In what ways is the BMI scale flawed in determining someone's ideal weight?

Question

In what ways is the BMI scale flawed in determining someone's ideal weight?

Answer 1

moost

Answer 2

I hate the BMI!  It doesn't take in to account your body type or anything.  For instance, I have a VERY small frame...therefore I will have less fat and muscle and weigh less, but I am still sort of tall.  So the BMI always tells me I am underweight when in fact this is not true!  I think it should be thrown out the window.

Answer 3

muscle mass

Answer 4

BMI is a measure that only considers two pieces of information: Height and weight.

For people who are very slim (low percent body fat) or are very fat (high percent body fat), BMI loses effectiveness in determining health.

BMI seems to be the most off for bodybuilders, who have a high weight to height ratio because of their muscle. Many of them are “overweight” or even “obese” based on BMI!

BMI is most effective for people who are close to average percent body fat. The thing is, percent body fat is a better indicator or health anyways. So if you need percent body fat (better than BMI) to know if BMI is good for you, then why use BMI at all?

See my source for more info.