BMI 22.3-- overweight?!

I am a little over 5 feet tall. My current weight is 114 pounds. I plugged this into a bmi calculator and it said "overweight"-- this in itself i can deal with, but it also said the actual number was 22.3, and I thought "overweight" began at 25.

This is all very confusing... help!

AAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you serious???????

my BMI is 22.4 (5'1'', 118 lbs)!! i can't believe that's overweight--I always thought it was OK! god, i'm so depressed now. :(

wow k, its not over weight. dont take one source on the internet that says your overweight so seriously. 22 is completely normal and healthy.

marconi ~ do you have a link to that calculator?

yes, from what i've seen, generally in the standard tables and calculators, overweight starts at 25 & up...

Nah, that can't be right!

I'm also 5 feet tall, just hit a new low of 114.6 today. I was considered overweight when I was over 123 lbs or thereabouts. I think healthy range for our height is from 100 to 122 or something like that.

That calculator does not take into account how muscular you are.  Use a scale and fat measurement calipers instead.  You can take two women of the same height and weight (let's say 115 lbs): one looks chubby and out of shape, the other looks incredibly fit and muscular.  The simple BMI calculator won't know the difference, even though the fitness level of the two women are vastly different.

Measure your own body fat percentage with the proper tools and go from there.

Exercise Physiology student here, don't worry about the BMI.  It is a tool for norms which tends to over and underestimate certain groups.

For instance, a group that is underestimated is the elderly. The elderly tend to loose muscle mass by age and also show corresponding increases in fat due to inactivity and metabolism changes with age (every decade past the age of 20 can have up to 10% decreases in your resting metabolic rate).  As a result their BMI will reflect someone who is fit, but in reality they may suffering from sarcopenia.

The other spectrum would be someone who carries a large degree of muscle mass.  I fit this description as I am 5'11'' and weigh over 200 lbs with a BMI of 28.2.  I run frequently and have a body fat percentage of around 15% (testing using UWW, DXA, Bodpod, etc.) , but according to the BMI I am overweight and at risk for health problems. 

The important thing to remember is that BMI is a field test.  It is a quick and easy way to assess someone without a high degree of cost while providing no discomfort to the person being assessed.  The problem that corresponds with this is it's variability. 

Hope that helps.

well maybe your not over-weight over-weight but your still very short and should watch out. i'm 5'4 and have a small frame and look just a bit on the smaller side of healthy when i'm 114 but still not skinny and ideally my goal is 105, so yeah, you want feedback i'm going to be honest, being like 5 feet you should probably consider weighing less at your height. cause 114 is extremely close to 125. its so easy to gain 10 pounds you know. not to be mean but short people just have to work that much harder, and if we dont accept this, we'll still just be fat.

pinthin,

5'4'' and goal of 105????? I usually try to stay away from the 'Weight Loss' Forum due to the unrealistic and UNHEALTHY Attitudes which appear to be a common theme.... but please. 114 and 125 are extremely close???? 'We'll still just be fat?"  I hope marconi and others who read this post take it for what it is... UNHEALTHY! UNREALISTIC and UNACCEPTABLE.

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

i am 5'4" and 128.5lbs per the scale- that may sound like a lot w/out knowing me, but they say muscle weighs more than fat- i have a muscular, lean body and I am proud of it. People usually think i weight a lot less- i wear small tops and a size 4 pants/size 2 dresses and skirts.

Point being- SCALE SHMALE...and w/the BMI thing- I would definitely trust a professional w/calipers, etc. over just inserting height, weight, etc. into a calculator. Many things factor in what you weigh.

Um...is there anything that can be done about Pinthin's post?  I really don't like the fact that it's encouraging someone else to drop down to an unhealthy weight...

Just ignore it.  Until body fat percentage and lean muscle mass can be properly measured, one cannot claim underweight or overweight, healthy or unhealthy.  It doesn't work that way.

There is also a debate about which BMI is considered underweight. This site says anything under 20 is underweight, others say anything under 18.5 is underweight. At 5'4, 105 lbs, her BMI would be 18. 

edit...I had originally said other BMI calculaters say 18 is the lowest BMI, but it's 18.5. So at 5'4, 105, would be considered underweight. I personally think a BMI of 20 is healthier....but anyway....

Pinthin,

I'm with mcrouch!

I am 5"-3" and 123 pounds, and I don't look fat! I wear a size 2-4, and am proud of how I look!

Okay, according to this site, www.dietitian.com (click on Healthy Body Calculator) by a registered dietitian, those of us who are 5 feet tall should aim between 90 and 110 lbs. Yes, this is very different than what is considered healthy by BMI standards.

I haven't weighed anywhere under 100 since I was in grade school, and a whole inch shorter. I graduated from high school at 103, grew an inch, and graduated from college at 107. Between 105-110 is truly ideal for me. I'm passable at 115 (current weight) but still have some flab. At higher than 120, I'll have two chins but more importantly, I'll start having health problems and feel physically miserable.

As for Pinthin, at 5'4", the range is 108 to 132 pounds. So 105 is considered underweight for that height by any measure.

hey I know how you feel because I'm 6'3" and 275 and it told me that my ideal weight should be 140!?!?!?!?  So Im gonna try and get down to 170 because 190 was a good weight for me, and I still had a little fat so I figure 170-190 is good, sometimes you have to cater the calulator to what YOU are comfortable with loosing.

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although this site uses 20 to 25 as a healthy bmi range (pretty standard in the medical community and not at all unusual), other references show a wider range including the US government guidelines which show above 18.5 and up to 25.  Also, many standard bmi tables use 19 through 24. 

Here's a link to the US Government guidelines for adults (which has a link to an interactive calculator)

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/ld_bmi. html

At best, the bmi tables and interactive online calculators are estimates and guidelines only, and each person should look at personal factors to determine what is appropriate; preferably with the objective assistance of a Doctor or other professional.

At nutrition.com, there are 2 bmi calculators; one for adults over age 18 and the other for children.  Which is important to note that there are different standards for children because they are still growing; so they have different calorie needs and their bmi goals will change as they grow. 

Here is a standard BMI table for adults:

http://www.healthmonitor.com/BMI.htm

Here is a bmi calculator for parents to use for their children age 18 and under:

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/bmical culator.html

Here is a calorie calculator for parents to use for their children age 18 and under with a lot of related information...

http://pediatrics.about.com/library/bl_calori e_calc.htm

i'm not trying to make this girl feel bad or anything i just know how much more life sucks being fat. ok, i should say how much life "can" suck being fat. cause i'm aware there are those great souls that can be fat and happy but not this one here. so taking into account how horrible it feels for me to walk out on the streets at this weight, i didn't want the same for this girl. but whatever.

i can see how my post can be taken in other manners. so sorry for that.

Pinthin, 105 gives you a BMI of 18. It is not healthy.