Height/weight ratios

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notdebby
notdebby Posts: 58
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, this may be a really ridiculous question but I'm truly curious. I have both scoliosis and degenerative disc disease. I should be 5' 8" tall. Because I have two 15 point curves from scoliosis, I lost one inch in height. Later because of degenerative disc disease, I've lost two more inches so now I am 5' 5" tall. I'm aiming for about 120 lbs which is fine for someone who is 5' 5" but would be somewhat underweight for someone 5' 8".

What I'm curious about is whether I should be using my actual height or what my height should be when trying to figure out an appropriate weight to aim for. I mean, it would seem that even though I'm shorter, I still have all the same stuff (organs and what not) it's just compressed.

I am doing some Pilates to see if I can regain some of my height. My naturopath said that it would help. Not sure how long it would take to see results but I've just started in the last month so I haven't seen any as of yet.

Replies

  • ja4ck
    ja4ck Posts: 1 Member
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    I had the same experience, being 5'10" most of my life only to discover a few months ago that I am only 5'8", which threw off all the ratio's. I did some extensive research and found an academic article that pointed out that the complicated math underlying the BMI number makes a height a logarithmic factor. ie, made a big difference. There was no other research, but the authors suggest that original height may be the most accurate, but no definitive answer. It was disheartening to hit your goal and then discover that the goal posts had moved!
  • notdebby
    notdebby Posts: 58
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    Thanks for your reply. It is really frustrating. I suppose maybe I will go for 130 then.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    As a rule, body fat percentage is going to be a better indicator of proper weight than BMI since it takes your specific body composition into account, not just averages. I have higher muscle mass and lordosis, so my BMI puts me at overweight, but my body fat percentage puts me at healthy.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
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    As a rule, body fat percentage is going to be a better indicator of proper weight than BMI since it takes your specific body composition into account, not just averages.

    Agree. Get a body fat measure, dunk tank is the best measure if you can find it and afford it.

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