If you have a BMI of 19, then you’re considered to have a healthy body weight. Of course, being a relatively simple screening tool, a particular body mass index score is no guarantee of good health.
Nonetheless, many of the world’s leading health authorities, like the WHO and the CDC, recommend that people maintain a healthy BMI for women and men of their age and body type.
Related:
Is a BMI of 19 good for women?
If you’re a woman who has a BMI of 19, then you have a healthy body weight. How good this score is mainly depends on your body composition.
While a female with a 19 BMI is likely to be quite skinny, some women who got a BMI 19 score may have very little muscle mass and much more body fat.
Depending on the women’s build and body composition, some healthcare professionals may also say that a 19 BMI is actually too low for a woman to enjoy optimal health.
This is because a BMI of 19 is only half a BMI point away from the underweight cut-off point. As such, it may be beneficial for women with a 19 BMI to maintain a slightly higher body weight.
Is a 19 BMI good for men?
While any man who has a BMI of 19 is likely to be skinny, a 19 BMI is considered normal and healthy for a male. [1]
Some men, after all, are naturally much skinnier than others due to having a lighter build and a low body fat level.
And after all, it’s not like you need loads of muscle mass to have good levels of functional strength.
Still, since a body mass index score of 19 is on the low end of normal, it could be beneficial for a man with a 19 BMI to slowly increase his body weight by consuming more healthy calories and performing more resistance training.
What does a BMI of 19 look like?
One of the main limitations of body mass index is that it doesn’t tell you much about a person’s body composition. Therefore, it’s not possible to say with any kind of precision what a 19 BMI looks like.
That said, people with a BMI of 19 generally fall into a couple of different categories.
First, you have the people with some muscle mass and a very low body fat level (such as athletes who need to maintain a low body weight for their sport).
On the other hand, there are people with a BMI of nineteen who have low levels of skeletal muscle mass but quite a lot of body fat, which is commonly referred to as the “skinny fat” body type (sarcopenic obesity is the clinical term).
Other 19 BMI scores
When you fill out your height and weight in a BMI calculator, you don’t get a rounded score; you get a precise BMI score.
Many people want to know what their specific BMI means for their body, which is exactly where this next section comes in.
19.1 BMI
A BMI of 19.1 is considered normal and healthy, although it is only half a BMI point away from being considered underweight. A person with a 19.1 BMI is likely to be skinny, and they may struggle to gain weight.
19.2 BMI
If you have a 19.2 BMI, then your body weight is on the low end of the normal range. People who have a BMI of 19.2 typically have a low body fat level and also relatively little muscle mass.
19.3 BMI
A BMI of 19.3 means that you have a healthy body weight. But because a 19.3 BMI is fairly low, this score is also indicative of a skinny physique, although it doesn’t tell you much about your body composition. [2]
19.4 BMI
If you have a 19.4 BMI, then your body weight is in the healthy range. Since a BMI of 19.4 is normal but still lower than average, you might also have a slim physique with minimal body fat.
19.5 BMI
A 19.5 BMI is a common body mass index score among those with a slim build and relatively little body fat. If you have a BMI of 19.5, then your body weight is in the healthy range for men and women.
19.6 BMI
Those with a BMI of 19.6 are likely to be slim and, depending on their body composition, may also have minimal body fat, which is commonly an indicator of good health.
19.7 BMI
A BMI of 19.7 is considered healthy for both males and females because it’s more than a full BMI point above the underweight category.
19.8 BMI
If you have a 19.8 BMI, then your body weight is where it should be—in the normal range. With a BMI of 19.8, it’s likely that you have a smaller frame and probably also a low body fat level.
19.9 BMI
A 19.9 BMI is almost out of the BMI 19 score but is still considered normal. In fact, although a BMI of 19.9 might sound quite high, it’s actually on the low end of the normal range.
Conclusion: Is a BMI of 19 skinny?
A BMI of 19 is generally indicative of a skinny physique in men and a slim body type in women. Generally, individuals with a 19 BMI score have minimal body fat but not a whole lot of muscle mass, either.
Of course, given that body mass index doesn’t directly measure body composition, two people with a BMI of 19 or 19.5 can look very different.
References
- Zierle-Ghosh A, Jan A. Physiology, Body Mass Index. [Updated 2022 Sep 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535456/
- Khanna, D., Peltzer, C., Kahar, P., & Parmar, M. S. (2022). Body Mass Index (BMI): A Screening Tool Analysis. Cureus, 14(2), e22119. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.22119