Different health criteria for small bones/Asians?

invie

I know the standards aren't one size fits all. I've been searching to see if there's a separate BMI chart for Asians.

There is one actually because Asians tend to be Apple shaped with the fat going straight to the waist. As such Asians tend to hit obesity standards at a lower BMI so there is a separate chart that reflects this.

What that chart doesn't show however is that a lot of Asians who aren't overweight can be healthy at a lower BMI. I'm Apple shaped. I don't show it because I'm nit overweight but I know where the weight goes when I gain. I have laughable boob size (less than a cup) and a flat butt. My bones are tiny and all this adds up to me weighing less than is recommended unless I want my waistline ballooning up and my body fat percentage be unhealthy.

I've never dieted but my BMI has been <18 my entire life. (I'm 33). It was fine as a teenager but as adults, doctors started ordering tests for me during annual check ups to see if I had anemia or a thyroid problem. I don't.

I started using my fitness pal two weeks ago to track my nutrient intake because I'm older and I haven't worked out consistently in four years. I want to be able to do pull ups and push ups again and to tone up.

However even tho I almost always over recommended calorie intake by 100~800 a day I'm still told I'm underweight and asked if the weight is correct. After a few days it gets annoying.

Are there girls here who have noticed this as well? Is there a different set of criteria those with small bones and Apple shapes (I'm nit Apple shaped but that's how I punoIt on weight)?

Liftng4Lis

Read this incorrectly

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Liftng4Lis

vinegar_husbands wrote: »

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

You're eating 100 to 800 calories a day?

Read her post again. She's over her recommended calorie intake by 100 to 800 a day...

Thank God!

invie wrote: »

I know the standards aren't one size fits all. I've been searching to see if there's a separate BMI chart for Asians.

There is one actually because Asians tend to be Apple shaped with the fat going straight to the waist. As such Asians tend to hit obesity standards at a lower BMI so there is a separate chart that reflects this.

What that chart doesn't show however is that a lot of Asians who aren't overweight can be healthy at a lower BMI. I'm Apple shaped. I don't show it because I'm nit overweight but I know where the weight goes when I gain. I have laughable boob size (less than a cup) and a flat butt. My bones are tiny and all this adds up to me weighing less than is recommended unless I want my waistline ballooning up and my body fat percentage be unhealthy.

I've never dieted but my BMI has been <18 my entire life. (I'm 33). It was fine as a teenager but as adults, doctors started ordering tests for me during annual check ups to see if I had anemia or a thyroid problem. I don't.

I started using my fitness pal two weeks ago to track my nutrient intake because I'm older and I haven't worked out consistently in four years. I want to be able to do pull ups and push ups again and to tone up.

However even tho I almost always over recommended calorie intake by 100~800 a day I'm still told I'm underweight and asked if the weight is correct. After a few days it gets annoying.

Are there girls here who have noticed this as well? Is there a different set of criteria those with small bones and Apple shapes (I'm nit Apple shaped but that's how I punoIt on weight)?

Who is telling you this and what gets annoying after a few days?

MKEgal

invie wrote:

I've been searching to see if there's a separate BMI chart for Asians.
There is one actually because Asians tend to be Apple shaped with the fat going straight to the waist.
As such Asians tend to hit obesity standards at a lower BMI so there is a separate chart that reflects this.

BMI does not consider body shape.
Maybe you're thinking of waist to hip ratio?

And no, I've never heard of a separate BMI chart based on where you live, or where your family lives.
If you know you're generally small, aim for the lower end of the healthy range (which is 18.5 - 24.9).

shadow2soul

MKEgal wrote: »

invie wrote:

I've been searching to see if there's a separate BMI chart for Asians.
There is one actually because Asians tend to be Apple shaped with the fat going straight to the waist.
As such Asians tend to hit obesity standards at a lower BMI so there is a separate chart that reflects this.

BMI does not consider body shape.
Maybe you're thinking of waist to hip ratio?

And no, I've never heard of a separate BMI chart based on where you live, or where your family lives.
If you know you're generally small, aim for the lower end of the healthy range (which is 18.5 - 24.9).

@MKEgal - There is a seperate BMI chart used in Asian countries. However the only change is when you're considered overweight and obese. I'll have to look it up, but I believe the cut off for healthy is like 22 or something on that chart. It still considers less than 18.5 to be underweight.

edit: On the asian one:
Healthy - 18.5 to 22.9
Overweight - 23 to 26.9
Obese - 27+

tomatoey

Yeah there are a few different ranges that have been looked at by some researchers from an ethnicity/race perspective ( I know they're not the same and this categorization is really questionable, but I think that's how they did it )

Not at home right now but will look it up. Or you can go to Google Scholar now and punch in the relevant terms

Here are some things to look through
https://scholar.google.ca/scholar?hl=en&amp;q=asian+bmi&amp;btnG=&amp;as_sdt=1,5&amp;as_sdtp=

Note that non-US researchers may include people from India, Pakistan, etc

tomatoey

But I recall that the range for "Asians" was indeed lower

invie

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Who is telling you this and what gets annoying after a few days?

I try to enter my high weight for day into the my fitness pal app every day. I think normally it just accepts weight, but for me there's a pop up that asks if I'm sure that's my weight and when I hit yes, i get taken to anB extra screen first that states that I'm below 18.5I and studies have shown that BMIs below 17.5 is dangerous. (I'm around 17.5 but I'm assuming to gain muscle and lose fat, not lose weight. I figure more protein less fat would be good for my diet because the nutrients section show a trend in my diet that's higher in fat and lower in protein than it should be.)

Basically the app is slightly annoying for me only for this reason. I wish I could turn off the notifications and also find a more accurate health criteria for ppl who have my body type. From what I can see, there are enough bird boned Asians to warrant some research.

pollypocket1021

I'm 4'11 and half Asian (definitely have an Asian body type). I think the reason the BMI chart is different for Asians is because we tend to have a lower lean body mass. In other words, we have more fat than a Caucasian person of the same weight and therefore the same health issues that come with the fat (not necessarily the weight).

I'm trying to focus on body recomposition for health, not just weight loss.

invie

pollypocket1021 wrote: »

I'm 4'11 and half Asian (definitely have an Asian body type). I think the reason the BMI chart is different for Asians is because we tend to have a lower lean body mass. In other words, we have more fat than a Caucasian person of the same weight and therefore the same health issues that come with the fat (not necessarily the weight).

I'm trying to focus on body recomposition for health, not just weight loss.

Yes that's what I mean when i say I'm skinny fat! My body composition is high in fat. However if you look at me i look skinny with clothes on.

I guess the only thing i can do is ignore BMI. I'm looking into a body composition scale. I know they aren't accurate but i can least see the trending change in body composition I work it. My goal is to be able to handle my own body weight ie, chin-ups, pull-ups and push ups. I also want tone but that means getting rid of some fat.

The my fitness pal app is still useful to me because i can still track my nutrient intake. I might fiddle with the settings a little to reflect a slightly faster metabolism tho.

invie

pollypocket1021 wrote: »

I'm 4'11 and half Asian (definitely have an Asian body type). I think the reason the BMI chart is different for Asians is because we tend to have a lower lean body mass. In other words, we have more fat than a Caucasian person of the same weight and therefore the same health issues that come with the fat (not necessarily the weight).

I'm trying to focus on body recomposition for health, not just weight loss.

Do you have any recommendations on how to track/measure your body composition?

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pollypocket1021

There are lots of inaccurate methods. Honestly, having someone who is good as estimating look at pictures and give you a rough estimate is as good as it gets unless you want to get a dexa scan.

I eat quite a lot too, but I've been able to lose fairly easily.