

Some postmenopausal women with a healthy BMI may actually be overweight or obese, according to research. As hormones decline, muscle mass deteriorates and abdominal fat accumulates.”Įven if you are the same weight at 70 as you were at 30, you may have a lot more body fat. “When a woman reaches menopause, her hormone levels drop. “As you get older, your body fat tends to increase,” explains Mcdonough. “As a result, BMI values are skewed.” The majority of athletes will be in the overweight to the obese range.” Postmenopausal Muscles with a higher density also weigh more, according to Mcdonough. “Because BMI does not take into account body fat or muscle mass, it is useless for athletes,” says Dempers. You will have higher muscle mass if you are more active. Women’s BMI ranges may also be untrustworthy if you are: An Athlete “BMI was established 180 years ago, and the majority of their data came from corpses.” “Since then, the average height and weight for both males and females have risen,” Dempers says. Limitations of Using Bmi to Measure Women’s HealthīMI is a contentious tool, with many medical experts claiming it should be phased out. If you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant, you can use your pre-pregnancy BMI to measure your recommended weight gain. To determine your weight category, find your BMI in the chart below. BMI = weight in kilograms ÷ height2 in metersįor women, a healthy BMI ranges between 18.5 and 24.9. BMI = (weight in pounds ÷ height2 in inches) x 703
