BMI Index is Bogus - NPR

Options

Replies

  • louisee294
    louisee294 Posts: 140 Member
    Options
    I think this article is BRILLIANT and I completely agree with it.

    At 5"8 and 205 pounds Some doctors have told me (based on my BMI) that I really need to lose weight, as I am currently in the "obese" category, while other (nice doctors!!) have said that I perhaps could lose a little but I look in proportion and dont look fat. Common sense dictates that 205 pounds is a few stone over what I should be, but to say I am obese I think is far-fetched.

    I'm sure if I was obese I wouldnt be happy tanning myself on a beach in a bikini...which I am.

    It doesnt take into account muscle or your build.

    Similarly I have a friend who is 5"4 and 110 pounds, and she is told she is unweight, but she looks normal.
  • Ashlea_M
    Ashlea_M Posts: 165 Member
    Options
    I agree too. I hate the BMI- i have lots of muscle and have an obese BMI of 33 at 212 pounds and 5'8. Yes I'm overweight and need to lose weight for health reasons such as my blood pressure and because I'd like to be slimmer but I don't consider myself to be obese.
  • Endershadow
    Endershadow Posts: 52 Member
    Options
    I love reading any articles talking **** on BMI since I used to focus on weight lifting instead of cardio. But many articles also say that its only inaccurate for a extremely small percentage of the population. i.e. steroid taking body builders.

    So, BMI is still applicable for most people...especially with how easy it is to calculate, but there are definitely many better ways of determining if you are healthy.
  • NightOwl1
    NightOwl1 Posts: 881 Member
    Options
    I think the BMI is what it is. I think it serves as a general and simplistic guideline that people can use to figure out their obesity level. It has a lot of inaccuracies, but it's the simplest way to calculate it. I think that the more detailed a method is, the more accurate it is. So anyone who gets their obesity level checked by a more detailed method will get a more accurate result than the BMI index.

    I think it's over relied on, but I still think it has a purpose. Body fat is a much better indicator of obesity, but to measure it correctly is a lot more difficult.
  • kimwig
    kimwig Posts: 164
    Options
    The article does not refer to the fact that BMI is a (quite large) range, so there is plenty of allowance for difference in build.

    I was once a sceptic regarding BMI and it's applicability - I was in the overweight category. However, having lost weight (sensibly through a number of lifestyle changes) I am now within normal BMI, and am a convert regarding it's value as an indicator.

    I do think you need to link it as well to other measures (waist size, fat percentage). If you do not think BMI is relevant to you, then do a skin fold test to get your fat percentage, and see where that puts you.

    Having done various measures, as I was losing weight, I came to realize just how much fat I was carrying and that BMI was a reasonable indicator. I think we have become "blind" to people's increased size/weight and consider overweight to be normal.

    I think you would find that most (if not all) those above the normal BMI range would have percentage fat levels that are not healthy (especially the visceral fat that collects around our organs).
  • secostley
    secostley Posts: 409 Member
    Options
    Topic is right on! Sadly, BMI is entrenched in so many health and fitness material, calculations and industry, it may never go away.

    Shawn
  • hellsbell
    hellsbell Posts: 33 Member
    Options
    The article is confusing. It says:
    "a report released this week from the Trust for America's Health [...] found that nearly two-thirds of states now have adult obesity rates above 25 percent."
    and:
    "a Belgian named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet [...] produced the formula to give a quick and easy way to measure the degree of obesity of the general population."
    and:
    "The person who dreamed up the BMI said explicitly that it could not and should not be used to indicate the level of fatness in an individual."

    None of the above statements contradict each other. But the article tells us to disregard the report because it used the BMI to measure the degree of obesity in the pop. of all states in the US, in other words it used the "hack" for its intended purpose. How does this make sense?
    For all I know the BMI as applied to individuals really is bogus, but this article certainly doesn't make a case for ignoring that report.
  • blt4dtuff
    blt4dtuff Posts: 9
    Options
    According to the BMI calculator, I should be at 200 lbs or less. I'm 75 inches tall, and 200 pounds would make me look like a marathon runner. I haven't been 200 pounds in 20 years. BMI does not take into account differences in size. According to BMI, we should all be the same size (within a few pounds of each other), and have the same build. It's a totally inaccurate calculation when applied to an individual.
  • gdunn55
    gdunn55 Posts: 363
    Options
    According to the BMI calculator, I should be at 200 lbs or less. I'm 75 inches tall, and 200 pounds would make me look like a marathon runner. I haven't been 200 pounds in 20 years. BMI does not take into account differences in size. According to BMI, we should all be the same size (within a few pounds of each other), and have the same build. It's a totally inaccurate calculation when applied to an individual.

    I agree.. When you're built like a lineback to begin with, BMI is thrown out the window. When I think of an obese person, I always envision someone who can barely walk because they are so heavy or they can't see their feet.

    Like the doc told me the other day when he saw my weight, he said, You need to watch it, but you're not exactly what I thought you'd look like. You look to be in good shape.
  • BioColonel08
    BioColonel08 Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    In short, BMI assumes certain levels of adipose (fat) tissue and certain levels of lean (muscle) tissue. In people who work out and lift weights (No, it doesnt have to be a body builder), the BMI will assume that a certain percentage of your weight is adipose tissue and a certain percentage of your weight is muscle. Since we all know muscle weighs more than fat, a muscular person will have a high BMI because it will assume that weight is adipose tissue and not muscle.

    It's a bogus scale and it's antiquted. As a guideline for personal use, it isnt that bad. As far as doctors relying on it, that's dangerous and stupid.

Categories