When in flippity %@*# did a BMI under 20 become considered underweight??

Classification BMI(kg/m�) Principal cut-off points Additional cut-off points Underweight <18.50 <18.50      Severe thinness <16.00 <16.00      Moderate thinness 16.00 - 16.99 16.00 - 16.99      Mild thinness 17.00 - 18.49 17.00 - 18.49 Normal range 18.50 - 24.99 18.50 - 22.99 23.00 - 24.99 Overweight ≥25.00 ≥25.00      Pre-obese 25.00 - 29.99 25.00 - 27.49 27.50 - 29.99      Obese ≥30.00 ≥30.00        &nb sp;  Obese class I 30.00 - 34-99 30.00 - 32.49 32.50 - 34.99        &nb sp;  Obese class II 35.00 - 39.99 35.00 - 37.49 37.50 - 39.99        &nb sp;  Obese class III ≥40.00 ≥40.00

 

These are the standards according the World Health Organization.  Is America just yearning to become a nation of fatties??  I've seen people on this site JUMP on someone clocking in at 19.9.  That is just absurd.  I know this site is a breeding ground for people with disordered eating and body image, but to tell someone standing at 5' 2" and 108 that they are underweight is lidicrous.  My entire life I was told that 110lbs was my "ideal" weight.  Although it is not MY ideal weight because I have a large bone structure, it is not right to say that someone with a smaller structure is unhealthy at that weight.  I want to know who decided that, in America, larger is better and below 20 is underweight here.  Why are we any different from the rest of the world?????  Because we WANT to be the fattest nation around?  I think that is just adding to our supersized beliefs.  I don't know.  I'm just perturbed.  It's just like making sizes larger and larger every year and sticking a size 6 on the tag so that someone that is obviously overweight feels "thin".

While CC uses the BMI cutoff of 20 for underweight, the majority of doctors, health organizations in the US use 18.5. I'm sorry but when you say "because we WANT to be the fattest nation around" how is that really fair to say? yeah, all Americans except you are just stuffing their pieholes hoping and praying to go down in history as the fattest nation ever?

I think the people on this site who wear a size 6 will probably disagree with you that they are "obviously overweight." I wish you could hear the tone of this post to know how offensive you're being.

The US Health Organizations as well as most dietitians and nutritionists know that a BMI of under 18.5 is underweight and over 24 is overweight. Your healthy weight is dependent on your frame size as well as your height. If size 6 angers you so much, then go by the waistline in inches. A 28' waist can't be bigger or smaller than 28".

The cut-off of 20 was an old number which really only accounted for caucasian builds.  It got lowered to 18.5 because to be more widely applicable as some other races tend to be finer boned, etc. and can be perfectly healthy at BMIs a little below 20.  CC just hasn't updated itself to the new number.

I have NEVER seen anyone be "jumped all over" for having a BMI of 19.9.  16 or 17 and still trying to lose, yes.  19 and trying to maintain, no.

Original Post by fallingstars27:

I've seen people on this site JUMP on someone clocking in at 19.9.  That is just absurd.  I know this site is a breeding ground for people with disordered eating and body image, but to tell someone standing at 5' 2" and 108 that they are underweight is lidicrous. 

I AGREE 100%.

 

Original Post by allnaturalgirl02:

While CC uses the BMI cutoff of 20 for underweight, the majority of doctors, health organizations in the US use 18.5. I'm sorry but when you say "because we WANT to be the fattest nation around" how is that really fair to say? yeah, all Americans except you are just stuffing their pieholes hoping and praying to go down in history as the fattest nation ever?

I think the people on this site who wear a size 6 will probably disagree with you that they are "obviously overweight." I wish you could hear the tone of this post to know how offensive you're being.

I sooooooo agree with you. A BMI of 24.9 is considered "normal" That is not fat or over weight. It does not matter what a BMI reading says, everyone will have their own healthy BMI. If you are active and fit, your BMI may well fall into the over weight catagory, and if what the OP is saying is correct, that would be obese to them! That is offensive. I have been recomended that my ideal BMI is 22. That is far too low for me. I have never had a BMI of 22. I am currently working towards BMI of 23. My BMI is under 25, so I am not "fat"

To me BMI of 20 would seem very thin to me. My husband has a BMI of 22. He is 6ft tall and weighs 154lbs and people call him skinny!!

 

I agree that CC is way too militant about underweight people and the idea of being really skinny.. I understand you're not trying to promote eating disorders, but really.. you don't need to lock every thread that mentions an 1199 daily calorie daily intake. People can work these things out for themselves.

But I should ask, why would you use BMI as a measurement anyway? It is a bad measurement that does not take individual factors into account. A musclebound person with low fat would be considered obese based on BMI.

Heck, even once I get to 7-8% bodyfat, which is very lean, I will still have a BMI of about 23. That's because I have a different genetic build than the average person.

There's no good reason to use BMI over better measurements such as bodyfat %.

Oh, yeah, people "jump all over" people with a 19.9 BMI and "all threads that mention 1199 daily caloric intake" are locked.

Please, lead me to some examples, because it's far, FAR FAR more common, in my opinion, to see the thousands of posts of "wahhhh, why can't I lose these last ten pounds--I'm 5'3 and 100 pounds and I just want to be 90 pounds!" and "why aren't I losing weight, I'm eating 800 calories a day and exercising for two hours!" I pretty much never seen anyone "jumping all over" people with a BMI of 18.5-20, UNLESS THEY'RE TRYING TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT. And underweight according to the WHO or not, a person with a BMI of 19.5 DOES NOT NEED TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT. They may need to lose FAT, but that's an issue of toning and lifting weights while eating at maintenence calories.

But what do I know, I'm just a bitter American fattie. :-P

Yeah, wth.  They should lock this, this is ridiculous.  It's insulting to those of us who have worked hard to wear the size 6 but don't mind me, I'm just wearing it to make myself feel good 'cause I'm so obviously overweight.

you know what my bmi is 20.5 and i am a size 6 so what does that make me lol a big fatty? Well not according to my doctor it doesnt so thanks but if it is ok with you i will stick to a professional about whether i am overweight or not.

^5

What she said.

While the CC recommendation of 20-24.5 may seem inappropriate to you, it covers the wide range of members who use the site -- and if you stick with a BMI of 20, you will not be overweight or underweight -- seems like a safe position to me.

But again -- I'm wearing the infamous size 6 ...

And, speaking from a mod standpoint -- you will only get "jumped on" or locked or deleted if you presume to tell everyone that since you have a BMI of 19 and are only eating 1100- cals per day, it must work...  Remember, this site is not a site tailored to you -- it is trying to be tailored to 1 million+ members.

"Oh, yeah, people "jump all over" people with a 19.9 BMI and "all threads that mention 1199 daily caloric intake" are locked.

Please, lead me to some examples, because it's far, FAR FAR more common, in my opinion, to see the thousands of posts of "wahhhh, why can't I lose these last ten pounds--I'm 5'3 and 100 pounds and I just want to be 90 pounds!" and "why aren't I losing weight, I'm eating 800 calories a day and exercising for two hours!" I pretty much never seen anyone "jumping all over" people with a BMI of 18.5-20, UNLESS THEY'RE TRYING TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT. And underweight according to the WHO or not, a person with a BMI of 19.5 DOES NOT NEED TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT. They may need to lose FAT, but that's an issue of toning and lifting weights while eating at maintenence calories.

But what do I know, I'm just a bitter American fattie. :-P"

 

I agree 100%.

 

I wore a size 16 womens in the 7th grade.  If you cant be happy at a size 6, then your size is not the issue.  Its your attitude.  Half the people on this website need an attitude adjustment, not a calorie adjustment. 

 

 

i guess the dsm better change their criteria for the weight of an anorexic person from under a 17.5 bmi then.

If your BMI is under 20 and you've dieted to get to that point, then you're most likely underweight.  You are welcome to take your concerns to your doctor or another health care professional, but on this particular site, under 20 is considered to be underweight.  If your doctor or health care professional signs off on your weight as being appropriate for you, then I'm all for it.  Ask anonymous strangers online at your peril.  The advice is free, so you're getting more than you paid for.

BTW, at 5'5", 160 lbs with a BMI of 26, I wear a size 4/6 so don't even try telling me that I'm fat!  A BMI of 20 would probably make me in particular look emaciated.

Now the fashion industry will be glad to take your money and sew a different size tag into a garment to make happy.  That's an entirely different issue.

I've actually heard it's 18 that's underweight.  My friend's was always around 18 and she looked fine, she was quite healthy.  She kept up on health stuff too 'cause her brother was a bodybuilder...

i don't think fallingstars was very diplomatic in the OP, but lots of people can be healthy under 20.  i wouldn't want to go under 18, but for me, 19 - 20 would be just fine.  in my mid-20s i was, at times, as low as 18.5, and i was smaller than that in my teens and early 20s.  my best friend has a tiny frame and can be fit and healthy at 18.2 (5'8" and 120).  she's a bit of a freak, even in her own family, but still.

BMI ranges are generalizations; not everyone fits.

edit: one thing that BMI doesn't consider, and probably should, is breast size.  big boobs can easily add ten pounds.  for those of us with an A or AA, comparing to someone with a D or DD (or bigger) doesn't really translate.

Oh... that's true... I hadn't thought of that!  Good, I can blame some of this on my overly large boobs that refuse to go away.

glad i could help, kizz!

A BMI of 20 is no where near considered as being "fat." Quite frankly the attitude you are distributing is usually the common thoughts of someone with an ED. Now I don't think under 20 is underweight. Under 18 I would consider to be so. Last time I checked 18-24.5 or so was considered the healthy range and last I knew the healthy range was not considered overweight. Not only that but everyone has different heights, bone structures, muscle mass, etc. these things factor. So they could most likely be over the BMI range of 24.5 and still look thin because of the factors I stated above. I think 20 is usually recommended only because of illness. As noted when you are ill you tend not to eat as much and can lose quite a bit of weight having those extra numbers secure you in case you go quite far down so you are not in danger of health risks.

Try to be more sensitive in how you state your words. You could and it looks as if you have offended quite a few women, women who in my opinion are absolutely beautiful.

Original Post by smwhipple:

If your BMI is under 20 and you've dieted to get to that point, then you're most likely underweight.  You are welcome to take your concerns to your doctor or another health care professional, but on this particular site, under 20 is considered to be underweight.  If your doctor or health care professional signs off on your weight as being appropriate for you, then I'm all for it.  Ask anonymous strangers online at your peril.  The advice is free, so you're getting more than you paid for.

BTW, at 5'5", 160 lbs with a BMI of 26, I wear a size 4/6 so don't even try telling me that I'm fat!  A BMI of 20 would probably make me in particular look emaciated.

 I'm sorry, but I don't agree with this.

I'm sure that for you a BMI of 26 looks great, but clearly this does not apply to everyone. I have a BMI of 19.2 (5'4", 112 pounds) and I wouldn't consider myself underweight at all. I don't look particularly thin, and my doctor (who even noticed I had lost a few pounds) never mentioned it being a problem.
I'm sure there's a lot of members on this site who can relate to your body type, but I'm sure there are also many who can relate to mine.

I love this site, but I think one of the major problems is people tend to rule out body frame.

Original Post by smwhipple:

If your BMI is under 20 and you've dieted to get to that point, then you're most likely underweight. You are welcome to take your concerns to your doctor or another health care professional, but on this particular site, under 20 is considered to be underweight. If your doctor or health care professional signs off on your weight as being appropriate for you, then I'm all for it. Ask anonymous strangers online at your peril. The advice is free, so you're getting more than you paid for.

I agree. That doesn't mean I like it, but I do agree. I've been one who's gotten "jumped on" for having the BMI that I do (in the high 19's). As a result, I am more cautious with posting my weight/goals/BMI etc.

Not because they are unhealthy, but because they don't fit within the "one size fits all" BMI range that CC has. I go with my body type and Dr, but I do enjoy the CC community, even though it doesn't always support me in the way I wish. But, I understand it.

I like the last part of what smwhipple said " Ask anonymous strangers online at your peril. The advice is free, so you're getting more than you paid for".

If you already know what answers you'll get and don't appreciate them, don't ask the questions.