BMI called into question again - potential revamp?

athensguy

I don't pay attention to BMI. I pay attention to body fat %. BMI has so many flaws as to make it worthless in my opinion.

Body Fat is apparently very hard to measure. I range from 9.5-14 using 3 different methods. DXA algorithm 1: 9.5, DXA algorithm 2: 14, BodPod: 12.5

RachelsReboot

I think the whole BMI thing is crap. I've only lost a few pounds but I've lost well over 30 inches, and my LBM has increased yet my BMI is unchanged. If you look at my before and now pictures you can see a world of difference.

tabi26

I hate BMI! Although mine is what they call "normal" my little sisters ( ages 17 and 15) and little brother (age 14) were all told they are obese! Now, I'm not saying any of them are in great physical shape, but they live on a large farm and are constantly on the run and lifting heavy things every single day! Both my sisters are a size 8 for petes sake! Try convincing a bunch of teens the the Internet is wrong......ugh.....thanks for the help BMI! Way to slash into kids self esteem! Grrrrr!

athensguy

So this makes it so that those with muscle look even more obese by their BMI? WTF sense does that make?

Only for women, they are increasing the scale for men, as men naturally carry more lean muscle then women.

They suggested lowering Obese from 30 to 28 for men and from 30 to 24 for women.

Mick63116

Glad I saw this. I was checking my BMI for shoots in giggles and was thinking the weight they say I should be to be healthy to me would be way to skinny. Glad to see i'm not the only one who feels this way.

gemiwing

BMI is an appallingly misused measurement. However, lowering the cutoff point for 'healthy' will not change anything except the number of people classed as 'obese' - btw, where's 'overweight' gone? - and won't catch the people whose body fat percentage is high, but weight is low, whilst mistakenly classing many whose physique is muscular, body fat percentage is low, and/or frame is large as 'at risk'. Instead of this pointless knee-jerk reaction, how about changing the predominant measurement, and take body fat measurements as an indicator of risk rather than misapplying a tool meant for populations to individuals?

I was going to type something- but why when this ^^ is much more eloquent than what I would have said. A lot less cursing too.

erickirb

So this makes it so that those with muscle look even more obese by their BMI? WTF sense does that make?

Only for women, they are increasing the scale for men, as men naturally carry more lean muscle then women.

They suggested lowering Obese from 30 to 28 for men and from 30 to 24 for women.

Sorry my bad I thought the were changing women from 25 to 24 and men from 25 to 28. I must have missed that part, I was thinking overweight at 25, not obese. Thanks.

Lolli1986

"A fat percentage of 25% or more for men or 30% or more for women is the threshold for obesity."



This is supposedly 30% body fat.

Don't know where this news article got 30% = obese. Last I checked 35% = overweight.

erickirb

"A fat percentage of 25% or more for men or 30% or more for women is the threshold for obesity."



This is supposedly 30% body fat.

Don't know where this news article got 30% = obese. Last I checked 35% = overweight.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/body-fat-chart.php

according to this chart obese stats at 32%

JeceCanDoIt

I agree. Body fat % is a much more reliable way to determine if an individual is overweight or obese. BMI is a calculation and leaves much room for error (clearly).

FunandFitMom

On the other hand....Since BMI is a simple height:weight ratio, if you're very muscular, you could also be labeled obese regardless of your fitness level. Example: my hubby is a firefighter. At 5'10" and 205 with 13% body fat, he is considered obese. My opinion is that the BMI is a ill-fitting measaure of obesity on either end of the spectrum.

Lolli1986

"A fat percentage of 25% or more for men or 30% or more for women is the threshold for obesity."

This is supposedly 30% body fat.

Don't know where this news article got 30% = obese. Last I checked 35% = overweight.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/body-fat-chart.php

according to this chart obese stats at 32%

Yeah, average or acceptable being 26-31%. Meaning not overweight.

For the record, in that shot I am BMI 24. I can accept that being called overweight - I feel that it is overweight. But obese in the usual BMI 30+ sense? right.

dieseljay74

I'm still listed as overweight

ahubbard134

Blast! I just hit 25, healthy weight. Now i'm obese? At least it'll motivate me now...

korsicash

I think there are many flaws. My BMI has me as overweight, waist to height has me as perfect, waist to hip has me as over weight and finally body fat percentage has me as smack dab in the middle of healthy unless you do the more precise calculations and then it says I am under weight. LOL!

renkath

From the Center for Consumer Freedom: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/2006/05/3031-tom-cruise-another-bmi-casualty/

"Tom Cruise: Another BMI Casualty

Maybe super chunk Tom Cruise hit the “Vanilla Sky” ice cream a bit too hard, or perhaps he had more than “A Few Good (Gingerbread) Men.” Either way, according to the federal government’s ridiculous standards, Tom Cruise at 5’7″ and 170 pounds is considered officially fat.

While his on-screen persona in “Mission: Impossible III“, Ethan Hunt, performs daring stunts and does battle to save the world from evil weapons traders, Cruise — who apparently should have starred in “Thighs of Thunder” and “Top Gut” — is the victim of the very same flawed standard fueling the over-hyped “obesity epidemic” today.

This standard, called the Body Mass Index (BMI), is “Far and Away” the worst available measure of obesity since it only takes height and weight — not muscle mass — into consideration. A BMI of 25 or over means you’re technically “overweight” and a BMI over 30 means you’re “obese.” Tom Cruise, with a BMI of 26.6, is officially overweight, but he’s in good company. Celebrities like George Clooney, Will Smith, and Matthew McConaughey are also considered fat according to the misleading standard. Check out how you stack up on our BMI Scale today."

kcragg

Interesting post. I just found this waist to height calculator

http://www.health-calc.com/body-composition/waist-to-height-ratio

kcragg

Bump

castadiva

From the Center for Consumer Freedom: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/2006/05/3031-tom-cruise-another-bmi-casualty/

"Tom Cruise: Another BMI Casualty

Maybe super chunk Tom Cruise hit the “Vanilla Sky” ice cream a bit too hard, or perhaps he had more than “A Few Good (Gingerbread) Men.” Either way, according to the federal government’s ridiculous standards, Tom Cruise at 5’7″ and 170 pounds is considered officially fat.

While his on-screen persona in “Mission: Impossible III“, Ethan Hunt, performs daring stunts and does battle to save the world from evil weapons traders, Cruise — who apparently should have starred in “Thighs of Thunder” and “Top Gut” — is the victim of the very same flawed standard fueling the over-hyped “obesity epidemic” today.

This standard, called the Body Mass Index (BMI), is “Far and Away” the worst available measure of obesity since it only takes height and weight — not muscle mass — into consideration. A BMI of 25 or over means you’re technically “overweight” and a BMI over 30 means you’re “obese.” Tom Cruise, with a BMI of 26.6, is officially overweight, but he’s in good company. Celebrities like George Clooney, Will Smith, and Matthew McConaughey are also considered fat according to the misleading standard. Check out how you stack up on our BMI Scale today."

LOL!!! Wonderfully tongue-in-cheek! Re. the next poster's link, I'm not so sure about waist/height ratios as they ignore many of the same things as BMI, especially frame. Someone with a large ribcage and large, wide-set pelvic bones is almost certain to have a higher waist/height ratio than someone of the same height with a petite or average frame... I'm probably particularly conscious of this, as I have an unusually wide and deep ribcage on a generally large frame, and physically couldn't reach the same waist size as my smaller-framed friends without removing a few ribs! It's a great professional advantage, but something of a liability in clothes shopping or a BMI-obsessed doctors' office!

catelabow

BMI is an appallingly misused measurement. However, lowering the cutoff point for 'healthy' will not change anything except the number of people classed as 'obese' - btw, where's 'overweight' gone? - and won't catch the people whose body fat percentage is high, but weight is low, whilst mistakenly classing many whose physique is muscular, body fat percentage is low, and/or frame is large as 'at risk'. Instead of this pointless knee-jerk reaction, how about changing the predominant measurement, and take body fat measurements as an indicator of risk rather than misapplying a tool meant for populations to individuals?


I was going to type something- but why when this ^^ is much more eloquent than what I would have said. A lot less cursing too.

I agree. I have always been way off the charts, and I don't need any more shame piled on for not being a lithe, willowy person. I am a sturdy, muscular build and I'm working on being healthy, but I don't have a snowball's chance of getting within the healthy range on that stupid chart.