Slim BMI

[fingersdoublecrossed]

Purely posting here for traffic.

At about which BMI would you consider yourself or others to be 'slim'?

@LapinR0se

My BMI is 19.5 which is “normal” according to the CDC website. So I assume under 18 is slim.

To me slim is a subcategory of the healthy weight range, somewhere in the lower half depending on build. Underweight (and also near the bottom of the healthy weight range for people with a large build) I'd call thin.

It depends on bone structure. I'm very fine-boned and in the middle of the normal BMI range I would still have a fair amount of abdominal fat. I need to be down around 19 to look slim.

My BMI is 19 and I know there's some parts of me that are slim like my arms and legs but I still have a podgy stomach. My face is gaunt which I hate as it makes people think I'm skinnier when my stomach and hips etc are not that thin.

Therefore I don't think there's a particular bmi that's skinny. Depends very much on frame, bone structure etc.

I'm also 5feet tall and at bmi 25 I'm a size 12 and too big, in my opinion, for my height. I look best in the middle of the normal range so I think bmi works for my build. I'd like to be 22.

@LaurieFairyCake

Someone up thread said slim is 'under 18'

Which is incredibly distorted 'periods stopping' territory

Not really. Mine was under 18 prior to each pregnancy. I became pregnant very quickly each time, and had perfectly regular periods. Some people seem not to want to acknowledge that low BMI equates to 'slim', rather than 'underweight' for some women (possibly a minority, but still women!) who are X height with X build.

I'm 5ft 7 and currently have a BMI of 16 (and an eating disorder, I'm not trying to be competitive, I'm just unwell) My view on my own body is understandably very distorted, but I know that when I was last at my target of 19.5 during inpatient treatment, friends still thought I looked too thin/unwell and I thought I looked huge. So based on that, 20-23? I do agree it depends on body type, how toned you are etc. I'm not a massive fan of BMI to be honest as I don't think it takes everything into account and it causes people to overly focus on a number rather than whether they are healthy and happy at the weight they are.

19 or 20

In my twenties and thirties I was BMI 17.5. I was not on the pill and my periods were extremely punctual. Now I’m mid fifties and post menopause my BMI is around 20 and I definitely have a muffin top. My skeleton is slight and I’m not meant to be BMI 25.

Mine was 17.5 when I was running a lot. Regular periods and felt fine, though I do look better now carrying another stone.

Slim, probably around 19-21 for most 'average build' people.

18 or below is more 'skinny' than 'slim' (not in a good way).

I wonder what Darcy Bussell was when she danced regularly? Slim, athletic and powerful. And a beautiful woman.

The NHS BMI calculator suggests under 18.5 is underweight.

8st 13lbs I'm sure I wouldn't have any energy but I'm sure I'd be slim!

At 18 I had a bmi of about 23/24 with a 23 inch waist. If I had a lower bmi I would have looked ill.

Now I’m older I’m fat 🙈

For me, if I ever get my BMI below 25 I suspect some people will see me as slim. When it was 25-30 I got looks of surprise when I commented that I needed to lose some weight.

I'm very tall (5'11" or so but nearly 6' in the past/when I go back to an osteopath and my spine straightens out a bit...) but "in proportion" rather than long-limbed; so at the moment I look like an overweight average height person if seen from any distance. I've even had people surprised when I've mentioned I'm tall.

I'm usually about 18.8/18.7, feel pretty good at that. Not overly skinny, slim but with curves. A year ago when I was unwell I was at 17.3, I looked ridiculous as I have big shoulders/hips. The last month I am SO hungry, Have ate like hell and my bmi is now 19.6, I feel really chunky tbh.

These threads tend to attract people who are a bit obsessed with their weight (including me :( ) so might not be the best representation and also could be, for want of a less hideous word, triggering. After all what real evidence can anyone take from this thread, everyone is different and bmi a broad range. I think it will only serve to make people already a bit obsessed compare themselves unfavourably.

Mines about 21. I've a size 6 24" waist, with 37" hips and fattish bum, so am both very slim, and also rather plump, depending on which bit of me you're looking at. Six months ago it was 20 and my ribs were visible and I couldn't find anything to fit my waist, so that was too low for me.

Couldn’t agree more. I’m obsessed with my weight. I went from 19 stone to 9. It took three years of healthy eating and exercise to be fit and slim…so you know, I’m a bit precious about it. What I DON’T do is weigh myself or worry about my bmi. I’m pretty happy with where I’m at and keep living well to maintain it. I don’t care about the numbers but how I feel in myself. We’re all different. We shouldn’t compare because we can’t.

I feel like when Angelina jolie was in her prime she was a 20 wasn’t she? Maybe a 21? I remember it’s when BMI became popular and people saying her BMI was X ans that’s “perfect” 😬

Currently I'm sitting at a BMI of 18.8, weight 47kg and am short at 5 ft 2. I'm definitely slim but in proportion, don't look skinny, work in an active job and gym/ run a few times a week. Have been at the top end of my 'healthy' range and was definitely chubby, there isn't much vertical space for the weight to go when you are as short as me haha. But honestly bmi is mostly useless as a tool for determining health or fitness, everyone's body composition is different along with other factors, age, ethnicity, build etc.

In a size 8 and described as slim by others, just did the calculator and it says I'm 22.3 though

I’m 6ft tall and look slim with a BMI of 31. My collar bones are totally visible and I can easily feel my ribs through my chest and abdomen. My legs are long and gangly.

I have very big boobs and wide hips though on a lanky frame.

I look slim at 19/19.5. 6ft tall and narrow shouldered/small feet.

Waist circumference and waist to hip ratio are better indicators of whether you are overweight than BMI is. If your waist is >80cm that is considered overweight, which sadly for me happens well before I hit a BMI of 25.