If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the Healthy Weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obese range.
BMI <17.0: moderate and severe thinness. BMI <18.5: underweight. BMI 18.5–24.9: normal weight. BMI ≥25.0: overweight.
If your BMI is: below 18.5 – you're in the underweight range. between 18.5 and 24.9 – you're in the healthy weight range. between 25 and 29.9 – you're in the overweight range.
Your body mass index, or BMI, is the relationship between your weight and your height. A BMI of 20-25 is ideal; 25-30 is overweight and over 30 is obese. If your BMI is under 18.5, you're considered underweight.
How is BMI measured? According to the DSM-5, a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN) or “anorexia BMI” requires that someone have a BMI of less than 18.5.
(28) found that a BMI of 20 was considered the most attractive, while Swami et al. (29), and MacNeill and Best (30), found that an underweight body was most frequently selected.
One Place for Treatment
Admission criteria require that patients be less than 70 percent of their ideal body weight, or have a body mass index (BMI) below 15. In a woman who is 5 feet 4 inches tall, that's about 85 pounds.
Doctors recommend most adults keep their BMI between 18 and 24.9. Adults with a BMI over 25 are considered obese. On the other hand, older adults do better if they have a BMI between 25 and 27. Research shows that adults over 65 who are underweight experience more health issues and shorter life expectancy.
From a clinical perspective, an individual is considered “too skinny” if they are deemed underweight. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an individual is underweight if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is below 18.5 [1].
Women with a BMI of less than 18.5 are considered underweight. The average woman's height is 5 feet, 4 inches. If you weigh 107 pounds or less at this height, you are considered underweight with a BMI of 18.4. A healthy weight range for that woman would be 108 to 145 pounds.
Weighing too little can contribute to a weakened immune system, fragile bones and feeling tired. You can check if you're underweight by using our BMI healthy weight calculator, which shows your body mass index (BMI). If your BMI is below 18.5, this suggests that your weight may be too low.
Low Body Weight
The Academy of Eating Disorders recommends inpatient treatment for anyone at or below 75% of their ideal body weight. This is a general suggestion for medical professionals, not a hard and fast rule.
Extreme anorexia nervosa (AN) is defined as a BMI < 15 kg/m2 in those meeting DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for AN. However, the frequency of medical complications specific to those meeting this greatest amount of weight loss is unknown.
Severe Anorexia Nervosa is defined in weight terms as an individual with a body mass index (BMI) of <15 (BMI – weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared).
below 18.5 means a person is underweight. between 18.5 and 24.9 means a person is of a “normal,” or healthy, weight.
A similar study by Re and Rule (2016b) found that participants preferred facial adiposity levels associated with a BMI of 19.11 kg/m2 for female faces and 23.79 kg/m2 for male faces.
The most attractive faces corresponded to a BMI of about 19 for women and 24 for men. For a woman and man of average height, that translates to body weights of 111 pounds and 165 pounds, respectively.
This beauty ideal became de rigueur in the industry; the average runway model has a body mass index (BMI) of 16, which the World Health Organization classifies as severely thin.
If your BMI becomes dangerously low, such as less than 18.5, you are at greater risk for malnutrition and premature death. Speak with your doctor to discuss if your BMI presents a health risk.
A weight under 100–110 pounds (50kg)
“Thinness is a heritable trait”
So thin people not only stay slim “by not having the obesity genes, but they also have different genes that protect them” from gaining weight, she said. The research concludes that “thinness, like obesity, is a heritable trait.”
emaciated Add to list Share. Someone who is dangerously skinny and skeletal-looking can be described as emaciated.
What exactly counts as being "skinny?" Some healthcare experts believe a BMI in the 15-18 range to be clinically underweight. This seems to fall pretty close to what many everyday people consider to be "skinny" with a BMI of 18 or lower frequently listed as the indicator of someone considered to be slim.