While I am happy to be in the “normal” range, I really don’t think BMI is the best measure. It seems to ignore too many variables. Gender, muscle mass vs body fat, body type, etc. It is an ok place to start, but I don’t think anyone should just assume that because they fall into one of the categories they are automatically healthy or not healthy.
I would agree that if you are on the borders between normal and either overweight or underweight, that it’s not really that big of a deal to get worried about. But if you are in the obese category, I would have a hard time finding other variables that would justify most people being in that category from a health perspective.
I’m solidly (no pun intended) in the middle of the overweight department. I’m 5’ 8" and about 185lbs. I think I carry it fairly well - I don’t think I look fat, but I sure don’t look skinny either.
Either way, if I want to move down one level, I’ll have to get back to what I weighed when I graduated high school – I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
25.0 - 29.9 Overweight
Roughly 14 pounds overweight.
I don’t find BMI a particularly good indicator of anything to be honest, but would agree I’m a few pounds overweight.
I don’t think BMI is useful as a measure of health or even of body fat percentage, for most people. I’m underweight, very fit, and in good general health. I also have a normal ‘athletic’ body fat percentage.
25.1, overweight if you go by that scale. Which is bullshit. No one who looked at me, clothed or unclothed, would ever call me overweight. I have maybe 5 lbs I could lose from my midsection to satisfy my vanity gene, but I fall into that category because I’m muscular for my build and height.
This guy has compiled a chart of pictures of people at different hights/weights so you can see what they look like:
Lots of other interesting things on that site too.
It seems whenever BMI comes up, people post all kinds of things saying it’s a crock. But over/underweight is a medical term. BMI doesn’t say if your ass looks good in those jeans. It gives you an indication if the amount of body fat you have is within the ideal range. You may not like that you are above/below that range, but that doesn’t mean BMI is a crock. If your doctor tells you you have high cholesterol, do you say “What!? I’ve seen my blood and it looks fine.”
If you think it’s a crock, get your body fat tested. See how your body fat percentage corresponds to where you are on the BMI scale.
I’m 5’10" 174. Exactly 25.0. Right at the beginning of the overweight range. I like the way I look, but I agree I’m carrying extra fat. I can pinch the skin on my body and feel the thick layer of fat. It doesn’t look unsightly, but it is more fat than I need to be healthy.
