Target weight and BMI

[LittleGreyCat]

Let me state right up front that I know that BMI is only a general indicator and not an absolute measure of the correct weight for an individual.

Now I have lost some weight, and reached the stage where my lady wife is thinking I should consider not losing any more. Certainly my belly has shrunk, I have gone down two trouser sizes, and everyone says how well I look. I can still pinch some skin across my tum so I still have sub-cutaneous fat and am not yet emaciated.

My blood sugars are much better as well, but I think that my moderately low carb diet also helps there.

However there must be a point at which one's weight is ideal and should be maintained.
How do you decide what this is?

I had a look at the NHS site
http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx
and used this calculator.

I am 6 feet tall and weigh 12 stone 6 pounds in the morning before breakfast.
According to the BMI calculator I am within normal range but near the top.
As a scrawny 15 year old I weighed 11 stone 7 pounds (I maintained this weight for several years at school) and I don't think I was carrying much fat around. This weight comes in just above the middle of 'normal' on the above BMI calculator.
Just for interest I went round the calculator loop again and put in a weight of ten stone.
This showed near the bottom of the 'normal' range for my height.

Oh, using the 'middle finger meets thumb round the wrist' test I am apparently a medium build.
The NHS site also asks for your age, although I am not sure how much difference that makes to the BMI calculation. I think it only matters if you are a child.

So - I am trying to imagine myself as 10 stone and still a healthy weight.
This would involve losing 2.5 stone and I have no idea where I could spare that much weight.
Remove a leg, perhaps?

Which rambling brings me to the point of this post.
How do you set a target weight?
Is middle of the BMI range a good approximation?
Or should you mainly go by things such as waist measurement?
As a lad I had a 32" waist so I have a couple of inches still to go to get back there, but apart from that I now look nearly as good sideways on in the mirror as I do full frontal

Cheers

LGC

 

[borofergie]

However there must be a point at which one's weight is ideal and should be maintained. How do you decide what this is?

[I have] reached the stage where my lady wife is thinking I should consider not losing any more.

Looks like you've reached it already LGC. I've only been married two weeks, and even I know that the wife is always right.

I agree with you (and her). My BMI is 33 (down from 39) and I can't imagine how skinny I'd be at 25, let alone 20.

 

[angieG]

I have got down to a bmi of about 20 since diagosis due to change of diet and low carbs.
I regularly get told I look too skinny and some have told me I look ill. My body seems to have settled at this weight now though. Does make you wonder how they establish the figures.
Angie

 

[Gappy]

My bmi is no longer "obese" I think I can lose more but even if I don't I have a number of people saying I look good, So when others say it and I too think it that's ideal, we all realise the medical profession don't know everything

 

[clearviews]

As the abdominal measurement is quite an important measure of health, I rather like the thought that your waist circumference should be equal to or less than half your height.
So if you are 174 cms tall you should be aiming to be 87 cms around the waist. For me when I have been at that level my BMI sits at around 24. I am very close once again!

 

[borofergie]

As the abdominal measurement is quite an important measure of health, I rather like the thought that your waist circumference should be equal to or less than half your height.
So if you are 174 cms tall you should be aiming to be 87 cms around the waist. For me when I have been at that level my BMI sits at around 24. I am very close once again!

So I'll be alright if I can grow to 7ft2 then?