The FastDay Forum

@Lilon another thread wrote

My sister was saying the other day that she had read somewhere that the best BMI for longevity was 25 - 27

Wondering if anyone has seen articles/studies to support this as everyone is reaching for the 21-22 or even lower around here (I think)

I know BMI has been discussed a bit but im looking for a discussion specifically about longevity, or length of life. Perhaps the aim to be slim and "healthy" and avoid some weight related illnesses is contradictory to a long life.

At this moment im high 23's or 24.0 but if i reach my weight goal of 69.0 then Ill be early 23's i think.

There have been several large studies suggesting that the best longevity outcomes are in the overweight but not obese group. Here's a link to a Huffington post article that discusses a scientific publication in JAMA: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/0 ... 96933.html

Every time one of these papers gets published there is a huge outcry. Basically, I think, no one wants to believe it, whether it is true or not. It's a correlation study, so not the gold standard of scientific proof, but the result has been found often enough I think it is hard to dismiss it completely.

I don't think everyone here is aiming for such a low BMI, Juliana. Personally I'm happy around 23 and I don't think I'm alone in that.

There was something in my newsfeed just yesterday about how just slightly into the "overweight" is the best place for longevity. But it was a media report and the media sucks at reporting science. They usually jump on one small bit of a study and blow it up into being the headline, so I tend to be very sceptical of how accurate any of it is.

I'm going to guess that there is no magic place to be. It will depend on so many factors other than BMI or weight. For some people, being slightly over might be perfect. For others, being what their BMI tells them is underweight might be perfect. I bet there are also people that fit into the obese BMI category who are in excellent health.

There is no silver bullet. There is no perfect diet/lifestyle.

I found this post as well, based on a Lancet article from 2009: http://asserttrue.blogspot.jp/2013/03/b ... atest.html

Here the healthy BMI range does better than overweight, but by very little.

I don't think everyone here is aiming for such a low BMI, Juliana. Personally I'm happy around 23 and I don't think I'm alone in that.

That's good to hear. 23.0 is a good number I reckon and anything less risks my other fear of being too gaunt in the face (for women). I wrote 23.0 cause the difference in weight between 23.0 and 23.9 is huge.

I'm sure i read somewhere in this forum that 21 to 22 was a goal for some. Might have been in the thread with detailed discussions about Goal weights and some posts by @kencc .. he may be able to enlighten us again

another site said
The metric was developed in the 1840's by Adolphe Quetlet in Belguim, however the current guidelines that are used for overweight/underweight are based off frequently updated data from the World Health Organization. The most recent update of BMI ranges took place in 2004 and indicate that 18.5 - 25 is considered to be normal weight for individuals with average muscle build.

good link by World Health Organisation which presumably is knowledgeable about such things

http://apps.who.int/bmi/index.jsp?intro ... tro_3.html

this has a link to this good summary http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assess ... index.html

I'm sure it's the goal BMI for some, just not everyone. kencc has definitely mentioned that there is research showing that BMI of 21-22 is better than higher, but I don't know if he linked to the research. I have a hard time imagining the difference in longevity or health between BMI 21 and 23 is so great that it's worth worrying about. For me it was more an aesthetic decision.

It must be very difficult to carry out a study into longevity when there are so many different factors to take into account, not just BMI. My decision on which BMI to aim for was aesthetic, like Mary Ann. I looked very chunky at a BMI of 23 because I have a small frame even though I'm quite tall so a low BLI looks better. But I think the older you get you need to keep some reserve because even illnesses like colds can be very difficult to cope with.

I wonder if when people get much older (meaning 80s plus) that people's frame shrink, particularly if there is any osteoporosis happening, in which case a higher BMI is a healthier thing.

I've always grown up on the simple thought that a bit of "meat/fat" in our bodies is good for us and keeps us healthy. I do mean a "bit" So maybe there is something in the principle of a BMI of 25-27 is good for reaching an old age.

I believe there should be a better metric than BMI that takes age, gender and some other things into account to be able to pinpoint the best "figure" to aim at.

You would think that the WHO or some other authority would have come up with something as BMI was a metric from nearly 100 years ago!

I am one of those aiming for a BMI of 21 ish but I have NO idea what I might look like at that weight, as I've never been there before (except on the way up obviously!) I will just wait and see how I feel - my justification for the lower BMI is to reduce my risk of type 2 diabetes as much as I can (given I'm already hypertensive and have a first degree relative with it the weight and waist circumference thing seems the only way to go) but I read the posts on here with interest.

Mmm, so I might put a bit of Weight on in another 10 or 15 years then! When I started fasting I was just over 25 and I was in it for the hope of avoiding diabetes, dementia, heart disease and joint problems. I definitely have less stiffness in my hands. And never dreamt I would lose 24 lbs and feel so much better - more energy, less gloom. So it must be healthier for me to have a BMI of 21-22 than 25-27. This is where it pays off to have suffered the facial bone structure that made me a "chubby chops" when I should have had fine cheekbones. I would need be seriously underweight to look gaunt.

Well I am not aiming for 21 -23 BMI and my body does not seem to want me to drop any further under 26 no matter how I ramp up the fasting, drop the carbs and exercise.

My excuse it that I have always weighed heavier and I don't have a slight build but am more medium framed. So that BMI is singing a tune to me, so I might end up being the heaviest BMI on the maintenance thread. With a bit more tinkering I am likely to be happy to stay at 26 BMI

As a BMI of just over 22 now, my face is certainly nowhere near gaunt i think all the talk re BMIs, as has been mentioned before, is all relative, as it does not take into account differences in body frame, as mentioned above by @franglaise so I really think it has to be treated as an approximation rather than taken as a 'given'. It is useful to have these markers along the way, but in the final analysis,everybody has to make their own decision. We know that broadly speaking it's better healthwise, and that is enough for me

I agree that we all need to aim for what is right ( and acheivable ) for ourselves. I have struggled with weight all my life. My weight loss which was never record breaking has slowed down and just a week off plan can take 2 or 3 weeks to mend. I have now lost almost 3 stone and although I am still well padded and firmly in the overweight BMI range I feel so much better now than before.I can really do anything I want to now ( except perhaps wear a bikini !) I am continuing to aim for 1 more stone loss . That will still have me officially overweight but I was saying to my husband the other day that even if I stay as I am now it would not be a disaster.I am not going to let struggling for the unacheivable (for me ) dominate my life.
There are people who are naturally very thin who struggle with people thinking thay have an eating disorder. We are all different - it would be a boring old world if we all looked the same.

It must be very difficult to carry out a study into longevity when there are so many different factors to take into account, not just BMI. My decision on which BMI to aim for was aesthetic, like Mary Ann. I looked very chunky at a BMI of 23 because I have a small frame even though I'm quite tall so a low BLI looks better. But I think the older you get you need to keep some reserve because even illnesses like colds can be very difficult to cope with.

I totally agree here and I don't think I look gaunt yet, in fact I too would look chunky (and did!) at a higher BMI because I have a very small frame and long fine bones. It's all a matter of what you feel comfortable with and how easy it is to maintain.

I wonder if its worth adding a BMI range to our "targets" in challenges and signatures? For what it's worth.

this reverse calculator might be useful http://www.personal-nutrition-guide.com ... e-bmi.html