Frustrated with BMI chart

[Anonymous]

I am 4’11 and have lost 8 pounds and am down to 123. I look pretty thin. No one would ever accuse me of being overweight but yet BMI still says I am. I have no idea how I could maintain weighing 94-115lbs. I wear a size 4 because I have thicker thighs and wear xs in shirts. I would have to starve myself to maintain that weight. I get so defeated tho seeing overweight in my medical records.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 4’11 and have lost 8 pounds and am down to 123. I look pretty thin. No one would ever accuse me of being overweight but yet BMI still says I am. I have no idea how I could maintain weighing 94-115lbs. I wear a size 4 because I have thicker thighs and wear xs in shirts. I would have to starve myself to maintain that weight. I get so defeated tho seeing overweight in my medical records.

Well, according to the BMI calculator I used, you're at 24.8, which is right at the top end of normal weight.

[Anonymous]

I can't fathom that ever being considered overweight. I saw this calculator recently when I wondered where I was at, and I liked the narrative that came with it, not just a number:

https://www.smartbmicalculator.com

[Anonymous]

Actually 124 for a woman who is only 4’11 is definitely not thin. You may not look obese but I would aim for around 114lbs.

[Anonymous]

I think the charts are totally off for people who are very tall or very short. My husband is very tall and it always says he is borderline obese. He’s 195 lbs, 6’4” and all muscle so it’s a little ridiculous. Doing an actual body fat calculation would probably be more accurate.

[Anonymous]

I’m also 4’11. I’m currently 135, so quite overweight obviously, but I was 115 pre-kids and 105-110 in my 20’s. I’m not/was not toned at all though, so I definitely looked chubby (or at least “not thin”) starting around 110 pounds. For me, 123 was already quite chubby. If you’re toned, I’m guessing that’s different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually 124 for a woman who is only 4’11 is definitely not thin. You may not look obese but I would aim for around 114lbs.

Agre.. I'm 5'6", and I look best at 115-118.

[Anonymous]

Both my parents died, emaciated from cancer and were both around a 25 BMI. They were skin and bone. Both had really dense bones. At 81 my mom had the density of a 21 year old. It depends on a many things.

What does your doctor say?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the charts are totally off for people who are very tall or very short. My husband is very tall and it always says he is borderline obese. He’s 195 lbs, 6’4” and all muscle so it’s a little ridiculous. Doing an actual body fat calculation would probably be more accurate.

Agree. I worked with a guy about that height, and he was obese according to his BMI, but he didn’t look fat at all. I don’t think BMI is useful for very tall or very short people.

[Anonymous]

This is one of those things where the best judge is your doctor, not people on the internet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually 124 for a woman who is only 4’11 is definitely not thin. You may not look obese but I would aim for around 114lbs.

Agre.. I'm 5'6", and I look best at 115-118.

That’s fine if you’re a teenager, but a grown woman would look emaciated at that weight.

[Anonymous]

BMI is junk. Better to go by fat percentage and general look and fitness level. BMI is especially off on athletes because of their better muscle mass. Just ignore it. Google BMI fallacy for more assurance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually 124 for a woman who is only 4’11 is definitely not thin. You may not look obese but I would aim for around 114lbs.

Agre.. I'm 5'6", and I look best at 115-118.

Sure. If you think anorexia “looks best.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the charts are totally off for people who are very tall or very short. My husband is very tall and it always says he is borderline obese. He’s 195 lbs, 6’4” and all muscle so it’s a little ridiculous. Doing an actual body fat calculation would probably be more accurate.

Those stats don't even put him in the overweight category, let alone obese. They put him in the high end of healthy weight - which makes sense given his added muscle weight.

BMI is not accurate for body builders and it is slightly skewed for people at the high and low ends of the height spectrum.

There is a new BMI calculator that takes height into the equation in a more meaningful way.
http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/new-bmi/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually 124 for a woman who is only 4’11 is definitely not thin. You may not look obese but I would aim for around 114lbs.

Agre.. I'm 5'6", and I look best at 115-118.

If you’re over 18 and a woman, please seek help from a mental health professional.