Body Mass Index Feedback

This page is feedback about the Body Mass Index or BMI, please help others by adding your feedback. What would you tell someone about BMI or these calculators?

BMI for athletes
Date: 11/30/2014
This seems a lot more accurate than other measurements I have received. I am extremely active in competitive horseback riding, spending 20-30 hours a week training. I am a size 2 in jeans and traditional calculators have said I was overweight. I feel that this calculator is a lot more accurate. Thanks for considering the athletes.

Rachel

AskDocWeb: You are welcome Rachel. Good luck in your competitions. We love horses too!

Super muscular frame?
Date: 12/5/2014
Pretty good. I’m a woman, 5’4″, 170 pounds, and measuring between 19 and 20% body fat on hydrostatic weighing and with calipers. This is giving me a BMI of 25. I guess I must have a super muscular frame? Also my torso has a larger rib cage than most… 38 inches and bony in the bottom half…

Revenwyn

A more accurate measuring tool
Date: 12/27/2014
Appreciate this adjustment. I began a strenuous weightlifting program 7 months ago and have lost 4″ off my waist but only 9 lbs. This calculator shows my BMI at 28 when the ‘standard’ calculation indicates I’m obese and should lose 50 more lbs. Clearly, this is a more accurate measuring tool than the standard calculator. My best lifts include a 285 lb squat and 325 deadlift, both for reps. I doubt that ‘average’ people could lift that much, and the consistent training has reduced my resting pulse, blood pressure, cholesterol profile and body fat percentage.

Bill

A sensible BMI calculator
Date: 2/6/2015
I’m an ultrarunner and I found this calculator sensible for me. at 193 lbs I am shaped muscularly but lack muscle definition that goes with very low body fat. I carry some abdominal fat, but overall have a healthy-looking, muscular build. Normal BMI tells me I’m overweight and would need to lose 40 pounds to get to the middle of the ‘normal’ range, and there is no way I could do that without sacrificing muscle mass and possibly bone density. It is not right. Your Lean BMI calculator puts me in the ‘acceptable’ range, “associated with good health.” It says I would need to lose 11 pounds to get to the middle of the ideal range. That seems pretty close to right for me. I’ve recommended this tool to other ultrarunners.

Patrick

AskDocWeb: Thanks Patrick, we appreciate your feedback.

BMI for an athlete
Date: 2/6/2015
As a long-time (35 years) ultra-runner, and Crossfit athlete, I have a solid build. A 66 year old grandmother, I feel my 5’5″ and 137lb bodyweight place me in an ideal BMI situation for an athlete. Thank you for offering a more appropriate option.

Marie

AskDocWeb: You are welcome Marie.

BMI calculator for muscular build
Date: 5/6/2015
Thank you for providing a BMI calculator for “muscular build”. I have been pumping iron (lightly) for 32 years (!) so I have a solid build, with a 42 inch chest, hefty thighs and 33 inch waist. At my 5 foot 10 and 178 lbs weight, the traditional BMI scale always told me that I was overweight. Your scale calls me “Desirable”. Must tell the wife.

NChewie

Athletic build calculator
Date: 5/14/2015
This athletic build calculator is very accurate. I’m 85kg and very muscular for 5.9 tall, I’m also a keen triathlete and am very fit and on a normal BMI i would be 28.7 over weight and on this one in 23 desirable exactly what I look like.

Thomas

Awesome tool
Date: 5/19/2015
I have a fairly lean athletic build. I am built much more like a distance runner but with very muscular thighs. I run approximately 7-8 hours per week, and am on a mostly balanced diet that is skewed away from simple carbs and sugars, which should keep me in the lean category, but most regular BMI calculators put me at overweight, with a BMI of 27. Yours places me at 22, which falls on the upper end of what you describe as desirable. While I may have a few pounds I could lose and stay healthy by reducing some fat calories, I don’t look or feel overweight at 185 pounds (on a 5’10” frame), I have a slightly obscured six pack and plenty of muscle definition in my arms, back, chest and legs. All in all, I feel your calculator is spot on. While I could lose a few pounds (maybe 10 max), any more than that would require deterioration of muscle tissue. Thank you for an awesome tool I can show to some of my running friends.

Ryan

AskDocWeb: You are welcome Ryan. Keep up the good work!

Muscular build
Date: 6/17/2015
Hi I am of muscular build but not excessively so. I always scored overweight on the normal bmi tools. I currently am on day 62 of the Supreme 90 day regime and have completely lost my spare tyre and reduced my waist by over an inch… But have remained exactly the same weight because I gained lean muscle. On your tool I remained Desirable 🙂 Cannot complain about that!

Niall

Broad shoulders and a muscular build
Date: 6/25/2015
I few years ago, I got pretty strict on my diet and exercise. Over 6 – 8 months I reached what I thought was my ideal weight (about 230lbs). I looked and felt great — during a doctor visit with an “old school” Navy Physician, she said I was “obese” and needed to reduce my weight to 170lbs to be “healthy”. At 6’3″ with broad shoulders and a muscular build, I would have looked ill or like I was dying if I lost that much weight. For my body, your scale seems much more accurate — I think it’s still a little off (I tried going a little lower than 230 back then, and everyone agreed, I was getting too “skinny”) and I could feel the muscle loss (I am not a body builder, etc). Maybe your tool could use neck and waist measurements to further dial it in?

Mike

AskDocWeb: Thanks Mike. You need to remember that the Lean BMI Calculator is still just a general indicator of health. Adding neck and waist measurements to it is a project we just don’t have time to research but thanks for the idea. Read more Feedback. BMI Report – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – Page 14 – 15 – Last Page 16

Related links:

Body Mass Index for those with an athletic build. Calorie Calculator to find the number of calories you burn each day.

Calculate your Ideal Weight for Adults.