healthy bmi 18.5 or 20? overweight always 25
on this sit it says healthy bmi is 20 and on other sites 18.5, its because i am challenging my boyfriend onhow much weight i should be gaining. but for being over weight it is alway 25 why is this.
I don't know. I don't believe in BMI charts. They are not something I would go by to determine if my weight is healthy or not. There is a lot it doesn't take into account.
Are you in the UK? The American threshold is 20 and the UK threshold is 18.5, not sure why there's a difference. Also no idea what it is in other countires. I go with 18.5 because I live in the UK.
Just read your other post. In your situation, to clarify, the UK threshold is 18.5. However, I am aiming for 20 at least because this seems to be the "universal" threshold and even if not it's kind of in the middle. Some of the gainers are aiming for 22 as well. I recommend you aim for 20 at least given your history. I too am recovering from an eating disorder and I've come to realise (through the support of people on this site) that it's better to have a higher BMI.
What is your BMI at the moment?
well i fluctuate betwwn 48.5 ish kilo in the morn to 51-52 at night that can be like an 6lb difference but i say my bmi is usually at 17.5. i am not happy with my over all look right now that is why i would like to feel that 18.5 is ok, but i kno i need to try and get over this feeling, just makes me nervous
18.5 is the MINIMUM to be healthy. you want to be minimully healthy????
i sure as hell dont!
id say aim for a bmi or 21-22 sionce the healthy bmi range is 20-25. ultimately your weight will NOT stay 1 single number, it fluctuates-thats life. your body may be happier at a higher weight, thats your body, weight is just a number...
BMI charts are really designed for the most average of average people and is really just a guide. If you're at all muscular, BMIs are wacked, if you've had an ED, BMIs are wacked. I would go by other things to decide if you're at a healthy weight; if you're recovering, how you look and feel, how much energy you have, healthy hair and nails, getting regular periods are all probably better indications.
Talking to a doctor would probably be the best way to determine a healthy weight for you. Good luck.
i agree w/ THERMAL for the most part except for 1 caveat, many ppl w/ EDs will think they feel+look good, theyre either deluded by ED thoughts w/ a skewed perception of themselves or running on adrenaline so they think theyre energetic+healthy. not till theyve gained weight to a healthy range will they realize that what they had thought was ok+health before actually was not. so thats why i think aiming for the middle of the bmi range is a good target.
In recovery from anorexia, the usual target is given at 20 BMI. This is to help prevent a possible relapse or to drop into the underweight range again when you reach and adjust to a maintainance stage.
The reason for the difference is because the first united states government approved bmi chart back in the 70s or something stated the a healthy bmi is between 20-25 but certain people happen to be very small boned, such as many asian women and they may be healthy at bmi of 18.5 which is why it was changed. I learned this in my nutrition class. : )
My BMI is never more then 19 and I feel fine, I don’t feel the need to deliberately gain weight just because some charts say it is “ healthy”.
However, I am careful that I do not drop below my weight because that would mean that I would have NO weight to spare if I fell ill
It is hard when people rant about HAVING to have a BMI of 20, and then you hear people who are adamant that they are healthy with BMI’s at 17 - 18.5. It is confusing, as long as we have healthy skin and nails and good appetites then why should EVERY ONE who is on the slim side have to deliberately gain weight?
Some people look terrible with BMI’s of 18.5 - 20, and other people look great, some people look great with BMI’s of 22 - 24 while other people, such as myself, do not look myself at that weight.
My breasts become so enormous that I get back aches if I was to be in the 20’s!
Evidentially, I have been heavier before when I used to abuse my body with food and eat twice as much as I needed, and I have also been very underweight, so it has taken me a while to fall within my natural range that I function best on!
Original Post by personaltrainer87:
However, I am careful that I do not drop below my weight because that would mean that I would have NO weight to spare if I fell ill
Except that is where you are.
20-25 is the HEALTHY range, 19 typically puts you out of the acute danger zone. Somehow ED makes people interpret that as “a # that’s rounded to 19 [18.5—the absolute lowest possible] is my ideal. Another ploy of ED to keep you from real life, your real self, and claim you for good.
Note: I am a personal trainer also, and I also work in the nutrition department at a hospital.
My BMI is 18. I am very petite and short and small boned. I am not in any way underweight and very HEALTHY. I am here to gain a few pounds because I WANT to not because I have an ED or need to gain. I am already healthy. Some people are naturally thin. The BMI charts are a bunch of crap. Not only does muscle vs. fat determines weight but height, bone size, body frame and also their are different kinds of fats our bodies have of which weigh out differently. I don't think anyone here has any right to tell anyone on this site that they are underweight, overweight or anything else. It is OK to give advice when asked but not just say someone is healthy or not because of a number on a chart.
yes, everyone can have an opinion ofcourse, but im curious, why do you want to gain weight and therefore a higher bmi if youre healthy?
also, for ppl w/ EDs+recovering, it is easy to relapse and yet another reason to aim for a higher bmi so that IF a few pounds are lost, and ofcourse needed to be gained back, theyll still be at a healthy weight and not in danger of being underweight.
My BMI is about 26...but I think that I am healthy. My doctor didn't say a word about weight (other than congrats on keeping it off) at my last appointment.
Original Post by petitechick:
My BMI is 18. I am very petite and short and small boned. I am not in any way underweight and very HEALTHY. I am here to gain a few pounds because I WANT to not because I have an ED or need to gain. I am already healthy. Some people are naturally thin. The BMI charts are a bunch of crap. Not only does muscle vs. fat determines weight but height, bone size, body frame and also their are different kinds of fats our bodies have of which weigh out differently. I don't think anyone here has any right to tell anyone on this site that they are underweight, overweight or anything else. It is OK to give advice when asked but not just say someone is healthy or not because of a number on a chart.
I would have to disagree with this. People who come on here saying they have extremely low weights, like a bmi of 15 or 16, deserve to be told the truth. They deserve to be told that they need to see a doctor immediately. It's not about telling someone they're overweight or underweight based on a chart. It's common sense that being severely underweight is dangerous, and the people that come here looking for information need to know this. The folks on the weight gain forum do a good job of informing the severely underweight about getting medical attention.
But, if someone is within or close to the healthy range, then you're right, we can't tell them if they need to gain or lose weight. It's up to them and their doctors.
18.5 is the lowest healthy weight by WHO (World Health Organization) standards. At the low end of BMI, you are not considered healthy if you do not make a minimum BMI. The exception to this is if you are slightly under without having dieted to get there and are still in your developmental years, the expectation is that you will achieve a healthy BMI as your body finishes it's internal development. A BMI of 20 is a healthy weight and around the lowest that most adults will want to be at. When you look at the upper end of the scale, those that carry a lot of muscle tend to have a higher BMI, but still be healthy. An athlete with a BMI over 25 may very well be at a healthy weight, but the numbers do not take into account the muscle mass.
I agree that a BMI of less then 18.5 is too low and these people should gain weight.
My BMI is 19 WITHOUT dieting. I have worked hard to find out what my body needs, I have spent years researching and experimenting and I eat a lot of regular meals and am always satisfied and never feel hungry. And no, my hunger is not distorted or out of whack because of my “ low weight”, I DO feel hunger and everything normally!
People recovering from ED’S SHOULD gain up to a BMI of at least 20 because of the nature of the illness
PLEASE NOTE: when I recovered from anorexia I AIMED FOR A HIGHER BMI THEN 20.
Once I my BMI was over 20 I started to eat normally and my weight has just fallen to this range - I am curvy with breasts and a butt and body fat and look very healthy, so it is not CRITICAL that EVERY ONE with a BMI of 18.5 - 19 should deliberately try to gain weight to be healthy.
I feel just fine now, and I see no point in making myself eat more just to gain a lbs when I feel great.
I know what feels wrong, and I feel fine as I am.
Are you saying that an ED is keeping me from being my “ real self”
No offence, but how would you know what my “ real self” is?
How do you know a BMI of 20 is my “ real self” and that my current BMI of 19 is not?
19 does not mean that I am about to collapse and die! I do NOT feel like making myself eat more then I feel like JUST so I have a few more lbs IN CASE I get sick. That is my PERSONAL choice, I do not feel I need to go out of my way to gain weight just “ in case”
I don’t avoid roads in case I get run over.
I do not starve myself to be this weight and I do not have an ED any more, I am AWARE of the gravitational pull my old ED has on me that pulls me towards the slim side, but I have learnt to challenge that voice and I do not consciously OR subconsciously strive to stay at any given weight, I have a good knowledge of a healthy diet and simply aim to eat the food that makes me feel best
you say tomAto, i say tomOto...lol
