BMI Goal: is your BMI goal to be healthy or overweight?

[Diana_in_Philly 1,426]

BMI is so screwed up. I'm down about 150 pounds. I weight 152. (I started over 300). I have not had plastics and would probably lose about 15 from that. However, according to the BMI chart, I'm overweight - I wouldn't be "healthy" (and at the high edge of it) until I hit 140. I know what I look like at 140 and I look stupid. (I'm very busty.)

That being said - I can deadlift 250 pounds, back squat 235 pounds. I'm ranked no. 24 nationally among women aged 50-59 fencing foil and no. 33 nationally among women over 40 fencing foil.

I wear small or medium tops and size 6 pants. I'm a lot of solid muscle and most folks think I weigh 125. BMI does not take into account mass from muscle and that muscle weighs more than fat.

I think I look damn fine right where I am.

[Lolo 2020 236]

Amen sister

[allwet 868]

My goal changed on a regular basis as i hit one milestone after another.

My second to last goal was to get under 159 for the bmi of "normal"

My current and last goal is to maintain my weight for the rest of my life, so yea this one i hope will take a very long time to finish

[Healthy_life 1,437]

Be healthy, whatever that weight looks like for each of us. Finding a weight to maintain is personal. I was thrilled to get to an overweight BMI. I just happened to keep losing and I ended up at a normal BMI.

On 1/30/2019 at 1:38 PM, Diana_in_Philly said:

know what I look like at 140 and I look stupid. (I'm very busty.)

BMI is flawed. You have an amazing fitness level and look damn fine!

My bone structure/body type is an inverted triangle. My shoulders are wider than my hips. I look busty, but I'm not. I've learned to be comfortable in my own skin . I should say" loose skin."

[YeahOkay31 652]

On 1/30/2019 at 2:43 PM, elcee said:

I do not see the point of putting oneself through the stress and trauma and expense of a procedure like this to then settle for the mediocre.

AIM for the stars.

I saw my dietician on Tuesday. She looked at me and basically intimated that my weight is fine. WTF I'm 2 weeks post op I think I have some more to lose. So I asked her what BMI I should be aiming for, she then did a cal that put me right at the top of the healthy range!!!!!! I told her that I would be far more comfortable with a figure a lot lower than that, similar to what i was when i lost the weight when I was first banded. She didn't say a lot but did say that as you get older it is healthier to be at the high end of the recommended BMI - great coming from a 30 something person that is so skinny that if she turns sideways you struggle to see her! Well I'm not there yet and I will be doing my best to try and achieve a BMI of around 22.

I think you have to remember that one person's mediocre is another person's star in the sky. As much as people like to say around here that everyone's journey is the same, it just isn't. Some folks have a much longer road to hoe. Some folks around here are starting at a BMI of 60, so even getting to a BMI of 35 (class 1 obesity) is their goal. And for a person who has a very petite height like you--that is still 120 pounds! That's an incredible success.

Goals are one of those personal things, so I think this OP just needs to look inside themselves and sees what they define as success. Not look for others definitions (if that is what they are doing--they just might want small talk). I just don't want people to poo-poo their accomplishments!

Edited February 4, 2019 by YeahOkay31

[mousecat88 2,281]

My doctor said I can expect to only get to around 160-170ish with the surgery alone (ex: NO exercise). That is still obese. I want to get to 140, which is still overweight according to the BMI, BUT when I was 140 I looked bangin' so that's my personal goal. I looked amazing at 140 and let the doctors put into my head that I was "soooooo fat" which led me into a depression and an eating disorder (I said screw it, I'm fat anyways so may as well eat), which ended up with me at 286lbs. I will never let the BMI chart rule my perception of myself ever again. I look back at those pics of me at 140 and it is depressing as hell that I thought so little of myself because "I was two points into overweight on the BMI chart". I had a six pack. I had hips and booty for days. Also the low end of the BMI chart for me is like... 110lbs. I would look like a friggin' bobble head.

Also turned out I had 8lbs of excess breast tissue I had removed during a much-needed breast reduction so... the argument could be made I was really only 132. LOL. WOMP WOMP

Edited February 4, 2019 by mousecat88

[sillykitty 10,787]

2 hours ago, mousecat88 said:

I want to get to 140, which is still overweight according to the BMI,

I'm confused ... 140 at 5'3" is normal BMI, not overweight

[mousecat88 2,281]

1 hour ago, sillykitty said:

I'm confused ... 140 at 5'3" is normal BMI, not overweight

Pardon me, 141 is technically overweight at the chart I just pulled up. I guess I was 141, if you want to mince it down to that. I was told that 140 was overweight. Every BMI chart I pull up is *slightly* different.

And once I hit 135, doctors were warning me of my impending weight crisis. Once I hit 140, I was told I was overweight and needed to lose weight immediately, etc. 140, from what I experienced, was a terrible size for someone our height. Hence all the issues I described above.

Edited February 4, 2019 by mousecat88

[mousecat88 2,281]

The moral of my personal story is... don't let a chart rule your goals. Because when I was actually healthy, doctors said I was fat based on me being slightly into the overweight category and I let it ruin my life. Chances are if you went to a doc that didn't know you had gastric and you were just a few points into overweight, they'd say horribly negative things because that's just the perception these days about obesity and people who are overweight. I personally just want to look and feel good, and damn any stupid and misleading charts. Be proud of what you accomplish.

Edited February 4, 2019 by mousecat88

[Lolo 2020 236]

Amen.

how do you get that tape measure at the bottom of your post?

[mousecat88 2,281]

1 minute ago, Lolo 2020 said:

Amen.

how do you get that tape measure at the bottom of your post?

Go up to the top right where your username is and click create and then ticker!

[Healthy_life 1,437]

BMI Calculator

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm

BMI Chart

[GreenTealael 25,545]

I'm hoping to stay in the 26-28 range. I was anecdotally told that people in this category live longer-term than lower BMI ranges. For me that is still overweight/obese. So I hope it's true in my case for sure

[FluffyChix 17,418]

40 minutes ago, GreenTealael said:

I'm hoping to stay in the 26-28 range. I was anecdotally told that people in this category live longer-term than lower BMI ranges. For me that is still overweight/obese. So I hope it's true in my case for sure

LOL, not me, I wanna die a skinny b***h.

[Wanda247 908]

On 1/30/2019 at 3:38 PM, Diana_in_Philly said:

BMI is so screwed up. I'm down about 150 pounds. I weight 152. (I started over 300). I have not had plastics and would probably lose about 15 from that. However, according to the BMI chart, I'm overweight - I wouldn't be "healthy" (and at the high edge of it) until I hit 140. I know what I look like at 140 and I look stupid. (I'm very busty.)

That being said - I can deadlift 250 pounds, back squat 235 pounds. I'm ranked no. 24 nationally among women aged 50-59 fencing foil and no. 33 nationally among women over 40 fencing foil.

I wear small or medium tops and size 6 pants. I'm a lot of solid muscle and most folks think I weigh 125. BMI does not take into account mass from muscle and that muscle weighs more than fat.

I think I look damn fine right where I am.

Yes you do!!