BMI- do you follow the BMI guidelines or do you think it rubbish?.

[cherrypiepie]

I had to get my BMI to below 30 for Medical reasons. BMI is also used in pregnancy to guide how you are cared for.

I'm pretty happy that BMI is an accurate representation for me; over 30 and it's not good. Under 30 I feel and look better (obviously a gradual shift. I have never been lower than 27 so can't imagine if I got to BMI 25! )

Lots of people think BMI is rubbish and pointless. They think its not accurate and they totally ignore. A few get annoyed that medical care is sometimes governed by BMI.

I understand it not accurate for those with high muscle mass (elite sport or weight trainers).

But are these other people right an I have got the wrong end of the stick? Are these other people correct and I am in cloud cuckoo land for wanting a BMI below 25?

Should I ignore the BMI?

Whilst I take some note of BMI I don't let it dictate what it means for me. I know I could do with losing a few kg regardless of what my BMI tells me.

BMI as a guide for when you are outside of a desirable weight range is accurate for the majority of the population. If you're on the edge of underweight or well into overweight or obese figures according to BMI then you would do well to consider your personal position and whether you ought to be doing anything about it.

I couldn't imagine being BMI 25 either. That was my first aim from being about 35. (Well, actually my very first aim was to get into overweight, rather than obese, territory).Having got there I have come to the conclusion I need to be at about BMI 24 to look as I want to, but with an emphasis on that being made up of as much muscle as possible.

Wanting your BMI to be 25 is not silly at all. Good luck with it.

For most people, BMI is a good starting point. Of course it doesn't tell the whole story, but it certainly gives you an idea.

I think the people always saying "it doesn't work for people with a high muscle mass" need to be careful. Very few people are extremely muscular, but it leads people who are slightly muscular to think that having an obese BMI isn't a problem, because they're muscular.

Also had a BMI 35 + now 29.8!

Thank you so much. I agree with everything you have all said. For the majority it a good guideline. I also think that how we perceive larger people has shifted in the last 30 year. And the those in the 'overweight' category would look pretty normal in 2021..

I agree that the percent of people that have "high muscle mass" and there for not applicable must very low.

Why do so many reject the idea of BMI. It's so bizarre. Lots of people on SM reject that it is a broadly good indicator, including for medical reasons (ie high BMI in pregnancy).

I remember (very distantly) that when I was briefly a size 10-12, according to BMI I was still overweight.
It's OK as a rough guide, but I don't worry about it too much.
I do consider that if I was the right height for my size 8 feet, I'd be a lot taller so my BMI would be lower

It's broadly a good indicator, but I believe it's based upon what's a good weight if you are an average white person. You'd have to look that up but I think bmi should be lower or higher for some ethnicities.
Personally 24 feels right for me (I'm currently more like 27). Some people are happier higher or lower and I think there is variation with bone and muscle mass etc

They reject it because it doesn't correspond with how their mind see them.
I never did not accept BMI but it certainly didn't correspond with my body my delusional mind fully in denial created. And still tries.

Yup, it's an indicator. It needs common sense applied on top. While someone can have healthy BMI they can have bad visceral fat and horrible diet so they won't be healthy, hogh BMI person can be fine and have good diet. I think this is where the issue lies. People think BMI is a number indicating a complete healthiness/unhealthiness, while it's just 1 of the factors and indicators (it can however be main one).

And no. 😁 Athletes aren't obese on BMI, as they like to point out in various discussions. That myth always gets me.

Good job, btw! Keep it up! You are doing great!

You'd have to look that up but I think bmi should be lower or higher for some ethnicities.

Yeah, if you've asian ethnicity your BMI needs to be lower (I think below BMI of 23) but I think if you're black it can be higher but I don't know the figure.

As far as the muscle mass thing goes, women don't build enough muscle for them to be a high but healthy BMI, it only applies to a small minority of elite male sportsmen with extreme muscle mass, e.g. some weightlifters. An elite footballer or tennis player or athlete or swimmer will have a healthy BMI. A bigger issue for your average not fit person is that their muscle mass is so low that even at a 'healthy' BMI their percentage fat is too high.

bmi is one tool of many. however, some experts say that the healthy bmi range is too wide for some populations, especially for black and asian people.

even people with high muscle mass and low body fat (the stereotypical rugby player) a high bmi increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

@purplesequins

bmi is one tool of many. however, some experts say that the healthy bmi range is too wide for some populations, especially for black and asian people.

If it's woder for tham.than for me than wowza. In my case healthy BMI is between 52-70 kg. That's nearly 20kg span. It really provides for wide range of other factors in it.

I think its a good rough guide but i do believe in big and small bones! I have a healthy bmi but clearly carry too much weight round my middle. I have a narrow frame with think bones. Im sure of it.

My bmi is 26.5 so in the overweight range and I am trying to reduce it to be back in the healthy range as I can see i am overweight for my frame. Others comment they don't see me as overweight if i talk about it. I can hide it well with clothes. So bmi is a guide for me and my frame. May not be good for others.

Pretty sure Britain's strongest man (mainly muscle obviously )has a bmi that puts him in the morbidly obese category.

I don't look at bmi.
For my height I should weigh between 7.5 and 8.5 stones to be in the right category.

When I was ill and had to have emergency suregery I weighed 7.5 stone and can honestly say every consultant and surgeon I saw said it was ludicrous that the scale tells people these things.

I don’t think there’s any doubt that a bmi over 30 is not good for 99.9% of the population. I think that the difference between 24, 25 and 26 isn’t so clear cut. I know I’ve been very healthy and fit at 26/27.

I do believe in bmi, yes.

I try to maintain a healthy BMI and most of the time manage to. No excuses when I put on weight - it is literally because I have eaten too much.

As a guide I think it's important and follow it yes.

Of course there will be a few people that it doesn't apply to.

But for the masses it's a very useful tool.

Far too many people say it's nonsense. And in my experience those people are like my mother and cousin (bother overweight/obese but won't hear it at all that they're unhealthy) who love to quite the facts about Olympic athletes who are obese on a BMI scale....

For the non Olympians among us I'd say it's better to be a 25 than a 35....

I've been both and it very easy to say which one I feel healthier at!

Lots of interesting perspectives that I hadn't considered. Interesting about the high BMI of elite athletes can also lead to lead to other diseases. Makes sense.

I was thinking about people with BMI of 30-35-40 denouncing it. I've seen quite a few people do this on pregnancy forum I was reading on SM.

I agree at the lower end it seems very extreme. I am still 5 stone more than the BMI 18.5 (which is now the lowest weight on the nhs chart). My renpho scales suggest my fat free weight is 8st 11 so I don't thing 8st3 would be appropriate for me. (I know they are not accurate its just maths)

Agree common sense needed.

@CantEnjoySummer that is my thoughts too.

I think BMI is a useful ballpark and aiming to be around 25 is a very sensible target.

Where it can get a bit silly is in medical care if you are e.g allowed a certain medicine or procedure at bmi 34.9 but not at 35.0, but of course I understand that lines must be drawn somewhere.

@CantEnjoySummer

As a guide I think it's important and follow it yes.

Of course there will be a few people that it doesn't apply to.

But for the masses it's a very useful tool.

Far too many people say it's nonsense. And in my experience those people are like my mother and cousin (bother overweight/obese but won't hear it at all that they're unhealthy) who love to quite the facts about Olympic athletes who are obese on a BMI scale....

For the non Olympians among us I'd say it's better to be a 25 than a 35....

I've been both and it very easy to say which one I feel healthier at!

Yep I’m afraid I only ever hear the moaning from people who are definitely NOT of elite muscular athlete build!

It doesn't work for me. I got down to the top end of my bmi and looked skeletal.

It's a broad range that will account for a range of shapes and builds and levels of muscle.

In my experience people tend to dismiss it out of hand because they don't like being told they are overweight.

My healthy range according to BMI is 7 stone 13 to 10 stone 10. On my frame I tend to look and feel my best to the lower side of middle, but other women will have different frames and might look better at the top/bottom of that range.
I don't think something magically changes if someone goes from BMI 24 to BMI 26 as there has to be a cut off somewhere, but someone who is otherwise fit and healthy with no hangups is unlikely to have a BMI of 26 and declare the whole thing rubbish.

I think it is a good guide. Possibly could cause issues if heavier built people eg teenage sports people start obsessing about being on the low end of the scale. But tbh that would probably occur regardless of BMI existing.

I am very muscly, having done a lot of sport but I still think it's a good guide. Say at bmi 26 I might consider myself to not really be over weight and at 19 I would expect myself to be unhealthily thin but over 27/28 I know I am overweight.

At 5.5 my healthy range is 7.13 - 10.10. At 9.6 my body fat was measured as 19% so I think my healthy range is more like 9-11.3 but I still think it's a good guide.