Need a good hard slap in the face? Find out where you are on the global fat scale.
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Thank you for this, it really was an eye-opener. It says I'm most like someone from Somalia, and have a lower BMI than 90% of US females in my age bracket. That put things in perspective for me as I tend to be extremely critical of myself and every imperfection I find. This was really cool, and works both ways.
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tigersword wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »This is very reflective of how overweight Americans are now. I have a lower BMI than 65% in the U.S. for my height/age, but higher than 71% worldwide!!
actually it is not, because BMI does not account for muscle mass…
Not saying Americans are not obese, I am just disputing that BMI is an "effective stat"….
It actually IS reflective. People with a larger muscle mass than average are the exception, not the rule. BMI may not be very accurate for individuals, but it is for large groups.
That's the entire point. BMI is a population metric. It's completely useless as a statistic for an individual, was never intended to be used for individuals, and even the man who came up with the formula went on record stating that BMI of any single individual is meaningless.
Also, there are millions of athletes competing in organized sports (pro, semi-pro, amateur) in the United States alone. To say that people with above average muscle mass are rare exceptions is disingenuous.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/how-accurate-body-mass-index-bmi
I think the reason we see it used so much on individuals is because it's generally considered useful for individuals. Ancel Keys didn't come up with the formula but he did popularize it centuries later, and suggest it be used on populations only. The WHO considers it useful for sedentary individuals of average body composition.
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_854.pdf
I liked the tool in the OP. I found my results terrific.
Those of you getting nonsense BMI results, check your inputs. The fields have settings for meters vs. feet, etc.
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OK-now I'm going to brag. At 72 I have a bmi of 19-below average for 95% of women 70-79. Let it be known that I am NOT one of those little-old skinny people who have trouble eating enough. I use MFP to manage my weight and macros. Great to know it is working! I agree that bmi is only one statistic and better ones are around-it is nevertheless a good one to use as a comparison over time.0
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So basically I'm fatter than almost all the women in my age group in the world. Ouch!!0
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
My BMI is 21 (5'7", 137 lbs) and I got Cambodia! I'm still looking to lose a few pounds so I wouldn't worry lol.0 -
Very interesting link, thanks for sharing! Helpful in confirming some of my goals. I think the BMI discussion is interesting. In general, I think it is a helpful tool but of course for some people with high LBM it is not realistic. However, I think it is often used as an excuse for many people.0
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Well I'm 98% and I'm from Canada0
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I have a lower BMI than 51% of females my age/height in my country but higher BMI than 83% of females my age in the world. I am most like someone from South Africa.
Interesting.0 -
ElizabethNJ wrote: »acorsaut89 wrote: »I don't understand this at all! I get BMI but it says I am heavier than 98% of the women in Canada from 19-26 but I know for a fact there's a lot of women out there still bigger than me, and there's also a lot a bigger women in the US too. I cannot be heavier than 98% of the population in Canada . . . there's something off about this.
For the record, I'm 5'9, 250lbs with 34% BF
It's not talking about all Canadians, or even all women in Canada. Only women in that specific age bracket...which is not a very big bracket So a woman who is 27 or 28 wouldn't be included for your results.
Right--I will improve my position somewhat just by turning 45.0 -
ElizabethNJ wrote: »acorsaut89 wrote: »I don't understand this at all! I get BMI but it says I am heavier than 98% of the women in Canada from 19-26 but I know for a fact there's a lot of women out there still bigger than me, and there's also a lot a bigger women in the US too. I cannot be heavier than 98% of the population in Canada . . . there's something off about this.
For the record, I'm 5'9, 250lbs with 34% BF
It's not talking about all Canadians, or even all women in Canada. Only women in that specific age bracket...which is not a very big bracket So a woman who is 27 or 28 wouldn't be included for your results.
They give you a national and a global measurement though . . . so the national one would be Canada and my age bracket is really what I'm concerned about since it's my age lol0 -
One time I'm happy to be below average 0
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All I got out of this was a huge portion of the world doesn't lift.
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uconnwinsnc1 wrote: »All I got out of this was a huge portion of the world doesn't lift.
ROFL, that's an interesting take away!
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This may be FFGS (former fat girl syndrome), but I have a very tough time believing that 2/3 of women in my age group are fatter than I am.
2/3 lower than the US, 2/3 higher than the world, and would add double digit millions if everyone were like me (but if everyone were like me, they'd all be losing, too.)
Starting weight was fatter than 99%. So Yay on weight loss, but OMG, what I was!
This doesn't say much for the US, which isn't news, I guess, but yikes.
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acorsaut89 wrote: »I don't understand this at all! I get BMI but it says I am heavier than 98% of the women in Canada from 19-26 but I know for a fact there's a lot of women out there still bigger than me, and there's also a lot a bigger women in the US too. I cannot be heavier than 98% of the population in Canada . . . there's something off about this.
For the record, I'm 5'9, 250lbs with 34% BF
My guess would be that at 5'9 you wear your weight well and see other, chubbier looking women all time who don't wear their weight well but might be technically a lower BMI/weight than you?0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »That was fun. Thanks for posting that.
lol at captain thread crapper.
Awesome! I'm glad somebody said it! Every thread I read, there he is, being super negative!0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
That's a great point. It really does say a lot about our perspectives, as I would say (at 21.5, and fit for my age) that I'm "medium" or "average" as well. Interesting.yankeedownsouth wrote: »
Maybe it's how we perceive ourselves; I perceive myself to be medium size (BMI of 21). But this tool actually shows that compared to others, we're not medium. I think that maybe our perception of ourselves is a bit skewed.
For the record, I do lift weights on a progressive program. I have a relatively low body fat for my age as well.
Agreed. My BMI is 21. I tend to think of myself as normal sized- fit but not really skinny- and other people are always calling me "tiny."0 -
Well now I feel super fat.0
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dashaclaire wrote: »acorsaut89 wrote: »I don't understand this at all! I get BMI but it says I am heavier than 98% of the women in Canada from 19-26 but I know for a fact there's a lot of women out there still bigger than me, and there's also a lot a bigger women in the US too. I cannot be heavier than 98% of the population in Canada . . . there's something off about this.
For the record, I'm 5'9, 250lbs with 34% BF
My guess would be that at 5'9 you wear your weight well and see other, chubbier looking women all time who don't wear their weight well but might be technically a lower BMI/weight than you?
There aren't as many women as tall/taller than me than are shorter than me - I will say that. I suppose perhaps I wear it differently than others, as in my sizing is smaller . . . like I went from a 22 to a 16. I dropped from 57% BF too . . . so maybe. I don't know . . . just depressing lol0 -
ndj1979, to answer, yes I do lift. Not super-super heavy, but basically I lift as heavy as I can and the improvements come slowly but surely. I have visible quad definition, and other muscles are starting to show also.
interesting...
how long have you been lifting for?
I am just curious, as BMI tends to put people with more muscle mass in the "over weight to obese" category, I guess it would put people with less muscle mass into the "skinny" category ..
not trying to call you skinny fat or anything...I just think it is an interesting dichotomy...
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One time I'm happy to be below average
Me too.
I have a lower BMI than 91% of females in my country and age group, and a lower BMI than 73% of females in my age group in the world. If everyone in the world had the same BMI as I do, it would remove 25,518,535 tonnes from the total weight of the world's population
When I joined MFP I was lower than 80% in the US average and lower than 53% worldwide.
This was very interesting.0 -
Below average
You have a lower BMI than 85% of males aged 30-44 in your country
You're most like someone from Djibouti*
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I'm 5'4
Start: BMI 30, higher than 91% of women 19-25 in the UK / 97% worldwide. Most like someone from Barbados (175lb)
Current: BMI 27, higher than 72% of women 19-25 in the UK / 88% worldwide. Most like someone from Kuwait (157lb)
Goal: BMI 20, lower than 86% of women 19-25 in the UK / 63% worldwide. Most like someone from Liberia (119lb)
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"You have a lower BMI than 97% of females aged 15-29 in your country."
gosh.0 -
ndj1979, to answer, yes I do lift. Not super-super heavy, but basically I lift as heavy as I can and the improvements come slowly but surely. I have visible quad definition, and other muscles are starting to show also.
interesting...
how long have you been lifting for?
I am just curious, as BMI tends to put people with more muscle mass in the "over weight to obese" category, I guess it would put people with less muscle mass into the "skinny" category ..
not trying to call you skinny fat or anything...I just think it is an interesting dichotomy...
I wonder if that applies more towards men. I know that, as a 46 year old woman, I'd be hard pressed to ever gain enough muscle to put me into the overweight category. And I'm not skinny fat.
Interesting...
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yankeedownsouth wrote: »ndj1979, to answer, yes I do lift. Not super-super heavy, but basically I lift as heavy as I can and the improvements come slowly but surely. I have visible quad definition, and other muscles are starting to show also.
interesting...
how long have you been lifting for?
I am just curious, as BMI tends to put people with more muscle mass in the "over weight to obese" category, I guess it would put people with less muscle mass into the "skinny" category ..
not trying to call you skinny fat or anything...I just think it is an interesting dichotomy...
I wonder if that applies more towards men. I know that, as a 46 year old woman, I'd be hard pressed to ever gain enough muscle to put me into the overweight category. And I'm not skinny fat.
Interesting...
that is a good point, given that is harder for woman to build muscle than men ..
just another reason that BMI is flawed, IMO....0 -
BMI calculators that don't take fat and lean body mass into consideration aren't accurate. This link is telling me my BMI is 30 and that I am obese, but a doctor told me it was 26 after a BF% measurement, which is only very slightly overweight. So basically, "whatever" to my having a higher BMI than 52% of the women in America. The cake is a lie.0
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LOL and this is why BMI is a garbage stat, I went and plugged in my information and it gave me a BMI of 55 which is "obese"….there is no way I am obese at 180 pounds and 14 to 15% body fat…even though I am bulking right now….The problem with BMI is that it does not account for muscle mass….
This sounds more like you enteree something wrong, as I am female, 5'9" and my BMI was 55 when I was 375lbs.
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yankeedownsouth wrote: »ndj1979, to answer, yes I do lift. Not super-super heavy, but basically I lift as heavy as I can and the improvements come slowly but surely. I have visible quad definition, and other muscles are starting to show also.
interesting...
how long have you been lifting for?
I am just curious, as BMI tends to put people with more muscle mass in the "over weight to obese" category, I guess it would put people with less muscle mass into the "skinny" category ..
not trying to call you skinny fat or anything...I just think it is an interesting dichotomy...
I wonder if that applies more towards men. I know that, as a 46 year old woman, I'd be hard pressed to ever gain enough muscle to put me into the overweight category. And I'm not skinny fat.
Interesting...
Same for me. I'm at 23 now, my goal (to get to my desired body fat level) is around a 19, and then I will try to add some muscle mass, but that's extremely unlikely to get me to a higher weight than I am now, and most likely would leave me at 21-22 at best, even if I'm quite successful. Part of this is build, though.
I have read an analysis of the BMI stats vs. body fat percentage (I linked it somewhere here once upon a time) where some percentage of men in the study were obese by BMI but not body fat, but all of the women who were obese by BMI also were by body fat. On the flip side, significant numbers of both men and women were okay by BMI but obese by body fat. For merely overweight, though, a portion of the women, as well as the men, were in fact fine by body fat.
Anyway, it's obviously not the only measure that matters and can be misleading, but I think most people should have a sense of their bodies sufficient to know if they are in the misleading category.
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levitateme wrote: »BMI calculators that don't take fat and lean body mass into consideration aren't accurate. This link is telling me my BMI is 30 and that I am obese, but a doctor told me it was 26 after a BF% measurement, which is only very slightly overweight. So basically, "whatever" to my having a higher BMI than 52% of the women in America. The cake is a lie.
BMI is calculated using only height and weight. There is only 1 way to calculate it. It sounds like your doctor measured your body fat to be at 26%. BF% is different than BMI.
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