Am I really overweight?

Question

I never considered myself overweight until I looked online and found my BMI to be 28. I am 5'11 19 years old 200lbs athletic my whole life and I work at Abercrombie as a store model. I think if most people saw me, theyd guess I weigh 170 but I have muscular legs (from soccer) which carry most the weight. I'm told online that I am a risk for health problems and obesity? I drink water, fruit, protein, and everything healthy? I take vitamins and lift weights? Am I wrong...or is the internet wrong?

Answer 1

The BMI method is increasingly being questioned for exactly the reasons you describe -- it doesn't work for athletes, who are presumably healthier than non-athletes. Don't get hung up on the numbers -- what matters is first, how healthy you are, and second, how you look. Doctors worry about BMI not because of how you look but because it's a short-cut to deciding if you might have a weight problem. Any doctor who looks at only the BMI and doesn't take into account whether it's muscle that's causing the weight probably isn't a very good doctor. If you work as a store model and you're an athlete, my bet is that you're healthy and look just fine.

Answer 2

Buddy. Never listen to the internet. Well on these things that is. If you lift weights, have big muscles and all that, you are fine. Muscle weighs more than fat. I once was 215 at 5'9" However my arms and chest were huge, and my legs were not bad either. I was not fat, but buff. It all depends on how much muscle you have to fat. your height and weight can not produce an accurate BMI alone. You would need to get it calculated by a professional but trust me when I say you are fine. Keep up the good eating habbit! Wish I had that much self control! :-)

Answer 3

BMI doesn't take muscle mass into account. If you're really athletic your BMI will naturally be higher because muscle weighs more than fat. It sounds like your weight is just fine. If you're healthy and athletic, then you don't have the same health risks as an unhealthy non-athletic person of the same weight. Don't worry about it, you're fine.

Answer 4

Sounds like you're just fine... and I mean FINE!!! (Most Abercombie models I've seen are pretty lean!)

The BMI looks merely at weight vs height- most guys at 5'11" who weigh 200 pounds aren't muscular- its more flab...

A body fat ratio would be a lot more useful... for everyone! I'd suggest going to a gym and asking if they have a way to find out a person's body fat ratio.

Men are ideally around 15%, women are ideally a little more, around 25% (we need it for curves, reproduction, etc.). The human body needs a certain amount of fat for various functions,

Answer 5

Those are general guidelines for an average person. Muscle weighs more than fat. The BMI only takes into account height to weight not body fat or muscular mass. If you are muscular it wouldn't work for you. Try measuring body fat instead. It is much more accurate.

Answer 6

You can not go by BMI that is not correct. BMI goes by only weight and height. It gives no room for body types etc: bone structure/muscle. Being 5"11 if your small boned you "normal" weight should be 173, medium frame 192 and larger framed 211. So I would say you are just fine!!!

Answer 7

If your BMI is 28 you are overweight. Your BMI needs to be 25 or under to be healthy. For you height and age you should not weigh of 165lbs.

Answer 8

BMI is a bullsh*t measuring standard. Arnold Schwarzenneger had a BMI around 34-35 when he was winning Mr. Olympia contests... it punishes you equally for having muscle OR fat.

Answer 9

BMI is not accurate for athletes or other people with large amounts of muscle. If you go to a gym where they do body-fat analysis they can tell you that (or ask your doctor).

Answer 10

Online BMI assume that all you weight is fat, however it does not take into accunt that muscl weighs more then fat so im guessing you are fine but if you are still worried, visit your doc