Do You Really Need a ‘Normal’ BMI?
WellnessThe writer Kevin Schlittenhardt lost 40 pounds with a combination of intermittent fasting, weight training, and light cardio, gaining back his health and self-confidence along the way. Now he wonders how much shedding 10 more pounds and achieving a Body Mass Index of 25 really matters.By Kevin SchlittenhardtJanuary 29, 2025Kelsey NiziolekSave this storySaveSave this storySaveLast year, my wife started training for the New York City marathon. I couldn’t exactly be ordering in Taco Bell while she was eating clean and running double-digit miles everyday, so I set out to make some much-needed changes to my diet and exercise habits.The inspiration paid off handsomely. I started off 2024 with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 32, which is officially considered obese. And honestly, that’s how I felt. I got winded climbing the stairs to our third-floor apartment and was constantly ordering in very salty, unhealthy food for every meal. My mind was hazy, my clothes didn’t fit great, and I was pushing my suits to their sartorial limits at weddings. This was me about a year ago.I’ve never been great with restrictive diets, so in order to give myself some flexibility with meals, I decided to try intermittent fasting, and (successfully) committed to never skipping even a single day of my push/pull weight training regiment. I threw in some other activities like riding the stationary bike while I watched soccer and walking home from work, and I started dropping pounds pretty rapidly. Here’s what I looked like approximately 40 pounds lighter late last summer at my wife’s sister’s wedding in Italy.As I shed weight, I checked two numbers religiously every morning. One was my weight, obviously. The other was my BMI. Having something clinical—albeit frequently debated—telling me I was obese grounded me in a reality that I couldn’t run away from. It also helped me track progress that wasn’t always easy to see in the mirror. When I finally ticked down from “obese” to simply “overweight,” I felt good.But while I’m proud of the progress I made, it doesn’t feel totally complete, because I never achieved what, in terms of BMI, is considered a “normal body weight.” That’s why I have resolved in 2025 to go the distance and get my BMI under 25. Then, I will finally be “normal.”But is striving for a “normal” BMI the healthiest goal? Is it even a good goal at all? I consulted Ryan Veltman, Doctor of Physical Therapy at Strive Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation, to help me put my New Years resolution into perspective.“Health is multi-faceted, but you need to start somewhere, and BMI can be a good starting point,” says Veltman. “However, I think there are more realistic things to go by. Number-chasing is a little outdated. Other things like how your clothes fit, do you need to buy new jeans, how you look and feel in the morning, energy levels, and satiety with hunger are arguably more important to look at.”It’s true that as I continued to lose weight, I started to care a lot less about my exact BMI and more about how I looked and felt. I’m 5’9 with a fairly athletic build, and my lowest weight — was 175 pounds with a BMI of approximately 25.8—still technically overweight, despite having a body I’d be proud to show off on the beach. If I wanted a “normal weight” BMI level, I’d have to drop another 10 pounds from a weight that I was, quite frankly, pretty satisfied with.“Obsessing about the number too much can be a slippery slope. BMI doesn’t take into account body fat percentage, lean body mass, all these other types of things that are important,” says Veltman. “The National Library of Medicine did a study where rather than simply putting someone into a diet to achieve a caloric deficit, they suggested lifestyle changes like eating a meal with your family three times a week, going out and doing something you enjoy two to four times a week. Then when they re-measured everyone, people lost weight. So there is more to your health than just a number.”You’ve probably heard countless times that to lose weight, you must change your lifestyle—not simply diet or adapt a new exercise routine. Getting started is key. So if tracking your BMI helps you focus on your overall health, go for it. But if you want to improve your flexibility or maximize your longevity, those are good places to begin, too.As for me? While it’d be nice to see my BMI slide down into the “healthy” range, I now realize that I have achieved what I set out to do—and while I (currently) have no plans to run a marathon, I’m happy with how I look, I eat well and exercise regularly, and I’m not out of breath when I arrive home at night.
Last year, my wife started training for the New York City marathon. I couldn’t exactly be ordering in Taco Bell while she was eating clean and running double-digit miles everyday, so I set out to make some much-needed changes to my diet and exercise habits.
The inspiration paid off handsomely. I started off 2024 with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 32, which is officially considered obese. And honestly, that’s how I felt. I got winded climbing the stairs to our third-floor apartment and was constantly ordering in very salty, unhealthy food for every meal. My mind was hazy, my clothes didn’t fit great, and I was pushing my suits to their sartorial limits at weddings. This was me about a year ago..jpeg)
I’ve never been great with restrictive diets, so in order to give myself some flexibility with meals, I decided to try intermittent fasting, and (successfully) committed to never skipping even a single day of my push/pull weight training regiment. I threw in some other activities like riding the stationary bike while I watched soccer and walking home from work, and I started dropping pounds pretty rapidly. Here’s what I looked like approximately 40 pounds lighter late last summer at my wife’s sister’s wedding in Italy.
As I shed weight, I checked two numbers religiously every morning. One was my weight, obviously. The other was my BMI. Having something clinical—albeit frequently debated—telling me I was obese grounded me in a reality that I couldn’t run away from. It also helped me track progress that wasn’t always easy to see in the mirror. When I finally ticked down from “obese” to simply “overweight,” I felt good.
But while I’m proud of the progress I made, it doesn’t feel totally complete, because I never achieved what, in terms of BMI, is considered a “normal body weight.” That’s why I have resolved in 2025 to go the distance and get my BMI under 25. Then, I will finally be “normal.”
But is striving for a “normal” BMI the healthiest goal? Is it even a good goal at all? I consulted Ryan Veltman, Doctor of Physical Therapy at Strive Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation, to help me put my New Years resolution into perspective.
“Health is multi-faceted, but you need to start somewhere, and BMI can be a good starting point,” says Veltman. “However, I think there are more realistic things to go by. Number-chasing is a little outdated. Other things like how your clothes fit, do you need to buy new jeans, how you look and feel in the morning, energy levels, and satiety with hunger are arguably more important to look at.”
It’s true that as I continued to lose weight, I started to care a lot less about my exact BMI and more about how I looked and felt. I’m 5’9 with a fairly athletic build, and my lowest weight — was 175 pounds with a BMI of approximately 25.8—still technically overweight, despite having a body I’d be proud to show off on the beach. If I wanted a “normal weight” BMI level, I’d have to drop another 10 pounds from a weight that I was, quite frankly, pretty satisfied with.
“Obsessing about the number too much can be a slippery slope. BMI doesn’t take into account body fat percentage, lean body mass, all these other types of things that are important,” says Veltman. “The National Library of Medicine did a study where rather than simply putting someone into a diet to achieve a caloric deficit, they suggested lifestyle changes like eating a meal with your family three times a week, going out and doing something you enjoy two to four times a week. Then when they re-measured everyone, people lost weight. So there is more to your health than just a number.”
You’ve probably heard countless times that to lose weight, you must change your lifestyle—not simply diet or adapt a new exercise routine. Getting started is key. So if tracking your BMI helps you focus on your overall health, go for it. But if you want to improve your flexibility or maximize your longevity, those are good places to begin, too.
As for me? While it’d be nice to see my BMI slide down into the “healthy” range, I now realize that I have achieved what I set out to do—and while I (currently) have no plans to run a marathon, I’m happy with how I look, I eat well and exercise regularly, and I’m not out of breath when I arrive home at night.
