How much emphasis on BMI?

Sorry for the rogue adult. Bloody phone!

Absolutely. You hear people say, 'I'd be skeletal at a normal BMI / size 8'.

I highly doubt it.

Because people in the public eye at that size don't look skeletal at all - they just look normal.

I’m a normal BMI (22) and size 10. Perhaps I wouldn’t look skeletal at size 8 but if I lost 2st to get to the bottom end of my healthy range I absolutely would. I’m large framed. My waist to height ratio is fine.

I’m 4ft 11 and when I was 9st 12 my BMI was 27.8

My MiL is now 12st 1lb at 5ft 3 and her BMI is 30. But when i was 9st 12 and my BMI was lower than hers I looked a lot bigger than she does now.

*Absolutely. You hear people say, 'I'd be skeletal at a normal BMI
I was going to let it go because I'm not normal (in oh so many ways ) but I've been there and would indeed have to give up all body fat and some muscle just to reach the TOP of BMI for me - not even middle. Sorry, I can't relate to dress size. So, I will say it again, BMI is a guide not the be all and end all but irrespective the OP asked whether it should be the goal and IMO it should not be as there are too many other factors. Losing 2 stone is AMAZE-BALLS!

Sally I understand now.

BMI tries to take into account all body types and builds.

Looking at fit athletes for example you have Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal. Both clearly very fit, both would have very different BMIs.

Or look at Andy and Jamie Murray. Andy's BMI would be much higher than Jamie's.

Frame size is different too. Back size for bras will vary - you could have visible ribs and be a 32 while some women measure 26-28 with definite padding (me when not pregnant). Wrist diameter is not that affected by fatness or otherwise- I am overweight but always need loads of links taking out of adult watches - had to get a small band for my running watch.

I have a small frame and a genetic tendency to carry weight on my boobs, arse and thighs. In a skater dress with a forgiving top I am definitely comfortable in a 10 at over 13 stone because it fits my shoulders, design allows space for boobs and it skims my problem areas. In wedding dresses depending on cut I was anything from a 10 to an 18... trousers are more difficult. They just don't for in any size!

I’m a normal BMI (22) and size 10. Perhaps I wouldn’t look skeletal at size 8 but if I lost 2st to get to the bottom end of my healthy range I absolutely would.

If you say so.

I'm 5'10" and a size 12 (BMI 21).

If I lost 1-2 stone, I'd be a comfortable size 8 (I wish!), and still wouldn't look even remotely skeletal as those are the measurements of most of the women you see on ASOS or wherever you order clothes online, and they all look perfectly healthy.

Yes I do say so. It would mean dropping from 9st to 7stone. When I went down to under 8.5 stone a few years back I was a small size 8 could fit into a 6 in some places.

A modern day size 6 is an old size 10. I have a friend who's about 5'7", maybe 5'8" (so not short) and a size 6. She is very slim, but she doesn't look skeletal.

To look skeletal you have to be seriously malnourished/underweight.

I don't want to argue or derail the thread. But I do think our sense of a normal weight is skewed. As I say, pretty much all people in the public eye are at the lower end of a healthy BMI and they all look just fine.

Well I personally would not look fine at 7stone. Like I said I’m large framed - big hands, big feet, wide shoulders. I haven’t weighed 7 stone since I was about 16.

After tangling myself up thoroughly with a measuring tape, I have concluded that my waist-hips ratio is 0.77 (low risk), my waist is very slightly over half my height (not great), and my BMI is 32 (terrible).

So, do I need to lose nothing, a little, or a lot? No wonder people get confused and resort to dress sizes!

Chouette At the very least I'd aim for less than 30 - 32 will be in the range where your CV fitness is suffering and your general resistance will be compromised.

How do you feel after walking up stairs quickly? Can you do push ups? What's your grip strength like? Those are more important metrics than dress sizes.
Your waist/hip ratio means you aren't carrying in the worst place but a BMI of 32 isn't tenable in the long run even if you are ripped - physics is the limit there.

As for me my BMI is 28 but I'm basically a long legged Neanderthal. Having said that if I got heavier than I doubt my waist would be less than half my height and it'd be bye-bye abs!

@JohnMcCain Stairs don't bother me, they're just hills in a funny shape, and I've spent a lifetime living up (and thus walking up) steep hills. I reckon four storeys is about my limit though - I used to be able to do seven, albeit with a asthma attack afterwards.

Push ups require a level of physical coordination I simply don't have, same for grip strength.

I was being somewhat rhetorical though, I do intend to lose some more - I've lost a stone in six months by doing less exercise than usual and no lifestyle changes, purely by lowering the dose of one of my medications. That's a bit horrifying, really. But I certainly have no intent to go to a healthy BMI, despite all the outrage in this thread. I was firmly in the overweight category as a healthy, very fit teenager doing step aerobics twice a week, so that's probably a good place to aim for. My one experience of going as low as 12st was very unpleasant and was the outcome of being so severely depressed I would literally go for days at a time eating nothing. That's not healthy, whatever the numbers say.

I'm of the view that unless you happen to be training hard to actively build muscle and bulk up or happen to be a fluke genetics person (either end) then BMI is a reasonable indicator.

Most healthy people are not going to have a BMI OF 12 or 32. Most healthy people will tend to fall somewhere between 17 and 25 (most sites say 18-24 but we all know there are some outliers who are naturally at either end).

I'd rather listen to BMI than clothing sizes anyway.

Chouette, you have a fair amount to lose I'm afraid as you are in the obese category and your waist is over half your height. Small changes and I'm sure you'll get there.

I think "fair amount" is a bit strong - I'd be perfectly happy with another two stone, which isn't all that much.

But two stone is a lot. Two stone is a quarter of my body weight. This is exactly the problem on this thread and what I see every day in my job - people with their head in the sand and thinking a couple is stone overweight is 'not much' and that they are only carrying a few extra pounds. No wonder we have an obesity crisis with two thirds of people overweight or obese. Wake up and smell the roses.

Can you do push ups? What's your grip strength like? Those are more important metrics than dress sizes.

Is this actually right? My BMI is 18.5 and my waist to hip ratio is 0.8. I think I’m reasonably fit, but can’t do even one decent press up (right down and right up smoothly)

"Because people in the public eye at that size don't look skeletal at all - they just look normal."

I don't know. When I meet famous people from the TV in real life, they do look very thin. That's because the rest of us are too big of course.

Well done on your weight loss so far . I think BMI is a very good indicator of being overweight actually . I’d aim to get within normal bmi limits . You can do it but it won’t be easy .

When I meet famous people from the TV in real life, they do look very thin. That's because the rest of us are too big of course.

Yes, it is. But the general size of most (slim) famous people is the size pretty much everyone used to be, back in the day.

What we think of as 'skeletal' now, was normal then.

The young Queen Elizabeth was arguably even slimmer that Kate M, and we all know how derided she is for being 'too skinny'.

Push ups require a level of physical coordination I simply don't have, same for grip strength.

I’m sorry but unless you have an injury doing one push up should be absolutely possible for every person

It’s a very basic movement

I’d go along with others suggesting we have lost perspective but build is a factor and why the healthy band is quite large. I’m probably the opposite, I’d been top end of normal for a while and felt overweight. I’m close to a stone lost and my target weight, BMI of just over 21. I still feel flabby, although a lot firmer than before - I’ve worked out and run while dieting. I don’t look/feel as slim as I’d expect at this weight. I’m thinking of losing another half a stone, BMI around 20 at 8.5 stone. Before this point I’d have thought my current weight would be ideal. Lose the weight and reassess as you get close to target. You may be surprised.

I feel better for the loss so far, I can move more easily and run faster even with mobility/pain issues. At 10lb lost I held a 4kg dumbell, I was carrying more than that as excess weight on my body, it’s no wonder I can move more easily, and no surprise gaining weight can be disabling.

Yes, it is. But the general size of most (slim) famous people is the size pretty much everyone used to be, back in the day.

What we think of as 'skeletal' now, was normal then

My mother was born in the 1920s, and had me in the early 60s. She was never a small woman - 5ft 4 and a size 16 when I was growing up. She was always worried about her size and trying to lose weight. And in photos of her as a young girl she was sturdy and well built not Audrey Hepburn like.