 6 stone overweight. He'd look emaciated if he lost 6 stone. (2-3 might be reasonable.) It doesn't work for rugby players, boxers, or anyone heavy with a high muscle mass.

It also thinks I'm fine. I'm not - at just under 5'3" with a tiny frame I should be a small size 8. I'm positively chubby at present, but I'm in the normal weight range apparently.

[AnnieNoMouse]

I am 5'3'' and weigh about 10:7
I'm alarmed that from some of the posts above I am considered to be "fat" or "massively fat". I know my BMI is slightly over the healthy range (and have embarked on taking steps to get it below). But I really don't think of myself as fat.
Am I fat?
And how much do large boobs weigh and can we take them into account when deciding BMI?

[TheSecondViola]

None of that matters.
BMI isn't about how you look, or feel. One person can be 5,5 and 10 stone and feel fat, and another can feel trim and toned, and how they look to others is more subjective again.
BMI isn't a comment on ANY of these things. All it tells you is your statistically likelihood of being less healthy due to your weight. It gives a wide range for normal because there is a fairly wide band where you are likely to be perfectly healthy with regards to your body size. Once you hit underweight or overweight you are statistically more and more likely to be unhealthy, and even more so in obese and further categories.

BMI is not a comment on how you look or feel. It is about the chances of your weight affecting your health.

[chelle792]

I find bmi weird. I'm 5ft4 and over the healthy bmi at the moment by about a stone. I'm a size 12. If I were to only just get in to the upper end of healthy bmi I would look really skinny and a size 10

I think I has a lot to do with body shape. I'm a curvy hourglass so maybe that's the difference?

[WorraLiberty]

I'm alarmed that from some of the posts above I am considered to be "fat" or "massively fat"

No one has said on this thread that they consider you to be fat or massively fat

How could anyone tell without a photo?

The point being made, is that people carry their weight differently and lots of people who are the same height and BMI, look different.

Some will look fat, some will look massively fat and some won't look fat at all.

[mudandmayhem01]

I am 5'1 very small frame, look absolutely fine at around 7 stone which is just slipping into the underweight zone. BMI is still a useful tool as it makes me think I should make sure I don't get any thinner ( eat more cheese and switch to full fat milk)

[RB68]

Fat isn't as heavy as toned muscle which would make you look slimmer if you were more toned but would like still be the same or similar weight

But it also is to do with your frame - you clearly have a light frame too

[GlitterGlassEye]

I'm 5 ft 7 and weigh 10 stones 7lbs. This is within normal yet slightly high bmi but it's big for me ifswim. I look better at around a stone lighter. My face seems to carry weight along with my thighs even though my belly is flat .

[SaggingTits]

Annie, don't take anything that has been said personally. Those saying body shape/muscle tone play a part are right.

My point was that even though I look overweight already, according to BMI calculator I can put on another 2 pounds before being classes as overweight. As someone pointed out, what it's actually saying is I put on anymore weight I'll start being bad for my health, not change how I look.

[SaggingTits]

If I put on anymore it'll be bad. Bloody autocorrect. And I agree with Worra that sometimes a stone can be the difference between being fat and massively fat. It can also make someone who looks underweight look a much healthier size. I don't want to be someone that think "oh it's only a stone".

[Vanderwaals]

Bmi calculators are not accurate. Just rough guidelines
They do not account for variances in muscle mass, bone structure, or body shapes.

[Mistigri]

BMI is a useful tool, but it's not always appropriate for individuals. Also, remember that it's nothing to do with aesthetics - you might look a bit tubby at a BMI of 24, but statistically your weight would still put you in the group least likely to suffer from diseases associated with overweight.

I'm naturally muscular and I'd be significantly underweight at the lower end of the "healthy" BMI range, but this doesn't invalidate it as a tool for the general population.

[IfItsGoodEnough4ShirleyBassey]

It depends - a lot of people have waist measurements in the increased diabetes risk range at BMI 24.

[AnnieNoMouse]

I'm not offended Sagging

I am genuinely interested whether my perception of how I look (that I'm carrying a bit of extra weight and could do with cutting down/toning up) is likely to be widely at odds with how others perceive me or that they see me as "fat".

I always used to be one of those people - in my 20's - who could eat anything and not put on weight - I was 8 1/2 stone - but the passage of time, pregnancies, and being pre-menopausal means the weight has crept on. I am now being a complete NY cliche - dieting/exercising/joining gym - after a period of simply not noticing/ not bothering.

[AnnieNoMouse]

Most of the snickers weight gain has gone on around the hips/abdomen which I know is bad in terms of health - so I am now making efforts to lose it

[AnnieNoMouse]

Most of the snickers weight gain has gone on around the hips/abdomen which I know is bad in terms of health - so I am now making efforts to lose it