BMI Horror/ Confusion. Do I need to get to a "normal" BMI?

[Ray92]

I've always been heavy, the only time I've been a normal BMI I smoked and ate 1,000 calories a day.

I'm currently 8 months pp and 16 stone 9. Before pregnancy I was around 15 stone. Obese in both instances. I'm clearly delusional, as I don't feel I looked obese! My blood pressure, cholesterol, fitness, blood sugar have been checked and they are all good. I'm so ashamed of being so obese.

What do I do? Get down to "normal" by any means possible or is it okay to be 15 stone, which I feel is manageable?

Does anyone else have this problem with BMI?

I don't know how I've put so much weight on, but my breasts have .gone from a 34C to a 36I

I'll attach pics of me around 15 stone for reference.

Running, I think my usual pace is almost 12min/mile; yes I am a member of SlowAF running group. Just think how much slower I'd be if I carried an extra 50 lbs. I need about 38" to swim 25m. Which may be good for F mid 50s. I will try to get a pic since I don't care who says I'm fat DC say it all the time I find it funny. (or says I'm weak, slow, ugly)

I don't "lift" (or planck) because I have chronic shoulder issues.

I think what AA is doing is great and it is inspirational, about how to be as fit as she/anyone can be, regardless of size. She presents herself beautifully. Being heavy herself gives her a nice market niche so it would probably be against her business interests to get smaller. None of that removes the fact she's carrying about 50lbs that don't help her be fit or healthy.

heck, I'll stick my neck out & say Serena Williams carried too much weight for a lot of her career, too. She probably used the extra heft to add momentum to her serves, but it will have undermined her stamina in some long matches. Maybe the tradeoff was perfect, and similar calculus will exist for AA.

I am now following AA on Insta but OMG, is there some way to search for the posts where she says her swim/run pace? I don't know InstaGrm well. I don't want to have to check all 324 posts, especially the boob-full ones. Pics of her kids are great, of course.

I thought it was widely accepted that body builders/athletes/rugby players are outliers to BMI, however 99% of the women on Mumsnet that dismiss bmi are none of those things.

If they were they would know that the reason BMI doesn't apply to them is their high muscle mass.

I don't think it's helpful for the majority of "average" women to use that as an excuse to say oh well bmi doesn't always apply because look at the muscular woman therefor it doesn't apply to me.

I don’t know enough about BMI to dismiss it however I know that shape is the illusion that is deceptive when looking at someone visually. People are shocked if tell them my weight (not that I go around doing that but people have asked). I am 5’5 and 12s12 and a size 12/14 (more a 14 but can get in a stretchy 12).

However I am this hourglass shape with a smaller waist, big hips and boobs so it depends where people look. My legs are large, that’s where all my weight is, but to look at me people don’t always see it because my waist is small. My friend is a similar weight to me but she gets upset she think she looks bigger than me because she carries hers around her middle however she has little skinny legs!

the lady that was posted a photo of AA who is 206lbs, no I don’t think she looks visually obese but she is my shape, so I know she is carrying it in her legs and that’s what’s going to be adding to her weight, she isn’t slim but it’s her waist that is drawing your eye in and making her look not visually obese. Her legs aren’t going to be pure muscle with no fat, muscly legs aren’t that shape. Her legs look like mine, and I am technically smaller than her. She looks amazing though

OP it might be worth finding scales which measure visceral fat too.

It's possible ( I understand I'm certainly no expert) to look good externally and carry a lot of fat around your organs which is a particularly unhealthy place to carry it.

Lots of the smart scales will tell you that as well as general body fat %.

May not apply to you but possibly worth looking at!