bmi measuring

pinkraynedropjacki · December 2013

Isn't that what I said? I'm not that tall so for me BMI 50 would make me obese. But then even at 7 foot tall a bmi of 50 is not healthy.

neandermagnon · December 2013

people who work their *kitten* of (i.e. athletes) generally have higher BMIs than sedentary people who are not overfat or obese, because muscle is denser than fat (before anyone on this site jumps on me for saying that, note that I said denser, not heavier.....)

BMI is not a measure of how acceptable you are as a person, though some people seem to treat it like lower BMIs are better so long as you don't go below a certain number. So having a lower BMI doesn't mean you worked harder or did better than anyone else. It's also not the best metric to use to determine if your body composition is healthy, as it doesn't take into account frame size or muscle mass. Body fat percentage is a better measure although when you're obese it's more tricky to measure accurately, as the ways of measuring it were designed to work on lean people.

regarding frame size/big bones, you can't really tell when you're obese how big your frame is. You'd be better to aim to get your waist size within the healthy range (there are two schools of thought on this, one is that it should be less than half your height, the other is that it should be less than a certain number regardless of height (31.5 inches in women, according to the NHS), because shorter people don't necessarily have smaller torsos than taller people, they sometimes just have shorter legs) and then when you get to that point, it'll be much easier to get a decent measure of body fat percentage and lean body mass, and then you'll know if you have a large frame and are already lean enough, or if you have a smaller frame and could do with losing a bit more.

IMO there's way too much focus on weight, and not enough on healthy body composition. Healthy bones and muscles are heavier than weak, wasted ones, so athletes do tend to have higher BMIs than non-athletes of the same clothing size. One piece of really good advice I heard, was that a good goal is to aim to be as heavy as you can for an ideal clothing size, rather than trying to be a particular number on a scale. I gained 10lb from doing heavy lifting and eating for strength and weight gains, and still fit into the same clothes I did 10lb lighter.

neandermagnon · December 2013

are you trolling? BMI of 50 isn't healthy for anyone. BMI is calculated based on height and weight, so being taller doesn't change what a healthy BMI is, because it's already adjusted for height....... the problem is that BMI isn't adjusted for frame size, it assumes everyone has an average frame.

A BMI of 30 may be healthy for a large framed athlete, and very unhealthy for a small framed sedentary person though. There is such a thing as frame size (which refers to the width of your skeleton, e.g. shoulder and pelvis breadth, rib cage size) which does not necessarily correlate with height (you get short, large framed people and tall, small framed people). But at a BMI of 50 there's no way anyone is going to be healthy.

Also note that there are a lot of people who fall within the "healthy" BMI range yet do not have healthy body composition because they are sedentary and their diet is lacking in nutrition and unbalanced. These people are at risk of health problems as a result of their poor body composition, yet everyone seems to ignore them in these discussions. BMI does not take body composition into account and a healthy BMI does not automatically equal healthy, and an overweight BMI does not automatically equal being overfat and for some athletic, large framed people, an obese BMI is possible even when their body composition is healthy.

eldamiano · December 2013

No it isnt what you said. A BMI of 50 would make you morbidly obese regardless of your height.

A person of 14 stone at 7ft I am estimating would be of a reasonably healthy BMI. At 5ft they would be obese, say BMI 30-35. If they had a BMI of 30-35 at 7ft they would weigh a lot more.....

S3r3knitty · December 2013

Does it really matter in your current situation? Right now, judging from your picture you are at an unhealthy weight.

pinkraynedropjacki · December 2013

Actually a 7ft person weight a BMI of 30-35 is still classed as obese.

I did also say IT DEPENDS ON YOUR HEIGHT. But yes a BMI of 50 would make anyone regardless of height unhealthy. I still don't know what you are trying to say though.

eldamiano · December 2013

Are you a brick wall by any chance?

The original poster is confused to whether her high BMI is down to fat or being big boned. Right? I never queried anything to do with height.

"It means you are fat, but then that depends on your height". You brought that up but, no it doesnt. BMI of 50 means obese, regardless of height. Contradiction.

bunkahes · December 2013

Just Liston, Dont Judge:
All i am asking is would by bmi measure would be lower from all the calories i burn then someone the same weight that just sits on the couch with no exercise.

QuietBloom · December 2013

Yes, there absolutely is a difference in frame sizes between people. :frown:

QuietBloom · December 2013

No. BMI is simply a mathematical equation that uses height and weight to come up with one number that says if you are obese, over weight, normal - healthy, or underweight (if I understand your question).

moontyrant · December 2013

120-135 pounds is a fifteen pound window that can help account for bone structure. If you feel this is too small a window, bring it up with your doctor and he/she can reassess you based on more data than your height, gender and age.

That said, you may want to check how "big-boned" you are. I didn't use to be able to wrap my hand around my wrist and touch my thumb to my middle finger, and then I lost 30 pounds and now I can. A common complaint regarding weightloss is the need to buy smaller shoes, even though no one thinks about carrying fat on feet.

Drop some weight in a safe, sustainable manner, and enjoy the benefits and make a new, healthier you. Don't get discouraged by the end goal, but enjoy the journey.

Sarahnade42x · December 2013

^
BMI is NOT a reflection of the effort you put into exercise, only a reflection of your height/weight.
However, you're much more likely to see a decrease in your BMI due to a decrease in weight compared to someone who just sits on the couch all day (nutrition held constant).

BinaryPulsar · December 2013

Every single person of the same height should not weigh the same amount. There are many different factors such as frame size, body composition, body shape (curves, etc), and personal preference. There is a range built into the BMI chart, but still people can fall outside of that range sometimes.

OP, I think you do not need to worry too much about your final goal weight at this time. You know you need to lose weight. Work on losing weight. You can set smaller goals, if that works better for you. Evaluate again as you get further along in your weight loss.

Also, lifting weights is always a good thing for preserving lean body mass while you are losing weight.

moontyrant · December 2013

Yes, your BMI will shrink if you burn the calories and do not eat them all back. It may take a few months, but your BMI will shrink and it will be lower than the BMI of a clone of you who sat on the couch all day eating chips. If you find this does not occur within the next four to six weeks open up a new thread in the forums and we can brainstorm with you.

bmi measuring

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