What's your opinion on the BMI scale? Do you use it as a guideline or do you find it inaccurate?

[WeaponZero]

According to the BMI scale, I'm obese at 220 lbs. I need to drop below 205 lbs before I fall into the overweight category and below 175 to fall into healthy weight. Yet my doctor has told me that my ideal weight should be around 200 lbs based on my height, bone structure, and muscle mass, and looking at myself in the mirror, I can tell I couldn't possibly have 45 lbs of fat to lose. Does anyone else find the scale to be as inaccurate as I have? What are your opinions on the BMI scale?

Updates

+1 y

I'm 5'9" by the way if that matters.

[Anonymous]

At 5'9" you must be quite muscular to make 200 pounds an ideal weight for you.

I don't use the scale or BMI to figure out if I am at a healthy weight or not. I use my own view of myself naked along with if I am struggling to get into clothing I was able to fit into a week or month or year ago. I also know that maintaining muscle, for both men and women, is important to maintain the highest metabolism we can have as well as look great. Finally, I know when my eating habits go off the deep end and if I start eating poorly it is only a matter of time before I am adding weight that is totally unnecessary.

I also think using a visual verification of how fit we are can be deceiving because it is all relative. So, when you look in the mirror and think you cannot possibly see how you could lose 45 pounds, well that is based on what you think looks good on you and what you think the norm is. Overall I see a lot of people justifying being bigger and not wanting to admit they are overweight or, worse, obese. I see women who call themselves full-figured who are clearly obese and could use losing 100 lbs or more. I have seen others who call themselves curvy when they are overweight.

There is also a big tabu around discussing any of this. We are all supposed to be PC about this and open to finding people who are overweight or obese attractive and acceptable. But, this is not a beauty issue. This is a health issue. Worse, it is about bad lifestyle choices. So many people seem to think they must have fast food and they must have the creamy, sugary coffee beverages or sodas to live. We eat out way too much and "treats" really are not treats anymore, they are normal parts of our diet. In the end, I cannot support someone remaining at an unhealthy weight because they are unwilling to eat better.

So, regardless of where you land with your weight, sounds like you could use improving your diet, maybe your exercise to lose some weight. I would say if you are eating well, not eating chips, candy, sodas, alcohol, burgers, pizza, etc. as your regular diet, then your weight will right-size itself and you won't need a doctor nor BMI to tell you that you are healthy.

[WeaponZero]

I don't drink anything but water and workout supplements (post workout protein shake, pre workout supplement). I allow myself one "treat" meal a week that is usually spent eating out and aside from that I don't eat any chips, burgers (except veggie burgers with no cheese). I don't drink. Lots of fruit and vegetables. This is the way I have been eating for well over a year. I work out 6 days a week doing cardio 3 days and resistance 3 days. Been doing this for over a year as well.

[WeaponZero]

Also keep closely to a 40/40/20 protein/carb/fat ratio. As closely as I realistically can.

[Opinion Owner]

Sounds like you are doing well then. You definitely do not represent the average American. A good number of us would do better if we just cut out alcohol so you are ahead of the game. If you eat fresh fruits and vegetables with minimal additions of butter or sauces, that is also great. Most people that eat vegetables only do it with a bunch of Ranch dressing or butter on them.

[WeaponZero]

For vegetables I make homemade salads using baby spinach leaves instead of lettuce (I like the taste better), cherry tomatoes, black olives, minced garlic, seasonings, and a low-calorie dressing. Sometimes I'll throw in peeled cooked shrimp, sometimes not. Depends on my mood. My salads are somewhat small, small enough to fill a coffee mug, and I usually eat 3 of them a day as in between meal snacks.

[WeaponZero]

A typical day for me is:

Wake up, take pre workout supplements, work out, eat a protein fruit smoothie with peanut butter and whey for breakfast. Salad or apple for mid morning snack. Veggie burger for lunch. Salad or apple for mid afternoon snack. Some sort of dinner using a source of whole grain fiber and either fish, shrimp, or chicken breasts. Salad or apple for PM snack.

[Darkfairie17]

BMI is not a good indicator of health. It doesn't distinguish between muscle mass and fat mass. It also doesn't look at the person's eating habits. I know a lot of skinny people who eat terribly and smoke and drink a lot, and what not. And I know people who are larger, such as myself, who exercise and eat well and are fat. It's better to get a complete physical done by your doctor to get an idea how you are health wise. I agree with your dr. 200lbs sounds like a good weight for an average sized guy. My boyfriend is about 6ft tall and he is 215. He is in no way fat, but of course the BMI has him thinking he is :(

Get blood tests done checking cholesteral, blood sugar, all of those good things. Your doctor will know what things to look at :) Also doing regular exercise and eating right most of the time is a good way to make sure you are being healthy. There is nothing wrong with being 200lbs as a guy. People think that is heavy but it's gonna be an average weight soon. Not because we are all getting fatter, but people are taller now. My parents are short compared to today's standards. My dad is my height, 5'6", and my mom is 4'11". A lot of my friends who are girls are almost 6ft tall. Now a girl that height can be anywhere from 140-210lbs and maybe even more and still be thin. Back in my parents age it was really really rare for a girl to reach the 6ft range. Yet there are so many ladies that are that height now.

So don't fret about the BMI. It's a terrible tool and should be forgotten. People should get complete physicals done instead, because that is a way better way to gauge what is going on inside your body than a number based on only two variants.

[FlightAuror2]

The BMI scale was meant for large populations, not individuals, therefore it's completely inaccurate for scientific reasons. I'm 5'11"/6' (Doc claims 5'11", friends claim 6'), and currently under 200lbs (199/198) after having been 260. I'm supposed to be under 180 apparently, so hopefully will get there, will be nice to finally be thin for once lol.

[yoimkenni]

BMI is inaccurate. It doesn't measure your body composition. If you are a big muscular guy you can have a BMI over 25 and be perfectly healthy. Also you can be unhealthy and have unwanted fat with index like 22.

Body fat index is a much more accurate method measuring fitnesss. Just harder to measure.

[WeaponZero]

the problem with measuring body fat is that there's no accurate way of measuring at home. those scales that also measure y our bodyfat with the low voltage signal are a crock. you have to go to a professional sports medicine place to get an actual reading. =(

[cun7n1nja]

I don't think it's accurate at all. Just kind of a guideline, but it doesn't take a lot of things into account. I AM overweight, but like you, BMI would suggest that I'm a lot more unhealthy than I actually am. I'm 5'6" and weigh almost 200 pounds. But I have so much muscle still from being pretty athletic when I was younger, that most people would never guess it. I've had people literally not believe me. I'm shorter and smaller than what my boyfriend normally goes for. He mentioned normally being most attracted to taller girls in the 200 pound range, and didn't believe me when I told him in response that I barely weigh less than that, if less at all. He guessed me at like 160.

I'm definitely overweight, I'm chubby and always have been, but I don't look nearly as big as my height and weight would suggest, lol.

[Hidden_P]

I think a guideline is useful.

However, the BMI system was brought into place during the World War time (as far as I know) when people were much thinner, on rations, and doing more.

Also, since then, the average height of people has increased, so it's not really useful anymore.

However, without a guideline, people would not be able to roughly say "ok I need to lose weight".

Like queenofpeen, if I had the weight of my BMI I would look odd. I'm trying to lose weight, but not to what I'm "meant" to be.

[gummybear888]

It's a generalized body height to weight ratio that can not possibly take into account body composition and other factors such as bone density, cardiovascular fitness or other types of fitness measurements. Overall it is a quick way to estimate a rating with regards to healthy body weight. It does not take into account body composition which is far more complex. And I agree with the other girl who's answered that a physician most likely can give a more accurate estimate of what your ideal weight should be based on other fitness measurements.

[peace-love-couture]

I find it inaccurate regarding a specific weight, it is however an accurate guideline when vague I'm regards to numbers,

I use it simply for a weight range, but not specific numbers.

Plus, I've noticed they all say different things. I'm 5'3 & have had some tell me I should weigh in the 90's, others say between 130-148...

On the BMI scale ATM I'm at a healthy weight range.

At this point in society we've lost an idea of what healthy is anyways

[WeaponZero]

I used to know a girl who was only 4'11" and even she weighed over 100 lbs and was toned and very slender. I can't imagine how thin a 5'3" ~90 lb person must be. Why so much variance? It completely invalidates the science behind the system.

[charizzle]

i think it can be used as a VERY ROUGH guideline. otherwise, it's not accurate and true for every single person so I don't think people should live by it.

the BMI was created based on studies done mostly on white people, and people of other races have different bone structure and weight distribution etc. it's also not accurate for muscular people.

[WeaponZero]

Good point bringing up other races' differences.

[charizzle]

sorry I meant to say bone mass, not bone structure

[Anonymous]

According to BMI I am bordering between morbidly obese and overweight. According to my hip-waist ratio calculator I am incredibly healthy and right in the zone...

So its a question you have to ask yourself. Do you feel healthy? When you walk up and down stairs do you get out of breath? How much exercise do you do and how what types of food do you eat? If you look in the mirror, are you happy?

Everything else is just mumbo jumbo to try and separate you from your wallet.

[TheGodEmperorLeto]

It's bullsh*t, man. It was created for Polish people in the early 1900s or late 1800s (I forget which, but it was around that area). It wasn't even used to determine health, but just the average for that time period and people.

link

so ya, it's bullsh*t.

[theydidntnameme]

i don't think its a great guideline to follow. the easiest thing to look at is nfl running backs. they are all just under 6 foot and anywhere from 200 to 220 lbs. however they are in world class shape and some of the most healthy people in the world. barry sanders was 5'9 and 200 lbs. earl campbell was 5'11 and 230. so that goes to show my point.. lol

[lundmark85]

BMI doesn't take muscle mass into effect. If you put a hockey player in there, they are obese half the time, despite being in amazing shape. I'm 5'11 and 220 pounds, which makes me obese. Without a doubt I have some weight to lose, but based on my frame size, a good weight for me would be 195. According to the BMI, I should be 180 or under.

I think the BMI might be more accurate for women, as they tend to have a lot less muscle mass.

[dalila]

If I use it , yeah I never been to the overweight in the scale however even beign far from the overweight and almost close to the anorexia I feel and look a bit overweight ... Because I don't have lots of muscle that's my problem, so I think the body fat percentage is the more ideal thing to follow ... Even tough I am normal at the too, I am far from the ideal of body fat percentage for girls

[joshuadwa]

Its wrong. When I was mid way through my bulk I was at 165 5'7'' which is considered "overweight" but was going to them gym 5 days a week and eating incredibly healthy.

I have since cut down and am now on the higher end of healthy, but will soon be back up to overweight since I am bulking again.

By the way I'm a skinny dude. I'm far from overweight

[Randomzzgirl]

Nope, it's not accurate what so ever. It depends on muscle mass, thick/thin bones ext. For example I would be seen as overweight even though I am pure muscle, the same as how runners would be seen as underweight because they are lean :) it's kinda dumb if you ask me and should only be used as a sort of generalization, not something for every individual

[queenofpeen]

I don't think it's accurate. It's so simple and there are so many factors it doesn't take into account, like muscle, body frame, activity, etc.

According to the BMI scale, my ideal weight is about 115 lbs. I don't WANT to be 115, I don't think it would look right for my body type.

[slipslender]

i think BMI works well as a health standard for the population as a whole- there needs to be a measurement of good health in place. on an person-to-person basis, however, I think your physician can give you a more accurate assessment of your weight since he/she actually has an idea of your bone structure, muscle mass, and whatever other factors come into play.

[FierceMegan]

I think it is inaccurate because of bone structure. I know a girl who has a larger frame than me and holds more muscle naturally than I. Therefore, she is going to weigh more. However, we can both fit in the same cloths. :\ So I think the BMI scale is just for generalization.

[Anonymous]

i don't think numbers matter as much its all about how much you feel healthy and how you feel in clothes if you feel like you need improvement in some areas and clothes don't fit right then you may be overweight and need to gym and diet but otherwise I don't weigh myself and count numbers it makes me self conscious

[beer3]

BMI uses an average person for your height, average bone mass and average build for a perfect BMI, its a good indication but it as flaws. Great for junior or high school that are too cheap to bring in pros about the ideal weight for your structure.My BMI is in the Normal weight catagorey.

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[kheserthorpe]

It doesn't work if you have a lot of muscle.

A lot of people are overestimating how much muscle they have though ...

Measuring your waist is probably a better indicator for most people.

[Anonymous]

5'9 ... 220? That's kinda big, bro. BMI is a good estimate, usually it's only off for hardcore athletes. Americans (me included) need to stop making excuses for being plumb fat.

[WeaponZero]

thats the thing. according to my dr I'm only off my target by 20 lbs. but according to the bmi scale I need to lose another 45 lbs or more. but if I do ill be a stick.

[ManaX]

It's not accurate, it doesn't take muscle mass into account at all. If someone is too fat/too thin it's pretty obvious, you can tell by just looking at them.