Is BMI an accurate measure or total B.S.?

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  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
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    Waist measurement is another good indicator and this does not significantly increase with body builder levels of muscle the way it does with excess fat.
    This. Bodyfat % is more accurate but not very easy to evaluate.

    I like the waist-to-height ratio. It's even easier to evaluate than BMI (waist/height in same units), less influenced by build and frame, and is actually more accurate than BMI in assessing most health risks.
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
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    It's one measurement (according to my BMI I'm too short!!!)

    Body Fat analysis done correctly would be a better indication, as otherwise (as people have already commented on) BodyBuilders and Rugby Players etc would be considered obese!!!
  • elisebeast
    elisebeast Posts: 2
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    Did you know that BMI was first invented in the 1830's?!?!

    And hasn't medical science come a long way since? I think it's probably accurate sometimes, but I also fail to see the use... A person knows whether or not he or she is overweight. For me, the BMI is sort of the opposite of what you describe. Before I lost 20 lbs, my BMI was 24 (still in the "normal" range), but I knew I was overweight, as classified by the large amount of fat that hung over the waistband of my pants when I sat down! Now my BMI is somewhere near the low end of the normal range, but I am in no way of being in danger of becoming "underweight"! :)

    I feel like I am at my perfect, healthy, size, and I have never been happier. If I had relied solely on BMI, I might still be too heavy.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I have lost 16 lbs since last years BMI through my insurance/work, however I've also been lifting and have added muscle. I wasn't that big to begin with. Sooooo, this years BMI said I was overweight..... Uhm, No

    BMI that my company uses is so OFF! There are 2 people from a different department whom compete in body fitness/body building type contests and the BMI said they were Overweight?!
  • KetosisTina
    KetosisTina Posts: 197 Member
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    Complete BS. How do you change your BMI from overweight to normal in 5 seconds?

    Cut off our leg.
  • S3r3knitty
    S3r3knitty Posts: 159 Member
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    It's off base for me. But I guess I am closer to the athlete level and therefore low body fat and higher weight confuse it. Plus I find my 6' height throws it off too...

    I did this for sh!ts and giggles...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MireyGal76/view/body-fat-and-bmi-not-accurate-624726


    In your case it would appear that BMI is reasonable in that it classifies you as in a healthy weight range, correct?

    I guess, yeah. You are right if I look at the categories. But I think where I got stuck is that it was saying that I was in the middle of average and that it seemed to suggest that I could lose quite a bit more weight and still be healthy. If I look at it solely from a "bucket" perspective and say, "I fall into the I'm healthy bucket", then you're totally right.

    :)
    I always saw it as a bucket. Th weight range is there to give you a general guideline and will fit more than one body type. For example I have a small body frame so my ideal weight is more in the lower half of the range. My colleague whose height is almost the same as mine would probably look malnourished at that weight. She feels best and looks slim at +11-13lbs while I have already a small belly at that weight. Both numbers are within the range of a healthy bmi.
  • S3r3knitty
    S3r3knitty Posts: 159 Member
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    I think BMI is a reasonable guide for people who are just starting on the road to fitness. It is mostly useless if you are within "healthy BMI" or only just overweight and do a reasonable amount of exercise.

    The BMI formula ended up being a reasonable guideline for me:

    If you do little exercise and have BMI of 35 then yes you really are obese and need to lose a load of weight to be healthy. That was me about 15 months ago :laugh: It was helpful for me to know what kind of weight I should be aiming for and to be honest it was helpful to realise that I needed to lose at least 25kg in order to be a healthy weight.

    Now that I lost about 27kg I am in the upper region of "healthy BMI" and I am more or less happy with how I look. I've switched to ignoring "weight loss" targets now and focusing more on (a) how I look in the mirror (b) how clothes fit (c) athletic performance. I expect to bump up my calories very soon so I don't lose any more weight, and the decision to start maintenance mode will NOT be based on what I see on the scale or some idea of "ideal BMI". My ticker only shows a target as you have to set one in order to use the site!
    ^This
    I wasn't overweight when I started my fitness adventure but I was at the end of the bmi range and very unhappy. Clothes were fitting badly. I had a belly, big thighs and hips. When I compared pictures of myself with pictures of other people at the same weight I definitely looked fat compared to them. After I lost weight I am now at the lower end of the bmi and finally like the way I look. So right now I don't care anymore where my weight exactly is and my new goals are getting better at weight lifting and running and being able to do a push up.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    BMI is a good place to start for a general idea of where to go. As many have stated, if you lift weights, it will not be accurate for you... Also, if you are absolutely sedentary it will not be accurate for you. Obviously, if you have lost appendages, it will not be accurate for you. These height/weight charts were actually based upon mortality rates as determined by insurance companies as far back as 1947 I seem to recall. A much more accurate measure is body fat percentage... I would say, if your profile pic is current, I would not worry a bit about BMI and stay the course.

    All this being said, the medical industry will use the BMI charts my superintendent told me of a friend of his who could not get health insurance because of his "Obesity"... (he was a body builder with about 10-12% body fat...
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
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    Total BS!

    I am in the overweight range of BMI...Hmmmm?:laugh:

    Yeah, but you're overweight in the right... never mind. :love:
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    Total BS!

    I am in the overweight range of BMI...Hmmmm?:laugh:

    Probably not in the overweight range of BMI.
  • Hondo_Man
    Hondo_Man Posts: 114 Member
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    BMI isn't totally BS. it is/was used by insurance companies to help determine risk of illness and death. It has the benefit of being quick and easy (and cheap) to determine, unlike BF %. Disadvantage is that it doesn't take into account BF% so doesn't apply to very fit people. Overall, I think it's a good starting point.

    The fact that insurance companies refer to it should be a hint. We have health insurance companies issues here in Germany, too.

    To say BMI is accurate would be comparable to measuring the square meters of one's home by take steps around the perimeter. Nice, but way off.

    I am 188cm and as of Monday morning, 86kgs. My BF is at 10% (+ / - a fraction). According to the BMI calculator I was just doing, I am 24 on that scale. One point more and I'd be considered "over-weight".

    BMI does not take anything into account other than weight and height. Muscle versus fat is not considered.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    I am 188cm and as of Monday morning, 86kgs. My BF is at 10% (+ / - a fraction). According to the BMI calculator I was just doing, I am 24 on that scale. One point more and I'd be considered "over-weight".

    In other words, you're normal size, not fat, and in the normal range.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    BMI is what it is. I"m overweight/on the cusp of overweight by BMI, but I'm not at all stressed about it (Why should I be? I'm happy with how I look and comfortable in my skin.) So assuming you're also happy OP (And by the way you look great) I'm not sure why you'd let some silly number rain on your parade.

    That said there is some indication that BMI is faulty for those of Asian descent (They are more often labled as underweight by BMI when actually their weight is fine for their height) and those of African descent (More often labeled as overweight by BMI.) But that's just food for thought
  • kaylajane11
    kaylajane11 Posts: 313 Member
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    I also don't put much stock in what my BMI says. Five years ago I was considered at a "healthy" weight according to my BMI. I exercised a lot back then, but mostly did cardio. Now I am in the low-end of the "overweight" range. I weigh about ten pounds more, but my measurements are about the same (or less) than they were when I was considered to be at a healthy BMI. I do a lot more strength training now than I ever have.

    I also think if I had small boobs and a flat butt my BMI would be significantly lower - so I'm happy to have a higher BMI when I factor in my curves.
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
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    The latter. Especially if you have high LBM.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
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    Whether or not it's BS kind of depends on what you think of the term "Obese." Obesity, as a subject, gets thrown around in the media with decent frequency, usually along with pictures of people who are morbidly obese.

    Pop-culture references to BMI don't have a good way of distinguishing between someone who is 30lbs overweight vs someone who is 150lbs overweight, as both may very well be Obese.

    At my height and weight, I'm barely Obese by the BMI. When I tell people that I'm obese, they argue with me, sometimes giving me the "it doesn't take BF into account" line. And while I tend to agree that just by looking I wouldn't call myself Obese, I'm most definitely overweight, and my BF% is about 10% higher than I'd like it to be.

    Do I think it's a dumb measure? Kinda. All of my biometrics are just peachy...except my BMI.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    <<<< Obese by BMI.

    <<<< About 10-15 Lbs overweight according to BMI...and I guarantee that nobody is confusing me for a body builder any time in the near future.
  • paula5077
    paula5077 Posts: 57
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    I am considered under weight via my so called BMI. I think it is total b.s! Unless you get measured by a dr I see no way to "calculate" it based on height, age and weight. BUT I did find decent numbers to use on www.iifym.com
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
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    This is just an observation:

    BMI is a general guideline that is going to be reasonable for most people.

    It will likely be off for bodybuilders and possibly other athletes.

    The part I find interesting is that the population that it's less accurate in, is the population that doesn't need to worry about it to begin with.

    I recall thinking it was crap when I first started lifting. The truth is that I was also overweight and overfat and it was accurate for me. I just didn't want to accept it.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
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    Total B.S. I have a healthy body fat percentage (was tested just last week), hip to waist ratio, and waist to height ratio. I would need to lose 23 pounds to get to the top end of my healthy BMI range. I lift heavy things. I am focusing on decreasing my BF % and not worrying too much about the number on the scale. BMI is not a good evaluation tool for muscular women if all other indicators say "good." I have 125+ pounds of lean mass and the BMI says that's smack dab in the mid range/healthy zone for women my height. If I weighed 125, I would have 0% bodyfat. When I reach my goal body fat percentage, I will still be over the healthy BMI for my height.

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