BMI and Muscle versus Fat

[Anonymous]

Regarding BMI - I notice some posts saying BMI of around 25 is "good".

Mine is 26 - but I strength train - could some of that weight be muscle therefore my BMI will always be "higher"? How many pounds can I attribute to muscle? Any idea? I'm 50 and I strength train 2-3 times a week (not a whole lot).

[Anonymous]

I don't know I'm struggling with this myself! I dieted and cardio-ed in the last three years down to 160, probably my lowest weight since high school. I am 170 now after doing a lot of strength for the last year. I have basically the same measurements, if not a bit smaller, but 170 puts me back in 'obese' territory and it is doing a NUMBER on my confidence.

[Anonymous]

BMI is no longer a reliable number to refer to when determining if you're a healthy or unhealthy weight, and actually the number on the scale/your weight is meaningless without knowing what your muscle to fat ratio is. The most reliable information is going to come from a Dexa scan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know I'm struggling with this myself! I dieted and cardio-ed in the last three years down to 160, probably my lowest weight since high school. I am 170 now after doing a lot of strength for the last year. I have basically the same measurements, if not a bit smaller, but 170 puts me back in 'obese' territory and it is doing a NUMBER on my confidence.

OP here - oooh well the fact that your measurements are the same or smaller says everything, that's definitely muscle then.

I'm not sure if mine are.

[Anonymous]

I don't pay attention to BMI. I guess it's used as a metric to show people who are overweight that "hey, you are overweight, because here's the Math."

But I don't think it's necessary. You can tell looking at someone, if they have too much body fat. You can tell looking at someone, if they have a balance of healthy body fat and muscle. You can tell looking at someone if they're underweight. But "looking at someone" isn't a measurable number like BMI.

So sure, it can be a helpful rough guideline. But BMI is absolutely not a reliable way to measure health and body composition, especially if someone is physically active.

[Anonymous]

Get a Dexa or InBody Scan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't pay attention to BMI. I guess it's used as a metric to show people who are overweight that "hey, you are overweight, because here's the Math."

But I don't think it's necessary. You can tell looking at someone, if they have too much body fat. You can tell looking at someone, if they have a balance of healthy body fat and muscle. You can tell looking at someone if they're underweight. But "looking at someone" isn't a measurable number like BMI.

So sure, it can be a helpful rough guideline. But BMI is absolutely not a reliable way to measure health and body composition, especially if someone is physically active.

Yes agree. Doctors seem to rely on it though.

[Anonymous]

I have been lifting seriously for years and am pretty much maxed out on the muscle I can gain. My BMI is 23 at about 22% body fat. Unless you are a serious bodybuilder or have very heavy frame, your BMI will still fall in the “normal” category if you are fairly lean.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think it is as reliable for men since they are heavier at same height due to denser bones and more muscles mass. But for the vast majority of women, unless you do extreme lifting- if your BMI says you are overweight, then you likely have some fat you could/should lose

[Anonymous]

It's not like mortality skyrockets if your BMI is one number over 25. All cause mortality is a J shaped curve with higher risk on the very low end and very high end. If you like the way you look and your bloodwork, etc are good I wouldn't worry about it.

[Anonymous]

To give you an idea as to muscle and BMI

I am a 50 year old woman with a BMI of 23.7 so mid to high range normal. I am also one of those people in other threads that lifts really heavy - 200lb deadlifts, 130lb squats. So I am very strong. My body fat is 24% (measured on a DEXA scan) which is normal level for my age (it would be too high if I was younger)

If your BMI is in the overweight category and you are not lifting super heavy, it is highly likely you body fat is above where it should be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it is as reliable for men since they are heavier at same height due to denser bones and more muscles mass. But for the vast majority of women, unless you do extreme lifting- if your BMI says you are overweight, then you likely have some fat you could/should lose

Or, unless you lost a chunk of weight after being obese for some time.

My BMi is 25, but I also lost about 1/3 of my body weight, and have excess skin that accounts for a couple of pounds. Enough to teeter me from one category into another (I also lift heavy 2x a week).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been lifting seriously for years and am pretty much maxed out on the muscle I can gain. My BMI is 23 at about 22% body fat. Unless you are a serious bodybuilder or have very heavy frame, your BMI will still fall in the “normal” category if you are fairly lean.

This. Sorry, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been lifting seriously for years and am pretty much maxed out on the muscle I can gain. My BMI is 23 at about 22% body fat. Unless you are a serious bodybuilder or have very heavy frame, your BMI will still fall in the “normal” category if you are fairly lean.

This. Sorry, OP.

Haha, yes, no surprise.

This is good information thanks all!!

I do have very large breasts which are much too big for my body size, strange, as they weren't that big in my teens/twenties. Anyway perhaps they account for 5+ pounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To give you an idea as to muscle and BMI

I am a 50 year old woman with a BMI of 23.7 so mid to high range normal. I am also one of those people in other threads that lifts really heavy - 200lb deadlifts, 130lb squats. So I am very strong. My body fat is 24% (measured on a DEXA scan) which is normal level for my age (it would be too high if I was younger)

If your BMI is in the overweight category and you are not lifting super heavy, it is highly likely you body fat is above where it should be.

This!

Sure someone who lifts may have more muscle than the average person, but the people who can really get away with a high BMI are those who lift and have a lower body fat percentage. Exception to BMI tend to be legit body builders or certain ethnic group where people naturally have a higher muscle mass. not to mention most women are not lifting as heavy as they really should be and, thus, have less muscle than they think.

You really need to know BF percentage.

Not saying a higher BMI atomically means unhealthy as we have learned there are a lot of factors that go into overall health.