BMI v's clothes size

Had an interesting chat with some colleagues last week. We all know that even same height people are different weights at different sizes. I think i've got big bones as at 10 stone and 5'2 i'm a size 12 (well not at the moment but have been!) I am very happy at that size (bloody delighted in fact). My colleague is same height but needs to be about 8.5 stone to be a size 12. But to get to BMI of 25 i need to be about 9 stone 8. I really feel that my BMI range between 20-25 is too thin for me and i don't really want to be a size 8 or 10. I'm not just saying that but my feet are size 6 and my bra is 34G and i'm just not meant to be that thin. I spoke to my CDC this morning and she said i need to lose anoher 2 stone to get to BMI 25 but i'm aiming to get to 10 stone and i'd be really happy at that weight regardless of my BMI still being over 25. What does everyone else feel about this??

Depends on so many other things - hence the healthy range is 20 to 25 for BMI.
My daughter is 25 she weighs 8st 4 and is BMI 20 - she thinks she is fat. She isn't but in comparison to some of her friends she is rounded rather than having a washboard tummy. She is size 8.
I am 47 and weigh 11st 5 and am BMI 29. I am a size 12 now.
About 8 years ago I was BMI 25, around 9st 9 or something. Size 8 to 10. If I go any lower than that I do look haggard.
I think it should be a guide but nothing anyone feels they need to stick to. It's your weight loss, you be what you want to be.

x

My BMI is currently 28.3 and I am a 14/16 and I'm 12.12!

My BMI is 26 and I'm a size 12. but yeah, according to the BMI, I should be in my low eight stones. I am aiming for it, but i think i'll look weird. I am not built that way. I'm very short, but not tiny.

I think too much emphasis is put on BMI. My doctor has actually told me hed be concerned if I was the weight that I would put me to the middle of my 'healthy' BMI as he feels its too low for me.

I think its much more important to feel happy with the weight you are, if you think youre the weight you want to be, and lets face it a size 12 is most definitely not overweight by anyones stretch of the imagination, then stick at that

This is what confuses me about BMI! A couple of weeks ago my Dad spoke to me as he thought I looked too thin - but I was BMI 26 - still overweight? How can someone who is overweight be too thin?

When I did LL, I got to about 12 stone (nowhere near BMI 25 as I am 5'5").

SO many people told me I looked fine but I knew I had to continue. Admittedly it took me a while to get back to SS, but it has to be done. I dont have high aims, and want to be 11 stone, then see how I feel, even tho its not a low weight for my height. I have been told recently that at 12 stone my face looked too thin???

Does any one know if BMI takes age into account? Surely what is right for a 20 year old, is bound to be different to some one in their 40's? (She says, hopefully LOL!!)

BMI is an unreliable measure of body fat it makes no allowences for build or bone density, it only factors in height and weight. It is a guide and thats it, you have to make up your own mind about what weight you are happy with and if you want to go by an accurate body fat analysis, go down to your local gym and ask them to do actual measurements on your body fat.

The problem is that often BMI is used by the medical profession as a cut off, for example, I know that some fertility clinics in Ireland will not treat you if your BMI is over 30, thats their rule you're either under or not. Even if you are under it they still want you to get more off and get into the so called healthy range.

I have a couple of medical conditions that are aggrevated by weight so no matter what doctor I go to for what they always bring up my weight as an issue, so I need to get comfortably under BMI 25 because I dont want to have to sit through any more lectures.

LOL Sarah, no it doesnt take age into account, thats another reason why its unreliable

I always say to my ladies (& men) to think about weight, BMI, body fat, clothes size & generally how they feel! I don't think focussing on just one area of the above list gives a true picture of where you are.

We tend to put a target weight in on day 1, I usually set it at BMI 25 if they really want to get lower or what they want to get to if it is higher, but I do tell people that if they adjust their target up (as they are happy at a higher weight for whatever reason) not to think that they have failed in any way as that "number" is not a magic, sort all your problems number!

I hope this makes sense.

Nicky
CDC Swindon

We're twins! No really, I had to stop at 10st 7 as it was getting silly. I went to Next for jogging bottoms and got told that size 6 was as small as they went. In case you're visualising a midget, I'm 5 3.5 and my bmi then was 26. But I have a 32/34JJ chest so my tops were a 12/14.

I lift weights and have very broad shoulders. My mum is a few inches shorter than me at 5 1 and is 2 stone lighter than me and looks bigger and wears size 14 bottoms but her bmi is 23.

Guess it depends on your muscle mass and bones density too.

I guess it all depends on frame size, and amount of muscle. It's good to set a goal weight obviously as it's something to aim for, but it you get to a stage where you are happy and where you want to be then if it's over BMI 25 I wouldn't worry!
I want to get to a size 12 currently 14/16 depending on where I shop and I only have (as of yesterday) 7lbs to go a BMI of 25 (5'6 ~ 11stone 1lb), not sure if this would take me to a size 12 (I have a large frame), but I'm not quite happy with the size I am now so will keep going till I am regardless of BMI..as with weight it's just a number.

Helen