This morning I did my weekly weigh-in. The scale blinked up numbers and I blinked back: 167. While the difference between last week (169) and this week is comparatively small, it means I’m very much within striking distance of my target weight.
Now, I’ve had a hard time deciding what my “target” should be. A nice round number of pounds to lose (whether that’s 20 or 30)? A nice round number of pounds to be (whether that’s 165 or 160)? When i can see my toes without leaning forward?
One of the metrics my coach Jeff uses is the BMI.
Now, BMI is not a perfect measurement. In fact, it has serious flaws as an indicator of health, let alone obesity (see here for a clear rundown of those drawbacks). But I work in I.T. – specifically with software and systems that do monitoring. So I know first-hand that just because a metric isn’t perfect doesn’t mean you shouldn’t collect it or use it as a reference point, even if it is only a secondary one.
With that in mind, a “normal” BMI is 18.5 – 24.9
I checked with 3 online calculators:
- NIH (https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm)
- Livestrong (https://www.livestrong.com/tools/body-mass-calculator/), which also takes gender and age into account
- Mayo clinic (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/in-depth/bmi-calculator/itt-20084938#) which factors in gender and waist size
For all 3, 164lbs would put me right at the higher end of “normal” – 24.9 BMI. And the range of “normal” (at least in terms of BMI) spans from 164 all the way down to 122.
What that means is that I’m 3 lbs away from “normal” – or at least the northern city limits of that shining metropolis. That’s something that I find extremely satisfying.
I’m not saying 164 is my final resting spot. I still don’t have a definitive target in mind. The reality is that there are several different ways to calculate a healthy body weight. In fact, the Ideal Weight Calculator lists out four other formulae, which put my ideal weight anywhere between 148.1 and 153.4 lbs.
So there’s still some miles left on this journey, but regardless of where I finally come to rest, I’ve found rewards along the way.
In week 8 my numbers are:
- 5′ 8″ tall
- 51 yrs old
- 167 lbs
- 37″ belly
- 36″ waist