Is having a “normal” BMI a healthy target?

Asked by: Stephanie Johnson

If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the normal or Healthy Weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obese range.

What is a good BMI target?

18.5 to 24.9

For most adults, an ideal BMI is in the 18.5 to 24.9 range. For children and young people aged 2 to 18, the BMI calculation takes into account age and gender as well as height and weight. If your BMI is: below 18.5 – you’re in the underweight range.

Is BMI a good goal?

“BMI is good at finding a quick baseline and giving us an objective number to categorize. For the general population, BMI still serves to indicate increased health risks, but it’s important to know that there are exceptions,” Jey said. “You can have a high BMI and still be healthy.

What is a realistic goal weight?

A new British study in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics revealed that women tend to have unrealistic weight-loss expectations: Non-obese females said 123 pounds is their “happy” weight, although they admitted that 132 pounds is a more realistic (and reasonable) goal weight.

Is the BMI outdated?

Though it has been used for decades as the go-to measurement for health based on body size, it has been widely criticized for its oversimplification of what being healthy really means. In fact, many claim BMI is outdated and inaccurate and shouldn’t be used in medical and fitness settings.

Why are we saying goodbye to BMI?

The BMI is so revered as a standard that in the US the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has proposed people with higher BMIs should also have to shell out more for insurance premiums, since being overweight or obese can increase your risk for diabetes and heart disease, and is considered unhealthy.

Why is my BMI high when I’m not fat?

You can have a high BMI even if you have very little body fat, especially if you’re male and very muscular. It doesn’t take into account your waist circumference, which can be a good measure of your risk for certain diseases, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Why does my BMI say I’m overweight when I’m not?

Your muscle mass makes up most of your weight
BMI doesn’t account for body composition, which means it misses the difference between muscle mass and fat. or overweight based on their BMI alone.

Is BMI The best measure of obesity?

Estimations of body fat beyond BMI include measurements with calipers and waist-to-hip ratio measurements. However inaccurate, BMI is the most convenient way to classify body fat mass and obesity. There are, on the other hand, better methods to measure whole body fat levels.

Is BMI realistic?

Even though it is often used as one, it is not a true diagnostic of body fatness or of an individual’s overall health. As most of us fitness-focused folks have likely heard, BMI is far from a perfect measurement.

Is BMI accurate for athletes?

For most people, BMI provides a “reasonable measure” of body fat, but is not accurate for athletes (who weigh more because of muscle) or older people who have lost height, he said. Other methods of measuring body fat also have their pros and cons.

What is Usain Bolt’s BMI?

24.5

Usain Bolt, widely considered the greatest all time sprinter, has a BMI of 24.5. It is useful as a tool to track the average changes over time in populations, but at an individual level it doesn’t really serve as a reliable tool.

Why do we say goodbye to BMI?

The BMI is so revered as a standard that in the US the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has proposed people with higher BMIs should also have to shell out more for insurance premiums, since being overweight or obese can increase your risk for diabetes and heart disease, and is considered unhealthy.