NHS CALCULATOR---Healthy weight range for your height

[mumznet]

So, the BMI calculator states that a healthy weight for me is 49.2kg - 66.4kg.

currently I am on 70.7, so aiming for 4.3 kg to come down to my normal weight range. One thing I am not so sure about is do I still need to lose more, and be in the middle so and be at 57.8 kg. Or does it not matter?

I thought if I am right towards the end, so near 66 kg then if I put on a little bit of weight I would go into the overweight region again. So is it best to be in the middle, or at the very low end --49.2 kg?

or does it not matter where you are in that range.it makes no difference?? Thank you

Anywhere in the healthy BMI range is good
I.e minimal chances of weight related disease

The BMI calculator gives you a healthy weight range, to take into account different builds and different proportions of muscle to fat.

What it's saying is that as long as your weight falls within those two figures, you are unlikely to be unhealthily overweight or underweight - in other words, it's a safe range to aim for from a health perspective.

Within that range, you might individually have an optimum weight - the weight at which you personally look and feel your best. If you have quite a large frame and/or lots of muscle, this might be at the top of the range. If you are small and fine-boned, you might feel better at the lower end of the range.

There will be a few outliers - such as professional athletes, weight-lifters and so on - but for the majority of people, anywhere within the range will be a healthy weight and safe to aim for, and it's up to you to decide where exactly you feel your best.

depending on your age
there is some evidence that for post menopausal women the average life span is greatest for those that are towards top of range or ever so slightly overweight, there is no evidence that being significantly overweight is good , there is evidence that being underweight or borderline underweight becomes more concerning as you grow older

thank you all. @ allTeacupDrama what about for men, should they be heavier side when they grow older ? My husband is in the middle but he thinks he should be heavier, the calculator say to him maintain this weight. He isn't muscular or heavy build, average 5'7 guy with 60 kg weight.

@Antarcticant thanks, yes I do know about the 'how we look part', because it an affet your face too, how you look, and the legs can get more skinnier etc. so I think somewhere around 60ish would be okay for me

BMI is outdated. Some of the physically fittest people in the world are obese. I'm at my healthiest when I have a BMI of 23ish.
Just work out and eat well.

Your aim should be to stay in a healthy weight range, so one approach could be to aim initially for the top point of the range, and then once you get there, move on to the 'maintenance' phase of your diet and exercise - your 'forever' way of healthy eating and exercise - and, over time, see where your weight naturally settles within the healthy range.

If your husband is in the middle of the range, he's likely to be a healthy weight. Why does he feel he should be heavier?

@prettypinkroses, is this true 'Some of the physically fittest people in the world are obese. ' ? How?

BMI is outdated. Some of the physically fittest people in the world are obese.

It works perfectly the vast majority of the population.

BMI is an average range for the average person. There will always be those that don't fit it. A body builder, a rugby player for example.

But for most of us it's a range broad enough to cover all. Just aim to be somewhere in it that you're comfortable with.

thanks @Antarcticant I think he always wants to look 'bigger' but he doesn't work out. never has done weight lifting I can't rememeber him ever mentioning it. He feels he is underweight but I told him that the calculator says he is healthy weight. I think it's a cultural thing, so where the guy should look larger than his partner. but I'm heavier than him haha, maybe if I lose weight he might feel better......

You can check the size of your frame by curling your thumb around your wrist. Of thumb and fingers overlap you have a small frame, just touch a medium frame, don't touch large frame.

This might help guide you in the bmi range.

For my height I could be 42.6kg ( 6 st. 10 ) to 57.6k ( 9 st. 1 ) which is a massive difference.
I would not even begin to think what I would look like at that lowest weight.

[quote mumznet]@prettypinkroses, is this true 'Some of the physically fittest people in the world are obese. ' ? How?[/quote]
If you have two people of the same size, one with a high percentage of muscle and one with a high percentage of fat, the person with the muscle will weigh more, because muscle tissue is much denser than fat.

For this to take a person into 'obesity' via their BMI, it has to be quite extreme - so you are talking about professional athletes and body-builders, not the average person on the street. Anyone in this category will be following an intense, specialised training regime and won't be using a generic tool such as a BMI calculator to monitor their fitness.

but he doesn't work out. never has done weight lifting

If he wants to be heavier while still remaining healthy, muscle-building via exercise/training is the way to go. My DH is very thin and he is underweight - never exercises in any way. My late FIL had exactly the same thin build but lifted weights all his life, so was muscular and a healthy weight - he was lifting weights literally until the day he died at the age of 89.

Have you checked your waist size? How you carry your weight is really important. You want it to be less than half your height.

I look fat at the top end of the bmi range and too skinny at the very bottom. My happy number for how I look is somewhere in between. That’s based on how I like to eat and exercise and is sustainable with minimal effort.

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265215

People also just carry weight differently. For example I have a large bust, even as a size 6 I was an E cup and I'm 5'8 so a size 6 is extremely slim for my frame. I was medically underweight and mentally unwell.

I don’t take so much notice of bmi anymore.

I’m using weights at the gym, scales aren’t changing (at all) but body is. Dress sizes going down, looking thinner.

My healthy weight for my height is 7-9 stone apparently, but I would look skeletal at the lower end of that.

For the first time in my life (and I’ve been on some sort of ‘diet’ for nearly 20 years) I’ve stopped obsessing over the numbers on my scales and instead going by clothes / how I look & feel.

My optimum BMI is around 22 in my opinion, but since menopause my body seems to differ and it's settled around 23 at the moment. I hate my shape - I am an inverted triangle with a large bust and narrow hips. I'm 5'4 and my waist is 30 inches so just about a healthy ratio. In my youth, my waist was a bit smaller, but after my hysterectomy, my stomach muscles seem to have expanded .

The wrist thing doesn’t work.

As a pp said, you need to take waist size into account. The circumference of your waist should be less than half your height.

I am tall and have a large frame, so my waist to height ratio is good at a BMI of around 24.5 or less. Smaller people might need a lower BMI to have a healthy waist size, that's why BMI is a range.

Abdominal fat is dangerous and having too much is a risk factor for a variety of conditions.

Actually I think the NHS are moving away somewhat from BMI and moving more towards height v waist measurement.

Essentially your waist measurement should be less than half your height. This much more accurately demonstrates whether you are at increased risk by carrying weight around your tummy.

Those who e.g carry weight in muscle or women with large breasts disproportionate to their waist size aren't then mistakenly classed as overweight/obese using this method.

regarding men too

academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/99/4/875/4637868

summary of study, mortatlaity rates compared with a standard of 23-24 BMI and ages over 65
Underweight BMI under 23 had 12 % increase in mortality under 21 has 19% increase compared to standard BMI, however there did not seem to be an increase in mortality until the overweight/ obese got to BMI of 33 this suggest that upto middle age range of BMI from 18.5-35 is about accurate but once in 60's a range of about 23-30 may be better

Underweight BMI under 23 had 12 % increase in mortality under 21 has 19% increase compared to standard BMI,

I only read the abstract and conclusion, but did they die because they were underweight, or underweight when they died?

Many serious illnesses result in weight loss.