How important is BMI?

[SarahB]

I just wanted to ask everyone a quick question about BMI.

In order for me to be at the top of my healthy weight range I will need to weigh 9.stone 4 pounds.

Although I am quite short I have always been happy with my weight at a size 12-14 which for me is about 10 and a half stone.

I really don't want to be any smaller than a size 12 but then my BMI would still tell me i was overweight. If I attempt to go down to 9 stone then I will probably be a size 10 (and lose my curves)

My dilemma is do I aim to go for a size I am happy with or should I aim to be within my 'healthy' weight range?

Any comments would be great.

 

[millux]

Aim for what you are personally comfortable at! The BMI is incredibly flawed to put it simply. I wont go into detail since my head is fuzzy at the moment, but I think for me to be a healthy weight I have to be around 9-9.5st & I know for a fact that I look guant & unhealthily thin at that weight, so I'm going to lose until I'm happy & looking healthy. I The BMI doesn't take much into account, like muscle mass or build. Lose until you're happy, sack the BMI. C:

 

[Magggie]

Isn't your curvy weight still within your healthy bmi? If it is, then you should be ok

I didn't get to my slap bang in the middle bmi when I
was seeing a dietician last weight loss (!) she was happy I was within a normal healthy zone

this time I intend getting slap bang in the middle of my optimum bmi

if I get to that

whoo hoo!

 

[happymonday]

I've been wondering this myself, and I'd go with how you feel, personally!

The top of my weight/height range is 10st6 which gives me a bmi of just under 25. This morning I was 10st5 so I'm 'just' in the healthy range. I do feel however that I could still do with losing a few lbs so I'm aiming for 10stone (and if I get there, I might even try and lose a bit more).

But it is a personal thing..I'm a size 12 now and I always said I'd be happy at that - even if I lose another stone I can't see me ever being a 10, I have a huge belly and wide hips! I just need to tone up really!

Go with how you feel

 

[SarahB]

Isn't your curvy weight still within your healthy bmi? If it is, then you should be ok

I didn't get to my slap bang in the middle bmi when I
was seeing a dietician last weight loss (!) she was happy I was within a normal healthy zone

this time I intend getting slap bang in the middle of my optimum bmi

if I get to that

whoo hoo!

NO, my curvy weight is in the overweight category.

When I asked the Nurse at my doctors about it she said that the BMI scale isn't gospel and the example that she gave is that is doesn't take into account people which are missing limbs...........WTF

This is why I thought I would ask here as I don't have much faith in the Nurse....lol

 

[Miss Demeanour]

BMI is a simple calculation that that has a degree of applicability to everyone, but is specific to no-one. It's simplicity means it was widely adopted, but there are so many variables that are no taken into account when calculating it. IT is also relatively easy to understand - but it's vagueness means that, quite frankly, it doesn't have much *meaning*.

There re increasing health risks with increasing weight. That's quite simple. The BMI is a means of quantifying that risk in a manner that that's easy to describe and demonstrate to the patient. However the relative risk between (say) a BMI of 24 and (say) a BMI of 27, is quite little indeed (as opposed to the risk of being a BMI of 24 as opposed to 40). And besides, the risk is yours and yours alone - if you feel better in yourself being over that which an artificial set of numbers tells you you ought to be, then why not?? There is more to life than adjusting our bodies to fit a scarily coloured chart.

At every visit to a healthcare professional they will probably tell you that you are allegedly a bit 'overweight', but if that's the size and shape you're happy with, then they should respect that. After all, these things remain your choice.