Reflexions on BMI now my weight loss is almost complete.

[chris1959]

I really see, now that I am reaching the ending of my weight loss journey down to 83kg, how BMI is skewed against taller people like me (1m85). My normal BMI weight range is 63.4kg-85.3kg. Giving me an overweight label at 86kg felt very harsh, when I looked at myself in the mirror at that weight. And 63.4kg (that's 10 stone on a 6'1" man), while still normal, would leave me looking like a skeleton!

BMI works well when assessing large populations, because errors due to taller and shorter people cancel each other out. But for individuals, it's not so great. As other people have pointed out on this site, there are other, more accurate methods. Including a simple one that I like, look critically at yourself in the mirror.

[AnnTandy]

I have to honest about this, I've always thought the whole BMI thing was ******** and have totally ignored it ever since it was introduced (and yes, I'm old enough to remember when it didn't exist!) - practically sacrilegious, I know!

[CheerfulDragon]

The effectiveness of BMI for indicating healthy weight was called into question some years ago when George Clooney's BMI put him in the overweight bracket. He had a lot of muscle which is denser than fat and affected the values.

Another factor is frame size. A 6'1" man would need to have a small frame to manage just 10 stone. On the other hand, a man with a small frame would still look overweight at the top end of the band - 13 stone 6 pounds.

I'm not sure that BMI values are skewed against tall people. I do think that your ideal weight has something to do with what you're happy with. I'm 5'4" with a large frame and the BMI values make my maximum weight 10 stone 6 pounds. I could set that as my target weight, but it seems too heavy to me.

If you're nearing a goal of 83kg, that's great. If you look in the mirror and are happy with what you see, that's all that matters. Don't aim for the bottom end of the scale. Go with what looks and feels right.

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi chris1959 ,

I am also tall, and I use the 'new BMI' to calculate my BMI, as it has been designed to cater better for taller people. A link to it is here, if you want to do a comparison between your 'new BMI' and the 'standard BMI':

people.maths.ox.ac.uk/trefe...

I hope it's helpful to you.

Zest

[chris1959 Maintainer in reply to Zest]

Thanks! That's better, for me at least. Still nice to get a 'Healthy BMI' badge though

[Zest Healthy BMI in reply to chris1959]

Your 'Healthy BMI' badge looks great on you!

[Hidden]

I definitely agree with the "look in the mirror" measurement/goal!

[PTKeith]

BMI is just a guide. According to my BMI I am fat. But it is just a guide. For people that are obese it gives them a good start point and something motivational when it starts going down. However I never use it for my clients. I use a tape measure around the waist and hips and a bi-weekly weigh in. And most importantly the mirror and their clothes. I also use body fat %. If I am losing FAT my waist size will reduce. If I am losing weight without my waist measurements going down I am probably losing water weight and not Fat.

Unfortunately doctors seem to think BMI is a great guide and don't look at YOU!

So my summer target is to keep my weight the same but bring my body fat% down to about 14% let's see if I can get the old abs showing.