BMI for African Americans/Blacks/Browns

BAMFMeredith

I really hope you arent serious...

I would check your frame first - if you have a larger frame you can weigh more, if you have a tiny frame - you should aim for less. And either way, the BMI is crap when it comes to the fact that you probably have LOTS of muscle and it doesnt account for your lean mass. I would stick to going by your body fat percentage- the BMI is as out-dated as the aerobics leotards they used in the 70s girl!

But those aerobics leotards are soooo awesomeeeee...

JBuck1914

bump

mfpcopine

I get what your saying, My mamma keeps telling me the same thing.
I don't like to follow BMI for that reason! Someone mentioned bone density. In my family we all run a little heavy. I have a 2 year old niece, the size of a regular 2 year old but heavier, and you wouldn't know how heavy she was till you picked her up! My mom says we were all the same way and so was she, we have heavy bones. I think it's deceiving so I try to only compare myself to myself!

The next time you see the doctor ask for a bone density scan to confirm that you actually are "big boned."

tlafrance

Bump

vjtauro

The logic is simple....BLack, White, Yellow, Brown, Pink, Green, Orange Red.......

IF IT JIGGLES, ITS FAT!!

BMI is over-rated...a 5'10" bodybuilder could have a BMI that would put him in the obese zone, but its just the fact that his muscles are more dense than the average man. this does not make him overweight.

Focus on Body-fat and vitals, build muscle and leave the rest alone. Man or Woman, Black or White...irrelevant

mfpcopine

I like to edit to add.

As a black man...I am jealous of white men Calves..

Damnit!

Please don't be jealous!!!! White dudes calves are usually too thin unless they DO something about it!

Love your body

I love skinny white boy calves, lol. Speaking of, one of my white friends was laughing at me because my legs are whiter than his, and I'm Latino.

I've known or seen black guys with huge calves and others with slender boyish calves. People need to get out more.

k2charmed4u

I don't think race has anything to do with BMI infact I don't think BMI is realistic for most of the population because if I achieved my BMI for my height, age etc (which means i'd have to be about 10 1/2 stone) I would look ridiculous as I have very wide hips and broad shoulders and back. I'd look flat when looked at from the side :laugh:

I'm aiming to get to a healthy weight that looks proportionate to my body shape. I'm aiming for 11 1/2 stone but if I look good at about 12-12 1/2 then i'll stop as that's good enough for me :happy:

yoovie

I really hope you arent serious...

I would check your frame first - if you have a larger frame you can weigh more, if you have a tiny frame - you should aim for less. And either way, the BMI is crap when it comes to the fact that you probably have LOTS of muscle and it doesnt account for your lean mass. I would stick to going by your body fat percentage- the BMI is as out-dated as the aerobics leotards they used in the 70s girl!

But those aerobics leotards are soooo awesomeeeee...

only the bubble gum pink/lime green combos! with the fuzzy legwarmers!!!

mfpcopine

Cuz the folks in the south say Im a HEALTHY weight... I think I look good just like I am

Last time I checked, healthy weight isn't based on whether people find you attractive. It's not about looking good, it's about being healthy. Do you know how prevalent heart disease is among African Americans? But you're suggesting that you should be "allowed" more body fat because you like the way it looks.

:laugh:

GasMasterFlash

OP I would never post that here esp since this site is other dominate and they don't understand the complexities those of other races have.

:huh:

mfpcopine

My issue with the BMI boils down to this. I'm 6'3" and weigh 255 pounds, about the same as your average NFL linebacker. Our BMI's are the same. But guess what, guys like Ray Lewis are ripped and I am not. He's "obese" like me, according to the numbers. So, I'm just going to pay attention to my percent body fat and not worry about the BMI.

Ray Lewis is a professional athlete, you are not. Sorry.

:laugh:

lil_missfit

I understand what your're saying. My body fat % was like 34% now it is 24%. For health reasons keep it low. Also, as someone stated before....You're waist and hip measurements should tell you if you're in a "danger zone" for like hypertension and diabetes etc. I'm not sure where I read or heard this but I remember learning that if your waist in inches is more than half your total inches in height then that puts you at risk for diabetes. I am 60 inches tall so my waist shouldn't be more that 30 inches around. I love my hips and thighs too so I don't want to shrink those areas either. This is what I am doing and hopefully this could help you....I am striving to get my waist under 30 inches. I am at 30 inches and my goal is to get it to 24 inches. My hips are a 38. I kinda like that...because my bust is about a 36...so 36-24-38 is my overall goal...NOW...with that said...I want EVERYTHING tone....no jiggle or cellulite...or FLAB!!! I am able to visually look and see where uneccessary, dangerous fat could still be trimmed off. I'm pretty thick too, with a muscular build. I am a large frame as well. However, I have gotten down to a size 8 and still have the curves so don't worry...it can be done ) Good luck!

Keisha

mfpcopine

While I am not a huge fan of the BMI scale, it exists for a reason and should not be totally discounted. The average person should fall within (or very close to) the ranges given.

I look at it like this: So many of us on MFP have been fighting a battle with our weight for a very long time. Now that we are here, we want to succeed. If there is some tool that tells you that you are are overweight, use another tool for a second opinion. If they both say you are overweight, lose the weight. That's why we are here.

In my experience, writing off the standard figures because I am black has left me with an even more serious weight problem. I had great blood work and everything else, and then one day, I didn't.

Good luck with your weight loss goals :-)

Yup this. It sucks that everyone keeps throwing around the "Ignore ___ measurement because its garbage!" yet they don't want to admit that many people just need to get healthy. I know there is an exception to every rule but its dangerous to throw around misinformation. Especially when it come to early intervention methods for better health. Of course BMI scales don't apply to a select few, but the majority of people hugely tipping the BMI scales are indeed overweight or obese.

Your comment also applies more generally to all those people who claim that they're obese but fit and have great blood work, healthy joints, etc. One day they won't.

keekykay3

**BUMP

TinkrBelz

BMI is a crock of $hitscum. You want to go off of Body Fat Percentage.

I suggest using the US Navy measuring.
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

Ensure that you measure correctly,

I do not agree with BMI because my husband is obese and is very very muscular. I also do not agree with the calculator above. It says that I am 24% body fat. As you can tell from profile picture, I am not 24%. I have played with the numbers and I have to drop another 1.5" in my waist to get to 20.6%. That is not possible unless I remove ribs. I am a little bit short waisted and there is not enough space from bottom of ribs to hip bones for my waist to curve in anymore.

I do not like to use bf calculators because as you age it automatically bums you up. I am 42 and if I had this exact same body at 22, it would be 4%age lower! I do not like scales because I weigh 10lbs heavier than I did 20 years ago BUT I am the same measurements and wear the same size clothes (more muscle now), BMI is stupid because it does not account for muscle.

I like the mirror...yes, that seems simple...but if you like what is in the mirror and you are healthy that is what matters.

And I do agree a bit that black women are more curvier and love their curves. I teach Zumba and most of my black women have larger butts and thighs. And as they lose weight, it comes off of their midsection a lot faster...but they still have their butts and thighs (just more muscular). I have to say, they LOVE it and their husbands do to because we joke around about it.

I am no expert by any means, but I think that blacks are more muscular naturally than whites. My sons are in great shape and very athletic, but their black friends seems to have a lot more muscle naturally. My sons have to do push ups and arm curls to get pecs and biceps and their black friends come over to swim and they are already ripped!! haha But that would mean that they weigh more but it is muscle and how they are built naturally!! Why worry about what some stupid government thing says that you should weigh??

OP, you just do what you need to do to be healthy and to have the look that you desire (your look is already great) and who cares about BMI, bf%, or scales!!

iamfranniefierce

Interesting article which states that African Americans, in general, have a greater bone mineral density and body protein content than other races, which results in inaccurate estimations of body fat and measure of obesity.
http://www.ajcn.org/content/71/6/1392.full

Shakila87

Girl you look good!! Bump and BMI or Body Fat percent #POW

callmehealthy

By American Standards I am 2.3% overweight, I should be weighing around 155, which means I need 2 lose about 20 lbs...I weighed 174.2, BMI was 27.3, BP was 110/74, Total Cholesterol was 117, HDL 58, nonHDL 59, Glucose 73, my fat was 41.2%, I am suppose to be in a range of 21-33%, Fat Mass was 71.81, suppose 2 be 27.2-50.41 range & they said I shud eat 1565 to maintain my weight...EXCUSE ME, BUT WHERE IS THE AFRICAN AMERICAN/BLACK & BROWN FOLKS BODY MASS INDEX LOCATED??? Cuz the folks in the south say Im a HEALTHY weight & I think I nd 2 create anotha type of BMI!!!!!!!! I am heavy in the hips & thighs & I think I look good just like I am, these standards are so not realistic!!!! BMI 4 Blacks is a need, we are circumferenced different!!!!!

Why didn't anyone tell me I was black??! I agree, bmi standards are skewed. I say don't worry about it, and just be healthy.

SofaKingRad

You have to understand the complexities behind BMI to fully undersand how it works. First, it is more complex than a simple mathematical formula based on your weight and height. It has everything to do with how many raisins you eat before you wake up every morning. When you account for that in addition with any random freckles you have placed over your body, race place a rather significant factor in your BMI reading.

Okay, here is an analogy. You have a chicken, a hammer, and a bottle of eye drops. You weight each individually, measure the length, subtract out any body hair and any additional grams of fat that each could have consumed on a date exactly 3.45 weeks prior. Then, multiply that by the number of molecules of water they drank in the last 5 months. Then, multiply this factor by zero, and add the following forumla BMI = ( Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches x Height in inches ) ) x 703 (for english units) and BMI = ( Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters x Height in Meters ) ) for metric. Multiply this by the race factor depending on your race below:

Caucasian: 1.0

African American: 1.0

Middle Eastern: 1.0

Hispanic: 1.0

Justin Bieber: 1.0

I recommend that further studies be conducted on other races; including people that paint their face and look ridiculous, such as people who are followers of the Insane Clown Posse. I prefer not study them because I get rather annoyed by them.

Anyways, I'm glad I can help clear up this problem. I mean, when you think about it, it really is a similar problem as to wondering why the chicken really did cross the road? Trivial really. Enjoy your day.

mfpcopine

41% fat is obese.

Recent New York Times article. The author is an African American woman, who also discusses her own weight gain and loss.

"Black Women and Fat

FOUR out of five black women are seriously overweight. One out of four middle-aged black women has diabetes. With $174 billion a year spent on diabetes-related illness in America and obesity quickly overtaking smoking as a cause of cancer deaths, it is past time to try something new.

What we need is a body-culture revolution in black America. Why? Because too many experts who are involved in the discussion of obesity don’t understand something crucial about black women and fat: many black women are fat because we want to be. ..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/opinion/sunday/why-black-women-are-fat.html

Dang Tio Tacos, Uncle Toms....White Folks can ALWAYS find ONE and try to lay THAT on the WHOLE RACE! What about the environmental factors that cause obesity and resulting Co-Morbidities>>>STRESS, Poverty, Unemployment, RACISM, White Privilege, Sexism..

So is that going to be your excuse for deluding yourself about what is a healthy weight? It's a conspiracy by white people? :laugh: