BMI Rubbish

Chrisjonesdevil22

I have just tried out the NHS BMI calculator to see what it is all about and it says im over weight.

Im 6 ft tall, broad shoulders and a slim build with a little bit of belly (nothing big) and i weight 13st 13lbs after recent weight loss from 14 stone 2.

The calculator looks at my height and weight and says your over weight and should be about 9 1/2 stone to be healthy.

Im not going to believe this as it cant take in to affect muscle weight and how you live etc. I eat healthy and exercise when i can.

Its a bit of a rant i know but does anyone else see the BMI tool as a useless tool in the weight loss / healthy lifestyle world when we have such a great app like MFP

Iwantchange_22

The bmi chart says I am obese, but if you do a body fat percentage, I am classed as a healthy.

The bmi chart is kinda stupid and should really only be used as a guide, as with any online fitness app (such as bmr calculator or body fat %...etc)

erickirb

BMI is not meant to measure an individual, it is designed to compare groups of populations and in general populations with higher BMI's tend to have health issues related to weight, among other things.

That said my BMI is in the "healthy" range 23.6.

If you profile pic is recent, not to be rude, but you are sporting a double chin, which usually indicates a higher than "healthy" "normal" BF%. And BF% is a much better health indicator than BMI.

CipherZero

BMI is one measure, but it was never designed to be applicable to anything but population studies. Further, BMI presumes eberyone is untrained - it's wildly inaccurate for people who have significant muscle and woefully optimistic when it comes to people on the obese and higher end of the scale.

Scales and BMI are worthless if you're fit - a far better measure is body fat percentage or lean body mass measurement.

erickirb

The bmi chart says I am obese, but if you do a body fat percentage, I am classed as a healthy.

The bmi chart is kinda stupid and should really only be used as a guide, as with any online fitness app (such as bmr calculator or body fat %...etc)

If you are a "healthy" BF%, why on earth are you trying to lose 40+ lbs, you shouldn't have that much fat if your BF% is alrady in the healthy range. Either your goal is way off or your measure of BF% is.

_Zardoz_

The calculator looks at my height and weight and says your over weight and should be about 9 1/2 stone to be healthy.

I suggest you look at the numbers properly I just put your numbers in to that calculator and what it says is a healthy weight range is between 9st10 and 13st 3 so being broad at the upper range of that sounds pretty reasonable. So yes your over weight but not by much before you hit a healthy weight range. BMI is a guide and that is what it needs to be used at it does help if you actually use look at both numbers both the upper and lower range

sijomial

The calculator looks at my height and weight and says your over weight and should be about 9 1/2 stone to be healthy.

No it doesn't say that. Think you must have put the wrong numbers in!!

It says "Healthy weight range for this height: 9st 10lb - 13st 3lb"

It's a simple ratio of height to weight - nothing more complex than that.

arrseegee

BMI on its own doesn't tell you anything about body composition. I prefer to use BMI in conjunction with WtHR, or waist to height ratio. This takes into account your girth, e.g. the tummy. Google it and see what you get. If your WtHR is greater than 0.54 as well as your BMI being in the overweight range then perhaps reconsider whether the BMI tool is actually misclassifying you.

erickirb

BMI on its own doesn't tell you anything about body composition. I prefer to use BMI in conjunction with WtHR, or weight to height ratio. This takes into account your girth, e.g. the tummy. Google it and see what you get. If your WtHR is greater than 0.54 as well as your BMI being in the overweight range then perhaps reconsider whether the BMI tool is actually misclassifying you.

Do you mean waist to height?

arrseegee

BMI on its own doesn't tell you anything about body composition. I prefer to use BMI in conjunction with WtHR, or weight to height ratio. This takes into account your girth, e.g. the tummy. Google it and see what you get. If your WtHR is greater than 0.54 as well as your BMI being in the overweight range then perhaps reconsider whether the BMI tool is actually misclassifying you.

Do you mean waist to height?

Yes!!! Editing...

refuseresist

The calculator looks at my height and weight and says your over weight and should be about 9 1/2 stone to be healthy.

No it doesn't say that. Think you must have put the wrong numbers in!!

It says "Healthy weight range for this height: 9st 10lb - 13st 3lb"

It's a simple ratio of height to weight - nothing more complex than that.

OMG, this. You just wanted an excuse to MOAN about BMI.

littleburgy

I don't think BMI is always total crap, I just tend to think of it as a broad rule of thumb and a general guideline but it obviously doesn't tell the whole story.

9 1/2 stone is the MINIMUM you should weigh. If you went below that you would be underweight.

If you lost 10 pounds from where you are, you'd be in their normal weight range, which sounds about right if you are saying you have a bit of a belly (it happens, I've been in the same boat) and obviously you're looking to go a little further than this.

Congratulations on your loss so far!

ETA: body fat tests are not always totally accurate and will also vary depending on what test you do. I've done both caliper and hydrostatic and got different results. To me the body is like a dashboard -- taking different readings and having a general idea.

eldamiano

I have just tried out the NHS BMI calculator to see what it is all about and it says im over weight.

Im 6 ft tall, broad shoulders and a slim build with a little bit of belly (nothing big) and i weight 13st 13lbs after recent weight loss from 14 stone 2.

The calculator looks at my height and weight and says your over weight and should be about 9 1/2 stone to be healthy.

Im not going to believe this as it cant take in to affect muscle weight and how you live etc. I eat healthy and exercise when i can.

Its a bit of a rant i know but does anyone else see the BMI tool as a useless tool in the weight loss / healthy lifestyle world when we have such a great app like MFP

I think your calculations are wrong. I am 6 foot 1/182cm, so just an inch taller than you, and my ideal weight is 75kg/12.25(ish stone). I currently weigh 77-78kg and my BMI is somewhere between 22.5-23, so thats within the healthy range.

I reckon you are 3 stone out on your calculations.

Having said that, BMI isnt that bad nor that great. It is a guideline which shouldnt be taken too seriously.

Chrisjonesdevil22

BMI is not meant to measure an individual, it is designed to compare groups of populations and in general populations with higher BMI's tend to have health issues related to weight, among other things.

That said my BMI is in the "healthy" range 23.6.

If you profile pic is recent, not to be rude, but you are sporting a double chin, which usually indicates a higher than "healthy" "normal" BF%. And BF% is a much better health indicator than BMI.

Not a great angle of a selfie there making a double chin appear. Need to do a new pic

Chrisjonesdevil22

I don't think BMI is always total crap, I just tend to think of it as a broad rule of thumb and a general guideline but it obviously doesn't tell the whole story.

9 1/2 stone is the MINIMUM you should weigh. If you went below that you would be underweight.

If you lost 10 pounds from where you are, you'd be in their normal weight range, which sounds about right if you are saying you have a bit of a belly (it happens, I've been in the same boat) and obviously you're looking to go a little further than this.

Congratulations on your loss so far!

ETA: body fat tests are not always totally accurate and will also vary depending on what test you do. I've done both caliper and hydrostatic and got different results. To me the body is like a dashboard -- taking different readings and having a general idea.

Thanks for the reply. I was cheering on those Seahawks as i called them from the start of pre season

Francl27

If you profile pic is recent, not to be rude, but you are sporting a double chin, which usually indicates a higher than "healthy" "normal" BF%. And BF% is a much better health indicator than BMI.

Pffft. I have a double chin still. I'm 12 lbs below the higher range of normal BMI and 25% body fat (or less). It's genetics (and probably a bit of loose skin).

Body fat is more accurate, but it's much harder to measure properly, so BMI is more accepted... most athletes will be considered obese though, so really you can't rely on it.