Bmi!

[Kca29]

Not really an aibu so apologies. I'm a 5 foot 7 female who needs to lose some weight. I've put my weight and height into nhs bmi and I'm obese, I can try work on that.

But aibu to be really surprised at my 'ideal weight'.

My ideal according to nhs would be between 8 Stone 6 (I mean wtaf) and 11 Stone 5.

I'm never gonna be bloody 8 stone, likely not 11 Stone either. Dp is 11.5 Stone, 30 inch waist and small S clothes, he's very slim and not much taller than me. I'm never gonna weigh the same as him 😅

I was between 11.5-12 stone at age 19 pre kids and I was pretty slim, size 10. I never used to eat much to maintain that weight, used to obsess over calories and was obsessed with exercise. I don't want to be back to that obsessive stage again.

As mentioned above my dp fluctuates between 11.5-12 stone which is in the upper healthy range for a man of 5 foot 9/10. If he was a few pounds heavier he would be deemed overweight. Despite being in a men's size small, 30 inch waist and literally nothing on him 😅

So aibu to think sometimes ideal weight is a load of tosh and we all when different shapes and sizes.

I'm quite broad as well. Quite a 'solid' build rather than excess fat.

It's just disheartening that my ideal weight is probably never gonna be achievable!!

That should say 8st 12lb!!

It’s about right. I felt like you did when a medical told me my bmi was 27 and I was officially overweight. Gave me the jolt needed. It’s 22 now and I have totally changed lifestyle and habits and feel great. Now I really am a 10 in fitted trousers.

I'm 5ft 7 as well and when I weighed 10 stone, my body looked perfectly fine but my face looked really gaunt and it was quite ageing. I have put a stone on and am now just at the upper end of the healthy BMI range and look much healthier. I'm a size 14 (which I believe is obese according to MN standards) but no longer have a gaunt face and look a lot better. No way was my lower weight in any way 'underweight' but it suits me to be a bit heavier.

In defence of a previous poster, I too am 5ft7 and currently 10st7 (Not for long i hope) and am indeed still a size 10 in sainsbury and M&S. Ive always had muscly legs and must have bones of cast iron.

I am carrying too much weight though and would normally be a stone or so lighter, BMI 22ish which looks "right" on me. Occasionally I make it down to 19/20 which definitely looks thin.

I think bmi is likely to be a good guide for 99.9% of the population . . .

Just aim for the overweight category for now and give yourself goals you believe in. Get there then reassess your goals.

I don't think BMI is an unhealthy message to give. It's there to aid you to achieve health, coupled with a good diet and exercise regime. How you take that information, interpret it and apply it to your life is down to you. Those two things are separate. If you have an unhealthy relationship with food then that is more important to address I think and I'd focus on that.

People think it's odd to see 6 stone, 7 stone, 8 stone, 9 stone but these are healthy weights based on certain heights. It just sounds ailen to many people now. I can't say I've ever seen a gaunt slim person. They just look healthy. And what's wrong with being in kids clothes? Adult clothes are very large now that people do now have to buy children's clothing. It's not because they are gaunt or underweight it's because their size is no longer normal and therefore not a money maker.

People seem hate those in the healthy BMI category. Gaunt. Childlike. Underweight. Too thin. You mention a BMI of 20 on here and people believe you have an eating disorder, or are promoting disordered eating.

The last time I was at my ideal weight in BMI terms I was 23, doing triathlons, cycling 100km races at the weekends and hadn't had kids.

There's just no flipping way I can ever or could ever get back down to that weight. It's very disheartening tbh. I'm overweight but I don't feel I'm unhealthy at all. I'm well nourished and happy.

It’s not an exact science - but it is a really useful indicator and is never really that wrong.

We could argue about if someone just over the ideal weight is actually overweight, and if someone tipping into obese doesn’t seem that big. But in report of you are overweight your bmi will show it

Anther thing OP is maybe don't focus on losing weight? Focus on healthy habits instead. X amount of fruit and veg a day. Reduction of ultra processed food. X amount of veggie meals a week. X amount of activity a day. Alcohol free days. Shop brought coffee free days. Less takeaways etc. What ever it is that you can do to improve your current health and is applicable to you.

BMI is a useful tool. I’m 5 foot 3, and made some changes last year when I was getting near the top recommended weight. BMI is now 21, I feel a lot better. I think vanity clothes size inflation can deceive people into thinking because they’re still a size 12, it’s fine. Found an old pair of jeans size 12, they’re much smaller

BMI only works if you take your frame into account. I have bones like a bird, even now at 13st (5ft 5... was 5ft 7 until I broke my back in 2009!) my wrists are child sized. My bmi is only just in the overweight category apparently but with the visceral fat (I look like a beach ball on stilts) and 3 chins I am definitely at risk and need to get back to between 8-10st asap. Height alone tells you very little.

Thanks all. My bmi is in the obese range but only just so don't have too much to lose to be in the overweight category! But even once in the overweight category, I would still have 2-3 Stone to be upper range of healthy 😪

My issue is losing weight too quickly (sounds like a dream to some). If I put my mind to it and calorie count, I can lose a couple stone in 2 months or so. But it never seems to stay off! I'm quite an active person already. Average 12000 steps a day on just doing my usual fault business plus any exercise. It's just food I have issue with. I go from not eating much in one day to binge eating the next!

I'm 5ft7 too and did starve myself to 8 stone 6 in my 20s.my periods stopped and everyone said I looked anorexic - so definitely too light for me!! However when I'm over 11 stone I look too fat (even though my BMI is OK). I know other people my height look slim above 11 stone but I do not! I think it's because I have very little muscle so that weight is mostly fat! I look very chubby at 11 stone 5lbs.i look healthiest at 10 stone or just under.

I'm a similar height to you OP, and the 'Healthy' BMI band has always seemed unhelpfully generous to me. Toward the bottom end, I'm visibly underweight; toward the top end, I'm already overweight. A range of about a stone/7 kilos centred in the middle is right for me.

So, if you're saying the 'Healthy' range needs to be extended at the top to include your particular body frame, I'd be sceptical first. It's already been designed to accommodate as many people as possible. Our own perceptions are not always trustworthy once we are overweight, and society at large has normalised excess weight, so it's easy to lose touch with what healthy looks and feels like.

I'm near the top end of 'Healthy' at the moment, and I can feel the excess, not as a number on the scale, but in terms of extra volume of flesh and awkwardness in how my body moves. I also have no muscle tone after serious illness. If I lose the excess weight in fat terms, put some of it back on in muscle tone, I'll end up somewhere in the middle of the 'healthy' range again. I'll gauge what's right by how lean and toned and strong I feel, how comfortable in my own skin - but the scale and BMI numbers are an objective backup to confirm, if that makes sense.

BMI isn't perfect - but it's a broad tool that can be used on a population level.

This

Also, I would focus on bodyfat % rather then just 'weight'.

8 stone 6 at 5'7 is the lower end of the scale. It's 18.5 on the calculator, borderline underweight.

My bmi within the normal range can vary from 7st 11lb up to 9st 5lb at 5'3.

I'm borderline on normal/underweight I'm 5'3 weighing 7st 11lb, 1lb off underweight.

I lost 6lb with covid, if I put on 16lb I'll still be within normal range.
Thats 32 packets of sausages.

I'm aiming for my 6lb back.

I hear you. I lost about 20lbs very quickly doing keto in 2020 but then I got to my goal weight, below it actually was like a voracious animal for carbs. So I had to start all over again............ but this time, ''just'' low carb. I allow myself the odd glass of wine. I don't panic if a carb passes my lips now. But it's slower and despite being very careful I'm still officially overweight! Quite dispiriting.

Your BMI doesn't mean you have to get to 8 stone that's just the lower end of healthy for you. I am the same height as you and was over weight. I've lost some weight I'm now 10 stone 3 lb and while I still have a bit of a post birth tummy, am pretty much in the middle of my BMI and feeling pretty good. As a rough tool BMI works.

Do you think it's more you're feeling a bit overwhelmed (as I did) by the task of getting to a healthy weight ?

@araiwa

So people think BMI is shit but take dress size seriously? Wtf

I believe that is what we call "believing what is convenient".

Odds are that unless you are a competitive athlete in a sport requiring significant muscle mass, BMI is broadly accurate for you. Nobody is demanding you get down to BMI 18; BMI 23-24 is still healthy weight range. I have a BMI of 22-23 and have plenty of fat on hips, thighs and arse.

I think BMI is fair. I am a stocky build but have a BMI of 22.

I exercise a lot but when it comes to diet I don’t regard myself as a health freak, I just have a few basic rules. I don’t make a habit of drinking calories for instance. A latte has the calories of a Mars bar for instance, so I rarely have one. I don’t habitually drink alcohol, just when I am socialising. I like chocolate and eat a lot of it but compensate by not eating other highly calorific food that I am not fussed by e.g. crisps, takeaways, biscuits, anything pastry-related. Work out what food you really like and cut out all of the food are a bit ‘meh’ about. That’s one of the keys to maintaining a healthy weight without feeling that you are denying yourself.

Take one step ATT.
My Dsis lost a lot of weight on slimming world she wanted a diet she could eat on, once the weight loss started she wanted to reduced the portions and make quicker meals, she'd eat a grilled breakfast tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, omelette, beans, it would take her through to dinner.
She'd stop eating at 8pm until 8am.

Bodybuilders are sometimes mentioned with regards to how BMI is not always correct, they are interesting in that they can have some of the problems of being overweight (like breathing difficulties, strain on the joints)at the same time as some of the problems of being very thin. It's not always the healthiest sport unless people are focusing on health over looks.

Going back to the OP she mentioned her DH is a similar height and looks very slim at 12 stone, don't forget that men are naturally a bit heavier than women at the same height due to muscle and bone mass being a bit higher in men. If you use a BMI calculator they take sex into account.

Having said all that if you are happier at a BMI that is in the overweight category and can find a good, reasonably healthy way of eating to get you there and stay at that weight, I think that is fine. Going on a lot of strict diets and yoyoing up and down is not that healthy either, especially for your mental health which has to be taken into account.

@coogee

I’m 5 foot 6 and look my best at just below 8 stone 7. Nobody has ever told me I am too skinny or I look gaunt.

BMI gives an ideal weight range for a reason. Not everybody will suit the upper or lower ends of that range.

Me too...I’m 5ft 6 and Currently 8st 8lb.....I am Slim but definately not skinny Or gaunt

I'm almost 14 stone and 5'9", I don't look particularly fat, I have a nipped in waist and am pretty hour glass shaped, with big boobs and bum, but I feel unfit.
I get breathless v easily and my BP is up.
It's easy to think I'm OK but I'm really not.
I am very grateful that my GP told me that I'm borderline obese because otherwise I would have carried on regardless.
It's easy to con ourselves.
My DDad died of a stroke at 55, I'm 53 now and don't want to go the same way.

Exact same height, was 13.7 stone at heaviest about 15 years ago. I lost 5 stone and have maintained 8.7 stone since then (except once dropping to 7.7 stone in which I looked like a walking skeleton). Even though I am in the healthy weight range, Drs still ask me to stand on scales etc because I look very small (have a very small frame/bones) and stay a small 8 or sometimes 6. Everyone says I looked best when I was around 9.7 stone but I now have severe gastritis and even keeping the bare minimum weight on is hard.

I would go by how you personally feel. If you were in the 11 stone range you would probably feel healthier but only you know yourself and how you feel. Everyone carries their weight differently and have different bone structures too.

When my measurements are about 38-28-38 I wear size 10-12 trousers. I wonder what OP's measurements were when she wore size 10 trousers.