what is ur ideal BMI?

well, i know healthy BMI is between 18.5 to 25, i was curious to know while we r in the weight loss programme, what BMI most people target, feel that they have reached their  ideal BMI, is it low 19's or high24's, i m personally comfortable at a BMI between 20 and 22? so, what is ur ideal BMI, the BMI at which u would feel good both inside -out?

The opposite of this coin.....people trying to gain.  Either way, the answer is based upon one's own perception of self and therefore too many variables. When you get to looking in the mirror and liking very much what you see, then that is where you attempt to maintain at.....whatever the range may turn out to be. Keep in mind, the BMI doesn't distinguish betwee muscle and celluite. 

i would say 20 or 21 as alot of health proffesionals would place healthy between 20-25, but i think 18.5-20 and 25-27 are still seen as acceptable.

I wanna be anywhere from 21-22... 20 at the lowest.

Depends on your body frame, whether small, medium or large.

For example, my wife is 5'0", very petite and has a small body frame.  She is at the bottom of the normal BMI range for her height, and she has easily been able to maintain the same weight her entire adult life (except during and immediately after pregnancies).

I am 5'7" and have a large body frame.  Hence, for the first 30 years of my life - before I started gaining extra weight - I was towards the top of the normal BMI range for my height.

I am currently losing the extra weight and am quickly approaching the top of the normal BMI range for my height.  I plan to go into maintenance mode when I reach that point.  While I want to be in the normal BMI range for my height, I have no interest in having a BMI below 24 - that is simply way too light for my body frame.

To determine your body frame, please read http://www.icb2001.com/What_You_Should_Weigh. asp.  Also, take a look at http://kimkinsdiet.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-t o-determine-body-frame-size.html

Best of luck!

Scot

At 6'3, 281lbs and a weightlifter, I'm one of those people that fall outside the scope of the BMI.

In my opinion people put too much emphasis on BMI, it's far better seeking good health and fitness rather than a figure provided by a chart.

You come across cases where a person looks in shape, is in good health and has a good level of fitness, but they're not happy because they're slightly outside the recommended BMI scale.  I find that quite sad and it's an indication of how people treat the BMI as gospel.

The BMI is mostly a useless measurement.  Use the hip-to-waist ratio - much more useful as a healthy-size indicator.

Original Post by fitmom4life:

The BMI is mostly a useless measurement.  Use the hip-to-waist ratio - much more useful as a healthy-size indicator.

The waist-to-hip ratio is only meaningful for those who are heavy by other measures.  A woman can have a higher waist-to-hip ratio simply because she has very slim hips.  So, it should be considered in the context of other indicators like BMI or (best of all) %bodyfat.

Consider, for example, a woman with 32" hips.  She would have to have a 22" waist to have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 (generally cited as desirable) but that's completely unreasonable for most women.  Not everyone is pear-shaped.

To the OP:  My body is best at a BMI of 22-23 because I'm fairly muscular.