I’m obese. I’m short, about 5’4 and weigh 210lbs. While I do want to lose weight I want to drop down to 175lbs. That’s where I felt my healthiest. I was strong as hell and not a stick. But the BMI and my Dr said I need to be around 130lbs which, to me, is very tiny. I was 130lbs before and I definitely do not want to go back to that. Dropping 80lbs is just out the question because I did not like my body or how I felt at 130lbs. Should I just work out to what makes me feel good or should I listen to the BMI scale and try to lose a bit more weight?
My goal was 190 lbs.
Now I’m 155 lbs.
Focus on the next 10 lbs and see where the journey takes you.
i love this honestly
Great advice. I was thinking small goals, like 5%, which happens to be 10 pounds, rather than stressing about the end goal.
To be honest you should be taking your doctor’s advice (who knows you and is medically trained) over any advice on here.
We don’t know your medical history nor are we qualified to assess.
We can't answer how much faith you should put into the BMI. If you have serious questions, the answer to that is to seek out a more accurate assessment method of body fat.
That being said, unless you're incredibly athletic, 175 is quite overweight and quite likely obese. But it's still far better than 210, and if that's where you're comfortable and where you can maintain that may be the best choice for you. At the end of the day what is most important is what works for you and what makes you happy.
It’s impossible to know that 175 would be “quite overweight” for this person when we don’t know how they carry their weight. Like some other commenters mentioned and what I’ve read as well, waist to hip ratio is a better measurement of health. Like someone having an Apple shape vs someone at the same BMI having a pear shape…the apple shape person would be the one with higher health risks because of the waist to hip ratio. So I don’t think we should tell people that a certain weight would be too much when we don’t know their shape, how their body carries fat, etc.
Remember to consider a person’s weight bearing joints. A person can be healthy by all metabolic parameters, and also be on their second hip replacement with their knees soon to follow.
That’s true too. Although idk why I got downvoted for saying what a bunch of other people said were better metabolic parameters: waist to hip ratio. BMI doesn’t take into account the difference where women and men tend to carry fat and it’s well known that carrying it mostly in the abdomen is more dangerous. As well that men tend to have more visceral fat while women subcutaneous fat which doesn’t pose the same health risk. So like, BMI isn’t the be-all end all. If it were, it’d work the same for Asians and those of African descent. I recently read a BMI of 30 is obese but it’s 27 for Asians and 33 for blacks. There is clearly nuance.
it’d work the same for Asians and those of African descent
Not necessarily. The BMI tables are based on weight cut off points for increasing mortality at specific weights. The cut off points varied by sex and race.
Come on 175lbs at 5ft 4? We can say that’s over weight.
the apple shape person would be the one with higher health risks
Apple shape being worse than pear is not the same as overweight pear having no health risks from their weight. They do. Substantially. It’s just not as risky as apple shape.
By BMI tables 175 is 30 pounds from the upper limit of healthy weight, and just into obese territory. That's a lot. Sure, depending on how OP is built it might make those numbers a fair amount better or worse, but unless they're highly athletic it's highly unlikely to erase 30 pounds.
And, like I said, if there is any concern over the accuracy of BMI statistics, the first thing you should seek is a more accurate method of measurement.
I mean yes take the BMI with a grain of salt, but also it's a decent guideline for most people, barring elite athletes completely made of muscle, which is not most of us. I'm 5'10" and I looked and felt overweight at 175 even though it was technically the top of a healthy range for my height. My actual health wasn't good at that weight either, even though I was active.
I would hit that goal and see how you feel, and maybe at that point, be open to setting a new one.
Relatable.
I'm a bit taller and just hit 178, BMI of 25.5. Feels and looks overweight, though certainly an upgrade after 41 BMI 🙃
Get to 175. Other health metrics that are more important than bmi are waist circumference and waist to hip ratio.
At your height you'd be at a "normal" bmi at ~145, not 130. I wonder if there's a reason your doctor said 130? I guess the general recommended cutoffs are different for south asian folks
I think aiming for a goal like 175 for now is probably fine, you can reevaluate later. Personally I like to try to take body fat percentage into account, too. BMI doesn't account for muscle and other stuff related to body composition.
Im guessing cause BMI calculators give you an “ideal” weight which is usually in the middle range of normal (20-21 bmi) vs at the very top, probably because it gives you leeway to gain or lose and still be in the healthy range
I'm 5f 7 and 175 is pretty unhealthy for me. At my height I like to be around 140-150. You being a bit shorter 130 seems reasonable. Being obese probably changes your perception or what is normal/healthy.
Just focus on 1 lb at a time but for most people at least being in a healthy BMI is a good goal to shoot for. Id say shoot for a BMI of 24 that's on the high end of healthy see what that does for ya. We get used to our higher weights and don't realize how unhealthy we are.
To add to what's already been said, if you want to feel strong then consider strength exercises while you lose weight. One of the reasons some people feel frail at a weight within their BMI window is that they end up skinny fat.
That being said, BMI is only one measure of a healthy weight by modern standards. As someone else mentioned, the waist circumference, the waist to hip ratio and the final one is the Edmonton Obesity Staging System. A good doctor should be checking all of these. Please don't set a certain number in your mind while ignoring the actual risk factors associated with obesity and weigh the pros and cons of going to a lower weight without bias about what felt right in the past. The whole point is to get healthy.
175 lbs at 5 ft 4 is you at your healthiest? Really? I wonder if your view of a healthy weight is distorted by those around you. I say this as I weigh 175lbs at 5ft 9 male. I run a 25min 5k 3 times a week and lift twice a week. I really doubt being around 130lbs would make you feel unwell outside of extreme crash dieting or poor nutrition.
Where I felt the healthiest yes. I was in bulk and in the gym everyday putting on muscle and eating a shit Tom of protein and boxing. When I was 130 I felt healthy don’t get me wrong but I looked and felt tiny as hell. As I went up in weight getting to around 150+ that’s when I had the most confidence.
My surprise comes that being so much weight for your frame. The amount of muscle you would to have at 5ft 4 175lbs to not have excess fat is mind boggling for the average person. At the end of the day it’s your choice obviously regarding what you do with your body but BMI is a good guide for the vast majority of the population.
Thanks, I just really don’t want to be skinny as it doesn’t compliment me at all. I have a baby face lol I’m 31 and people think I’m fresh out of high school and being that small wouldn’t help my case. I would definitely like to keep some weight, but definitely get out of the obese category
I am 194 at 6 foot 2 and carry a little extra fat. I had a dexa scan done and sit around 22 percent body fat. If I were 175ish i would be at 15 percent body fat. My brother is also 6 foot 2 and weighs 215 lbs. He is basically pure muscle and is currently 13 percent body fat and has a very visable 6 pack. His BMI is higher than me but if you compared us you would quickly know who is the fat one haha—especially on the beach :)
It can be flawed but needs to be determined case by case. I went from 425 ro 235 in a year. After that I just couldn't lose the last 40 pounds. I was still technically obese. Turns out I had roughly 35 pounds of excess skin.I WAS at a normal weight but the excess skin alone put me into obese. According to the BMI was still obese but medically I was at a normal healthy weight.
How old were you at 175? It might be you'll get to that number and realise you only felt great then because you were young. But like others said, get to that goal and then reassess, you might decide to stay there and that's fine.
I want to say I was 25 to 27. I’m 31 now I’ve only been fat since Covid started.
Don't fixate on BMI numbers. Can it be a secondary goal? Sure. Like an achievement unlocked IRL kinda thing. But for reference, according to BMI, I'm overweight and have abs. It's just an arbitrary numbering system. Do you need to lose weight for general health purposes? Probably, but you already knew that and don't need another scale to tell you that. Just focus on losing weight over time and feeling better. Don't worry about the numbers. Weight loss isn't linear anyway. As long as you're making progress over a reasonable amount of time and feel better, that's all that matters. You got this!
Maybe. The waist to height ratio has been proven to be a better way of predicting future health issues.
The BMI scale is based on averages and not health outcomes, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'd say, aim for where you feel the best and see how it goes. If you want, you can always lose more weight later.
Consider using a combination of things to determine your ideal body condition. BMI is more useful with the additional context of waist circumference and/or waist-to-hip ratio and/or fat % via calipers or other measure).
If your BMI is "overweight" but your waist is under the recommended circumference for your sex, then you're probably fine where you are as far as health risks go.
It is also legitimate to consider where you feel comfortable, as you mentioned.
I'm two inches taller than you but have basically the same goals and the same weight now. My ultimate goal is 160 because I felt beautiful and strong and healthy at that weight. Shit, I'm healthy at the weight I'm at now (according to doctors), just happen to weigh more than I'd like.
The only time I got to my BMI recommended weight in my entire life was when I had e coli. Just work on getting to your goal weight and figure out from there what you'd like to do. If you're healthy and happy, that's most important!
I think 160 would be fine as well. Anywhere between 155-175 I felt the cleanest and strongest, that’s when I was working out and doing activities. 130 I felt healthy but had delusions of looking too young in that weight. I’m 31 now I doubt I ever want to go to that weight.
It’s a range of healthy weights for a reason. It is a guideline and not a rule. I tend to weigh a lot more than it looks like I weigh because I am pretty muscular (just genetics). Right now my goal is 133 (I’m 5’2) but I don’t really know if I need to go that low; in the past I got down to 138 and was really quite fit (and a size 4 US) but was technically overweight according to BMI.
I set my goal weight to be within the healthy BMI range because I never really set my mind on this as a goal before, and I am curious if I will feel better at a lower weight. If I get to that weight and it feels unsustainable then I’ll adjust. It truly is just a number, but could be a useful guideline.
I’m around you height I’m 5”5 . My goal weight is 125. Starting weight was 220.8. Current weight is 179.6. I feel so small now and super confident at 179.6 even though the bmi scale says I’m still unhealthy. So I get where you’re coming from
I was strong as hell and not a stick.
You had muscles to carry all your weight around. You can be as strong at the healthy weight too if you incorporate strength training.
I'm 1 inch taller than you, and I start to look better at 150lbs.
I’m 5’4. And 67kg (147lb) and my BMI is on the healthy weight/overweight line. My doctor is quite happy for me to sit there as my BF is 18%.
BMI is a population measurement but that does not mean it can’t be applied to an individual. Your doctor should be taking into account BMI, BF fat, muscle mass, bloods, BP, waist/hip ratio, your mental health etc.
It’s quite clear if someone has muscle mass v someone who has fat instead, even if they believe BMI doesn’t apply to them.
In my country we hear ‘well if the All Blacks have overweight/obese BMI then it’s all nonsense for me too’.
I'm 5'5" and my goal is 160-165 because, same.
If you are healthy and feeling good then why not
Next time you talk to your doctor, maybe focus on habits they'd like you to incorporate and think would help. That way you can get some concrete advice about your journey. You're both on the same page about weight loss, and you both want the same thing, a healthier life for you. So just focus on getting to 175lb (sustainably), and when you get there you can reassess. Don't hurt yourself to get a lower number, because even if it's technically the "right" bmi, the whole point of weight loss is to improve your quality of life, not destroy it. Communicate your concerns with your doctor, because at the end of the day, they are the best source of information about your health, and they want what's best for you.
If you don't trust them entirely, you can always go to another doctor for a second opinion! Doctors are human, and they do have biases, but they are better than us common folk when it comes to health advice.
You're in the same ballpark as me. My main drivers in the medium term are things like:
- What are my blood values (glucose, A1c, lipids) doing? I was seeing some creep of values around the upper end of the reference range, and want them to creep back down where they belong.
- How are my mobility and stamina? What would I need to change to do things I want to do more easily (flexibility, outdoors activities, cycling, hiking, maybe even ride a horse again)?
- How do I feel and look like? Where are the fat deposits on my hips, thighs and belly going? What clothes sizes work?
- What range of weight at my height and age is a good starting point for health outcomes and longevity? Specifically, what's my waist circumference doing?
My first goal was to get below 200, which I did. Then the 175 (ish ... more like 173.6 if I want to be precise) range for getting out of the "obese" range where health issues are more likely is a good major goal. I'm getting close to that. And I notice when I go by waist circumference rather than BMI, I'm still not in the green zone, so that's going to be the goal after that.
But from here out I'm quite happy to take it slowly and step by step. I'm getting close to fitting L tops and size 12 pants - that's not too bad. For my age, longevity is maximized somewhere in a BMI range of 25-27. That gets me into the 150s - I've been there before and feel and look good there, with M tops and pants size 8 or 10. At the current point it's not so much a goal to get there rather than getting a feeling for what it would look like. I'd also take a look at those lab tests along the way.
Now for getting even lower, into the 130s ... I've not been there since I was a teen, so I have no idea what it would feel like. So - one step at a time. No hurry!
As for your doctor, I wish doctors would talk about metabolic health and musculoskeletal health rather than arbitrarily picking a BMI value in the middle of the 20-25 range. Give goals in steps, rather than far out there. People like us who have no conception what their body would feel like in this range find it a whole lot harder for not that much more health gain - the health gain is largely up-front (even a 10% loss can lead to great metabolic improvements!) while the dysphoria gets a lot worse in the second half, at least for me.
You can have healthy biomarkers now, but still be at high risk for metabolic disease in the future, if your weight is too high. A mid-range BMI minimizes (not eliminates) your future risk.
🧐 You're into 'splainy little quips rather than reading for comprehension, right?
If you look in the literature you'll find that optimal health outcomes don't necessarily center around a BMI if 22. I explained some of this already. and that's statistically speaking. What we want us to figure out an overall optimal place to be individually, taking into account a wide range if factors, including mental and emotional ones. Where this is can be fluid and individual.
On a population level, risk of metabolic disease is indeed lower for people in the "healthy" BMI range. "Healthy range" may vary a little by population. Of course, there are some individuals who remain healthy outside that range and other individuals who are slender and unhealthy. Obviously, there are also many people with serious disease other than metabolic disease.
Nor is anyone arguing that every overweight person needs to reach a specific BMI — eating the healthiest diet and living the healthiest lifestyle that they can manage and being content with the outcome is a fine goal. However, it's also worth pointing out that "healthy" in the context of diet means "not too much, not too little" as well as food selection.
It is also quite clear that type II diabetes is a disease essentially of overfilled fat cells. Different people have different thresholds for fat mass and some of us (including me!) can show signs of metabolic disease at "healthy" BMIs because we are still overfat. Additionally, cardiovascularly fit young athletes with high bodyweight, like American football players and rugby players, are at higher risk of diabetes despite their extensive muscle. Further, the number of people who are "overweight by BMI due to muscle" is tiny.
No one writes an extended thesis for social media. I'm sorry that you felt challenged.
5’4 as well. I feel like I was at my healthiest when I was around 165lbs, even though everyone kept telling me I should lose some weight to be healthy. I was never ill, I gave blood frequently, always had energy. I'm at 115 now and can't do shit. If you feel better at 175, stick to it. You will see how you feel when you get there.
My current Dietitian and Primary Care Doc, both hate the BMI with a passion. One of the biggest reasons as my Dietitian puts it, I could be on a proper diet and some weight lifting program. So when one does the measurements by BMI standards a person with what is actually <5% body fat could be considered in the Obese categories because BMI can't tell muscle mass from fat mass. It also gets funky weird if you are outside of the operating of the heights it was design for which, IIRC, is that 5'6" to about 5'10" per my Primary Care Doc. Anything under that or over that, the curve gets all weird and you easily fall into the overweight or obese categories; if not actually believing you are healthy but have unhealthy eating habits. As I am going on my own weight loss journey, my PC doc is actually recommending that I aim for a range of a target weight with a +/-10lbs if only because life happens and people bounce around but that would be also better mentally to aim for a weight and if I am in that range band, I am not struggling mentally because I am not at a certain weight.
If anything I would highly recommend that you ask for a consult to a dietitian and maybe even see about getting another consult with your PC Doc if not another doctor. Raise your concerns about going down to 130lbs make you feel too unhealthy. There is probably a better weight range to fit in where you can manage and not be uncomfortable with yourself.
The BMI scale is a tricky one. For populations it’s a good overall measurement of how healthy your country is. But it’s not one size fits all.
For example, most current and former athletes are deemed “obese” or at least overweight by the BMI scale, despite being incredibly fit. I know of one former athlete who was 6’6 and had 8% body fat but was still considered obese by that scale.
For me personally - I’m a former lineman. I did a body scan recently and my non-fat weight was 222 or so, which would put me firmly in the overweight category, at 0% body fat.
So don’t put too much faith in it. And besides that, it’s your body. If you’re more comfortable at 175, no one can make you drop more. I’d recommend focusing on getting to 175, and then reconsidering going lower.
As an aside - also consider your metabolic health in your decisions. You’re obviously going to a doctor fairly regularly which I 100% agree with. Keep track of your metabolic health (HA1C, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc) and let that be part of your decision making process.
Yea I don’t mind dropping even lower to maybe 155, but goal is def 175 for now. I’ll reevaluate when I reach that mark
And to parrot the other replies here - keep talking and working with your doctor. They are medically trained, and know your medical history. I’m not saying to do whatever they say no matter what, even doctors can be wrong. But take their advice into consideration. And when you get down to 175 or wherever, consider getting a DEXA scan to measure body fat and fat allocation. Body fat percentage (and allocation) is the most important factor in determining future health.
I’m a big believer that your body knows best when it comes to your weight. It’s not infallible but if you were uncomfortable and didn’t feel good at around 130, it might just be that your body isn’t designed to be that low. Standardized medical practices are good but they don’t fit everyone.
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Atmy height, the difference in weight between lowest healthy BMI and the highest is 41 lbs. That accounts for a lot of muscle mass!
So once you look like The Rock, throw it away.
It does account for muscle mass. It’s a bell curve measurement; average amounts of muscle mass are accounted for. Extreme examples on either end lie outside the bell curve; almost no one — by statistical measure and in reality — in a weight loss sub needs to be concerned about the extremes of muscle gain.
Just get to 175 lbs. and then worry about it. No need to worry about it now.