Feel good in my body but obese BMI

[TonkaBean22]

Hi all.

I’m feeling a little deflated about my weight/health habits.

I weigh 83kg at 166cm. I’m 31.

I go to power yoga classes 4 times a week, yin yoga once, weightlifting once, and walk the dog every day, as well as cycling to work (about 4km each way). I feel strong and fit.

I try to eat less than 1,600 calories a day. And have done since December. In that time, I’ve managed to lose about 1,5kg at the most. I’m pretty broad framed, but being short, of course you can see every extra kg.

I feel healthy. But my weight is clearly too high as my BMI is obese.

For food, I normally eat something like this every day:
Breakfast: eggs or Greek yoghurt with some walnut or seeds on top. Fruit on the side.
Snack: homemade smoothie with flaxseed, fruit, and oat milk/1 square or 85% dark chocolate or sunflower/pumpkin seeds
Lunch; prawns/chicken with a little rice and veg or in a wrap. Or sometimes a slice of rye bread with pork and red cabbage.
Dinner: normally fish/meat with 2 vegetable sides and beans/sweet potato/rice.

I don’t smoke and rarely drink. And I feel if I cut back anymore on food I’ll be struggling to hit my nutritional goals for the day and not have enough energy to exercise.

Is anyone else here quite active and eats fairly healthily but is still coming up as obese? How are you handling it? I’ve had some blood tests at the doctor and nothing came back unusual. At my very fittest I was working out for about 2 hours every day and barely eating, and I still never managed to hit a ‘healthy’ BMI for my height. 68kg is the lowest I’ve managed to get in my adult life.

I’m half tempted to just carry on as I am and try to stop worrying about my weight, but I want to get pregnant this year so I’m concerned the healthcare staff will get on my case about losing weight.

It's good that you feel healthy but you weigh a lot for your height even if you are very active. What is your waist measurement? That's often more an indication of health than BMI

Are you're absolutely, totally certain that you're not eating more than you've calculated (I was shocked to learn that my milky tea habit added up to 500cals daily!)? If so, something's off - have you had your thyroid levels checked?

Smoothies tend to be full of calories and not actually that good for you.

I have struggled with weight all my life. Since last June I’ve lost 34 lb and it’s been easy. I can never normally diet. Look at DRJason Fung , he teaches low carb and internment fasting. He also wrote The Obesity Code.

I’m stocky, short and muscular and I sound a lot like you - albeit a lot older! I can quite believe your circumstances.

When I was at my slimmest I was still almost 11st, size 10, waist size 28in and muscles like snooker balls!

All I would say is that I had a successful, completely healthy pregnancy aged 39. Now I’m 10 years older I confess it’s even harder to keep the weight off but at your age I wouldn’t worry too much.

If everything you have said here is true (I.e. the diet is a good daily example of the kind of food you eat, you’re not powerlifting five times a week (!), your health checks have been thorough and all-clear) then I can only think that your portion sizes must be too large or you are overlooking some hidden calories.

I wouldn’t consider your exercise to be good for cardio/ high intensity type of work, but with the diet you have described you wouldn’t have a lot excess to burn anyway.

Maybe a few weeks of using something like MyFitnessPal and logging literally everything you eat might provide you with some guidance on areas for diet improvement?

BMI will not take into account muscle mass and body fat percentage.

Follow meltolan_ on Insta - her body is incredible and she's unbelievably strong but she said not long ago the nurse told her that her BMI places her in the obese category. She works out a lot, and is incredibly strong and healthy.

BMI is a pile of plop.

@TokenGinger

BMI will not take into account muscle mass and body fat percentage.

Follow meltolan_ on Insta - her body is incredible and she's unbelievably strong but she said not long ago the nurse told her that her BMI places her in the obese category. She works out a lot, and is incredibly strong and healthy.

BMI is a pile of plop.

If you are an actual body builder or a rugby player, sure.

OP’s activity levels will not place her in the category of a bikini body builder or power lifter.

Have you done the waist to height thing? Where do you carry your weight?

@TokenGinger I’m not sure it’s a good or helpful comparison though because from what the OP says, she isn’t doing anything like the frequency, type, or intensity of strength training Melissa Tolan does.

I would try and increase your weightlifting sessions/ weights. Also I would guess that your portions are too large or you are miscalculating your calories somehow - easily done

Thanks for your input everyone, I really appreciate it! I agree I’m too heavy even I feel quite healthy so I’m under no illusion that I’m ‘okay’ as I am.

I attached a photo which could be helpful. I think I hold weight mainly on my thighs and stomach area, which I know is the worst place health-wise to carry it. I also went up 3 cup sizes in a year after never having much there before, which has probably contributed. And I have ‘man’ shoulders :(

Calorie counting - already on it! Been using MyFitnessPal for a few months and while I was overeating a bit in the past, I’m pretty certain I’m not now. Maybe I’m just less able to lose weight quickly now? Perhaps it’s more of a slow plod than I envisioned.

Cardio - I have a pretty dodgy knee and I’m hypermobile, so intense cardio like running doesn’t work well for me as I injure myself every time I try, but I do HIIT at home with Joe Wicks videos.

I’m 162cm and that would be too any calories for me, unfortunately.
I go to the gym 5 days a week and if I ate 1600 cals every day I wouldn’t lose weight. I’ve had to be at 1200cals or less.

I would cut the smoothie personally. The flax seed can be added to the Greek yoghurt and fruit (I usually have this, with granola as my lunch). And maybe cut the walnuts to a few times a week rather than every day. You also don’t need rice twice a day, so again, if you have it at lunch, maybe cut it from dinner, and try the protein and veg for dinner. See how it goes after a week.

@SingaporeSlinky

I’m 162cm and that would be too any calories for me, unfortunately. I go to the gym 5 days a week and if I ate 1600 cals every day I wouldn’t lose weight. I’ve had to be at 1200cals or less.

I would cut the smoothie personally. The flax seed can be added to the Greek yoghurt and fruit (I usually have this, with granola as my lunch). And maybe cut the walnuts to a few times a week rather than every day. You also don’t need rice twice a day, so again, if you have it at lunch, maybe cut it from dinner, and try the protein and veg for dinner. See how it goes after a week.

I think you’re most likely right. Thanks for your reply.

When I’ve really restricted my diet is the only time I’ve lost a significant amount of weight. It’s just quite depressing living on 1,200 a day long-term and I struggle to maintain it past a few months.

Maybe just cut it down much more slowly then, so if you’re on 1600 cals, drop to 1500 and see if a week like that makes a difference. You won’t notice 100cals. Even just cutting the walnuts would achieve that, and if you’re having other seeds in the day, you won’t notice. I think nutritionally it sounds great, so you could maybe alternate, so walnuts one day, seeds the next. Or if you’re having fruit in the smoothie, don’t also have it for breakfast. Just little adjustments.

You look amazing! Muscle weighs more than fat, so don’t hang too much onto the whole bmi thing. Mines 20, but it is not an indication that I am healthy as I don’t do enough cardio. You exercise, you eat well. Done. At my fittest, I weighed at least 8kg more.

Stop stressing about perfect body images etc. it all consumer bs designed to sell you more stuff.

Give your body and mind what they need. End of.

Eh? I think you look great!

Just wanted to say you’ve got a great figure OP! You look strong!!

I'm very much like you OP- I'm currently around 80kg and 176cm and 'overweight' technically but I don't look it, and eat healthily and exercise. I do and have always had quite chunky muscles - big calves and thighs. I find it hard to lose weight and I think it's because I carry it mostly in muscles (probably could lose a bit of fat but not enough to get me to a low bmi).

You look very trim for your weight OP.

You look great in your photo. From your stats I would have thought you'd look a lot bigger. I'm 169cm and weigh 63kg and I don't think I look that much smaller than you!

Are you carrying a lot of weight around your waist - what is your waist measurement?

I'd also say tracking portion sizes could give you a lot of insight. Try weighing your food for a week before entering the stats in MFP? It could be more than you think.

You look great OP. Is muscle very heavy? Is that the reason for your weight?
I have no solutions except if you feel fit and strong that's just brilliant. Try hard to hold onto that and not be distracted by the way others looks (not easy, I know!) x

You certainly don't look Obese OP and your legs look great. Just keep doing what you're doing, your exercise regime sounds fantastic.

What about accepting yourself as you are? Taking up space. Feeding your body nutritional food. Exercising in a way that your body likes. What about accepting yourself?

Is dropping down to 1200 calories going to do much other than take up mental energy until you finally break?

You're a recognisable human shape, well within the realms of the average build. You hear a lot of talk about how fat is now the average (it is, we are a lot bigger and fatter than we were a few generations ago) but your build would be unremarkable in the 70s/80s.

It's not a moral failing to have a bmi of more than 25. It's just that there is such a narrow view of what a women body type can be. Blokes are allowed to come in small/medium/large sizes through to lean and stocky builds. Women are expected to be small-medium. No allowing for ranges and averages.

It's really difficult growing up in a body that lives on the larger size of average. It's really difficult to not permanently damage yourself punishing it to be smaller.

@SignOnTheWindow

Are you're absolutely, totally certain that you're not eating more than you've calculated (I was shocked to learn that my milky tea habit added up to 500cals daily!)? If so, something's off - have you had your thyroid levels checked?

Presumably you were putting sugar in your tea too though? I just checked MFP and there’s 2 calories in a cup of black tea and only 50 calories in 100ml of semi skimmed milk!

If that is genuinely what you’re eating in a day OP, and you have a healthy waist measurement, then I (personally) really wouldn’t worry too much. You look strong and fit, you’re eating a balanced diet and you don’t smoke or drink very much. I’m not a medical professional but I think you look great!