Night Elf Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 In reading the thread on the Obesity Paradox, people are talking about being a little overweight. I found a calculator online for ideal body weight. It was based on my age and height and gave me a broad range, about 120 - 160. Then there 4 or 5 ideal body weights based on certain formulas. Like one called the Robinson formula or the Hamwi formula. All of those suggested my ideal body weight is in the mid-140s. If I wanted to follow the idea that being a little overweight and eating right and exercising is the healthy thing to do, how do I determine what weight I should be aiming for? Who determines what is overweight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I would guess it's mostly based on adipose tissue vs. muscle and bone. I don't mind being at the high end of "healthy weight" in theory, but I still have plenty of excess fat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 The study indicated that the BMI range that was safest was 'overweight' so you could google that and stay in that range if you wanted to match the study. Having said that, it's not clear to me that those weights are best for someone young like you, as opposed to someone in their twilight years. I don't think I would go drawing any big conclusions just yet, or changing my life to fit this. There is a lot that they don't understand yet about how to interpret the results. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) some of that variance could well be based upon muscle mass. (that affects BMI) so, I would think the higher end it would be expected to be someone with more muscle. I've a friend who became a personal trainer and gained weight. she also lost a dress size. Edited November 22, 2015 by gardenmom5 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Further reflection--for myself, I looked at the study to pick a good intermediate weight loss goal. It seems a lot more doable than getting into the 'normal' range. But I'm more overweight than they are talking about to start with, and so I regard this as an indication that 'something is better than nothing' and a way to quantify that for myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) some of that variance could well be based upon muscle mass. (that affects BMI) so, I would think the higher end it would be expected to be someone with more muscle. I've a friend who became a personal trainer and gained weight. she also lost a dress size. I have a heavy, broad, muscular build. I'm also short. I have NEVER been in the "normal" range. Always in the overweight category-even as a competitive college athlete, size 4, undernourished and not menstruating. Those weight charts just aren't made for people like me. My parents were body builders at 5'2 and 5'6. I'm built like them. Body builders are notoriously categorized as "obese" because of the disproportionate amount of muscle. I'm actually fat now, but I don't look at heavy as I am. As I get in shape, I expect my weight to stay the same for a long time, before it drops because I will build a LOT of muscle mass. In choosing my goal weight, I'm going by the weight at which I felt best. I was still a little over the ideal range, and I had a bit of padding. But I think that's how a woman is supposed to be. Strong, but soft. I wonder how much of these results are influenced by people like me. We are just excluded from the sample it seems, even though heavily muscled people tend to be quite healthy. A large amount of muscle mass is beneficial in many ways. Edited November 22, 2015 by Desert Strawberry 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 I'd have to gain a lot of weight just to get into the upper range of that healthy weight range. I lost weight and am maintaining that loss on Weight Watchers. After 4 years on the program, I don't think I could purposefully gain weight. But I find it a fascinating topic. My lab work went into the normal range for everything when I lost my weight. I'm so used to the doctors talking about losing weight. And exercising. That's a whole different topic though and I don't want to go there. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) According to the Hamwi, my ideal weight is 99 pounds. Seriously? That would equate to a BMI of 18.1, which is underweight. Edited November 22, 2015 by Word Nerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) some of that variance could well be based upon muscle mass. (that affects BMI) so, I would think the higher end it would be expected to be someone with more muscle. I've a friend who became a personal trainer and gained weight. she also lost a dress size. Not just muscle mass. Some people really do have a larger frame than others. When I was in high school, I starved myself on a regular basis and then ended up with mono and couldn't eat for two weeks. When I got out of the hospital I looked like a walking skeleton, but still weighed 119, and I'm only 5'4. I'm just big boned, regardless of how much muscle I'm carrying. I have shoulders like a linebacker. *sigh* When I joined the Army, my pants size was a four or six and I had a six-pack, but I had to get a waiver because my weight was too high. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to cry into my coffee and daydream about being slender and willowy. Edited November 22, 2015 by Mergath 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Looking in the mirror always works for me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoorsy Type Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) My goal for this next year is to be firmer, have more strength, and be able to run a (trail) half marathon in less than 2.5 hrs. The weight I keep doing these things wouldn't bother me. I doubt I can do them without dropping at least 15lbs though. Right now I'm 20lbs+ overweight and it's just too much. When I have been 5-10lbs over I have been very healthy and able to accomplish my fitness goals. I would focus on fitness as well as weight range, because exercise and weight training also contribute to being able to stay well. Edited November 22, 2015 by Outdoorsy Type 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropymama Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I think those charts can be very misleading, for all the reasons already mentioned. I'm 5'4" and about 125#, so I always score well on those. But honestly, I'm very out of shape, have very little muscle and way too much fat around the middle. My doctor told me I'm a 'skinny fat' person. It's interesting information, but not always helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 When I started collecting data and doing numbers I realized just how much guesswork is always involved in so much of social science and population-level health statistics. It is so complex because human organisms are so complex and diverse as are human environments. The BMI charts are based on old data collected with old methods. It is the new, repeated experiment science we should be listen to, and that has shown again and again that BMI is at BEST a proxy indicator and a limited and flawed one at that. Obesity is a social construct. Fat is real, diabetes is real, but weight categories are based on a small group's interpretation of data and desire to create a normative table from that data. Their motives were highly influenced by their social status and other things like a desire to be recognized for "new" research. So I think behavior, rather than personal appearance, should play a much larger role in our ideas about health. I myself am at the low end when depressed. I had pie for breakfast. Suck it, BMI table. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Well since 5 different formulas gave me 5 different answers I'm not putting much faith in them.😀 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) I don't give much credence to BMI or any of the formulas for calculating what is supposedly a healthy weight. I was looking at one of them a couple of days ago, and according to it my ideal weight is 30 pounds less than the weight I was at when I was so thin I stopped menstruating. Yowzer. :blink: As a very wise doctor told me -- "Your body knows much more about what is healthy for it than any chart or formula. Listen to it." Edited November 22, 2015 by Pawz4me 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I agree with going for the weight at which you felt healthiest (assuming one hasn't always been overweight). For me that is 128, and it's been a long time since I've been 128. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Not just muscle mass. Some people really do have a larger frame than others. When I was in high school, I starved myself on a regular basis and then ended up with mono and couldn't eat for two weeks. When I got out of the hospital I looked like a walking skeleton, but still weighed 119, and I'm only 5'4. I'm just big boned, regardless of how much muscle I'm carrying. I have shoulders like a linebacker. *sigh* When I joined the Army, my pants size was a four or six and I had a six-pack, but I had to get a waiver because my weight was too high. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to cry into my coffee and daydream about being slender and willowy. yeah -that big bone thing . . . . I've a friend, of normal height/weight, who used that all. the. time. . . . she had to have both of her hips replaced . .. they had to use the smallest hip joints they had. tendons, ligaments, etc. and how much water/fluids your body holds also have an impact. I have two who have to watch what they eat and focus efforts - and two who are naturally muscular and skinny. there are differences in adrenal function and other biochemistry that affects the body. and for them, those differences are a bigger deal than lifestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 . Body builders are notoriously categorized as "obese" because of the disproportionate amount of muscle. and one reason why those charts should be taken with a grain of salt. I recall one football player being very frustrated because he was "overweight". he was being fined for being overweight. he'd starve himself to lose the 5lbs, and he'd feel lousy. his performance also went down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I'd simply go for the weight where I feel fittest. I find fitness a much better measure of health than pounds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I'd simply go for the weight where I feel fittest. I find fitness a much better measure of health than pounds. Yes. My weight hasn't changed much in the last year, but I've lost inches and feel much better now I exercise more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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