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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask your bmi?

175 replies

abitcheekyreally · 06/02/2023 11:17

I know this is a bit of a cheek, but I'm curious to know, ok maybe to see where I fall to in the range of answers.
Are people generally on the lower side, higher side, in the middle and are you happy, trying to lose, trying to gain, counting calories or couldn't care less?

OP posts:
eurochick · 06/02/2023 16:00

23.7. It was 21-22 for most of my adult life but I've piled on the pounds over the past year (thanks perimenopause). I'm trying to get back to that level and have lost 2lbs so far.

OneEnchantedEvening · 06/02/2023 16:06

@Seasonofthewitch83

Well, as no-one knows who I am-frequent name changer- they are unlikely to know who my sister is!

You're a bit snippy and a bit crude with your language.

A BMI of 40 is carrying too much weight but if you think it isn't doing you any harm, then fill your boots.

It's sometimes easy to say that BMI isn't accurate and, and as others have said, it's not 100% reliable but anyone with a BMI of 40 doesn't need to even look it up because they will know they are carrying too much.

But, as I say, crack on. It's your life and health and you're not harming anyone else.

Lochjeda · 06/02/2023 16:11

19.2, want to gain around a stone

KimMG · 06/02/2023 16:28

20.8 here

Blankspace35 · 06/02/2023 16:30

45.4

working with a coach at the drs surgery and going to the gym to change it, the last few years have been rough health wise and i gained 5 stone…the main change was after i got covid, i got long covid and my lungs havent fully recovered,so i cant excercise as much and as hard as i used to. then i found out i have pcos as well which apparantly is going to make it harder to lose.

i despair and feel judged all the time. My eating is definately not as good as it could be either, i have comfort ate a lot since 2020, i am trying to change but find it so hard sometimes

20viona · 06/02/2023 16:30

23.8. Healthy just had my second baby but I'd like to lose half a stone more.

LavenderfortheBees · 06/02/2023 16:34

@Seasonofthewitch83 is talking bollocks to be quite frank. BMI can be wrong but in the opposite way to what you think

BMI is a very good was of telling if you have too much body fat. A study in 2012 (Shah and Braverman) found that only 1% of those in the obese BMI had enough muscle to not have excess body fat (these muscles will be very visible). 3% in males and 0% in females.

However 2/5 of those in the normal weight range STILL had excess body fat as they had smaller frames or little muscle. If anything, BMI tells you that if you are overweight or obese you almost certainly have unhealthy levels of fat and if you are in range, you still might.

Other studies have found very similar.
Okorodudu etc al 2010
Mannisto etc al 2014
Hauner etc al 2008

Some ethnicities carry fat differently which is why the BMI range can be adjusted to take this into account. You can also do this for body type e.g. a pear shape will likely be able to healthily carry a little more fat than an apple as fat stored round the midriff is most dangerous to health.

For personal context, my BMI is currently 29.5 and I'm aiming for 21-22. At it's highest it was 47 and lowest has been 24 as an adult.

47 was terrible and I am very clearly carrying excess at 29.5. I can grab it!

LavenderfortheBees · 06/02/2023 16:36

Excuse all the autocorrect and typos in my post!

CobraChicken · 06/02/2023 16:39

"Only" 26.1 but I'm sooo flabby - none of my weight is from muscle. I really need to drop at least a stone and actually move occasionally. So I'm calorie counting and the weight is coming off nicely but I haven't made any progress on the exercise front yet.

TheKeatingFive · 06/02/2023 16:46

23.5/24 not entirely sure. I could do with losing a bit though.

sageandrosemary · 06/02/2023 16:53

18.9 and I'm not very happy with it 😔

Jellykat · 06/02/2023 16:56

21.5, pretty much the same as ive been for decades,..so fine by me as i'm post meno.

Militarywife7 · 06/02/2023 16:57

19 - I’ve always been on the naturally slimmer side but I’m quite tall! My BMI was always a lot lower growing up but I wanted to gain weight as I wanted to look a bit healthier. I definitely prefer being 19 for sure.

Ihavedogs · 06/02/2023 16:57

urbanbuddha · 06/02/2023 12:34

20.3
I get at least 6000 steps in 6 days a week and average just over 10,000 a week. I think that’s the base line for good health.

Snap!

FlowerArranger · 06/02/2023 17:04

, i got long covid and my lungs havent fully recovered,so i cant excercise as much and as hard as i used to.

@Blankspace35 - could you try weight training, witn dumbbells? Requires less lung capacity than cardio, but will increase fitness. Which is ultimately just as important as losing weight.

Shortkiwi · 06/02/2023 17:08

23.5 atm - size 10 but a bit podgy.
Would like to get bmi back to 22.5- happy with that

Blankspace35 · 06/02/2023 18:03

FlowerArranger · 06/02/2023 17:04

, i got long covid and my lungs havent fully recovered,so i cant excercise as much and as hard as i used to.

@Blankspace35 - could you try weight training, witn dumbbells? Requires less lung capacity than cardio, but will increase fitness. Which is ultimately just as important as losing weight.

I like the sound of that, the heavy cardio i find so harder these days so weights is propbably a better option :) ill see whats on offer at the gym weights wise

Dymaxion · 06/02/2023 18:24

47.7 Do I win an airfryer ?

I am not overly bothered about how I look, but I do care about how I feel and at the moment I feel tired a lot of the time, due to constantly lugging around 10 stone more than is necessary.

DolphinNosePotato1 · 06/02/2023 18:32

25 at the moment. Had my third baby 9 months ago so I’m slowly getting back down to hopefully about 22 which I was before I got pregnant with her.

SaturnSpark · 06/02/2023 19:15

Mine is 21.1. I’m pretty happy with that and exercise 3/4 times a week.

FlowerArranger · 06/02/2023 19:34

Blankspace35 · 06/02/2023 18:03

I like the sound of that, the heavy cardio i find so harder these days so weights is propbably a better option :) ill see whats on offer at the gym weights wise

Show quote history

Try Caroline Girvan on YouTube. Her EPIC Beginners will teach you all the basic moves - though you'd probably also want to have one or two sessions with a personal trainer to make sure you are doing them correctly.

tiddlyipom · 06/02/2023 20:34

22 and 5ft 1, I am now back into the healthy range for my height but a couple of years ago I was on steroids to try to help my Ulcerative Colitis and got up to 28, which was obese.Felt like shit, was fat and depressed.
Since being put on new medication, the weight came off and am so much more comfortable in myself.

XenoBitch · 06/02/2023 20:35

35

Fairyliz · 06/02/2023 20:38

Sazzling · 06/02/2023 11:32

I don't know and I don't want to know. It's pretty high though as I can't seem to stop eating.

How do I stop? Like actually, literally, how? I can read all the lovely internet articles I like, but soon enough the mind tricks wear off and I'm eating again - and with vigour as though to make up for all the abstinence.

Writing this has made me pause and realise how f'ing sad and broken I am about it all.

What are you actually eating? Can you clear all of the junk out of your cupboards?I’ve never actually heard of anyone overeating on say porridge or vegetable soup or apples.

CornishGem1975 · 07/02/2023 12:10

What are you actually eating? Can you clear all of the junk out of your cupboards?I’ve never actually heard of anyone overeating on say porridge or vegetable soup or apples.

I could overeat on porridge, I love it and I put golden syrup in it so that doesn't help 😦

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