What matters most? Body Mass Index or Body Fat Percentage?
My BMI is 28.69, borderline obese. My weight should be, according to this, between 105 and 141. An online test said 120-125 would be a good goal weight, as did my doctor (basing things off my BMI). My BFP is 27.5%, meaning 117.5lbs of my body weight is lean weight and 44.6lbs is fat. The person administering the test (done at the gym) said my goal weight should be 135lbs. So, knowing that the doctor's goal weight is only 3-8lbs over my lean body mass, wouldn't that be too thin? What matters more? BMI or BFP? (and yes, I know I should lose weight either way, and I am doing so with diet and regular exercise)
Public Comments
- BMI matters most
- % as BMI dose not account for muscle weight http://building-muscle-and-weight-gain.com
- Body Fat Percentage matters more because Body Mass Index is simply your weight, and muscle can weigh up to 10 times more than fat, and muscle is obviously a lot more healthy than fat.
- BMI isn't worth much as it doesn't consider distinguish between fat and muscle, which is very important. Some professional athletes would be considered obese or overweight using BMI when they obviously aren't. What weight you should target depends on your life style. Some people don't like to exercise and they aren't very active, so if that describes you then 120-125 might be a good goal. If you like working out, or at least plan on working out consistently even after you lose weight, are physically active, play sports, then you can afford to be bigger as you'll have more muscle. You can be healthy and fit at either weight, but as I said it depends on your lifestyle and what you want to look like.
- BFP because BMI is simply your height and weight- very inaccurate
