Bmi calculators, trust em!?

krissienunyabiz
krissienunyabiz Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok ladies, I've been harping at myself over my BMI calculator results. It's days I'm obese!!! Really? I mean don't get me wrong, I'm 5'2 and 170 no sorry 169 lbs :) I've got jelly! But obese? Does anyone else pay attention to this? And if so do you trust it as a method if monitoring weight loss success?
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Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    BMI calculators aren't perfect but yes at that height and weight you are clinically obese with all the health related risks that go along with that.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    When I was 215, I didn't feel obese either, but according to BMI, I was just over the edge. However, looking back now there was no doubt about it.
  • ameliadiouf
    ameliadiouf Posts: 3
    Hi, They are usually right. But lets face it the word OBESE IS OBESE :) I don't like that word because it has a wide range, to me some people don't look obese, over weight maybe: I think it's just the word that scares us, it did me, and made me feel low, and embarrassed. We all know when we are over weight, we don't need to be told we are OBESE!

    Good Luck with the weight loss :)
  • ameliadiouf
    ameliadiouf Posts: 3
    CONGRATS on your 89 loss ~ AWESOME!!
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Obese =/= morbidly obese. Morbid obesity is being either 100lbs overweight or more than twice your ideal weight (this criteria is more for children). Just because you're not 500lbs doesn't mean you're not obese.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    If anything, I'd say BMI runs a little high. At my current weight I'm 8lbs "underweight" even though I'm healthy. It only underestimates for the very muscular.
  • x3amberx3
    x3amberx3 Posts: 9
    According to BMI i'm obese too lol.... I use that for motivation! However, my trainer said that it doesn't take in account for muscle so it's just a a round about number and not to focus on it too much.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    I find the BMI chart is...perhaps skewed towards a certain kind of body type/type of person. At my ideal weight I'm pushing into overweight, but most people regarded me rather thin, complete with jokes about how I was wasting away and needed to eat more.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    I don't trust the BMI CHART...much less calculators.

    At my current weight (180lbs), I'm borderline obese. No...I'm not a bodybuilder, no...I'm not heavily muscled. I'm just a relatively strong for my size, average build guy...who's sitting at about 19% bodyfat.

    Give me a freakin break.
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    NO.
  • notworthstalking
    notworthstalking Posts: 531 Member
    I agree use it as a guide. According to the bmi, I could loose another 4 or 5 kilos before being underweight. Honestly if lost that much I would be seeing the doctor. I feel really good at the weight I am now and could handle a couple more.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    BMI calculators are pretty accurate for determining obesity. Yes, there are exceptions among people with massive amounts of muscle, but these are rare. BMI is actually less accurate at the lower end of the spectrum. The CDC estimates that nearly 30% of people with BMI in the healthy range are overfat (aka "skinny fat"). That means that they weigh less because they lack lean body mass and still have more fat than is healthy.
  • marz42
    marz42 Posts: 223 Member
    I'd take it with a grain of salt..

    Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus
    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    BMI is a good guideline. There will always be exceptions such as very muscular people, or some very naturally slim people, and sometimes people who are just kind of a stocky build, but it's a good indicator.
  • Popsing
    Popsing Posts: 23 Member
    BMI calculators are okay for the "average Joe" who wants to know if they are clinically obese. However, if you are a dedicated body builder/weightlifter, BMI is not really useful. My husband is 205 lbs of solid meat and he's considered overweight with a BMI of 27. His body fat is only 12% and he is 58 years old. I, too, lift weights and although my body fat is 30%--I'm hoping to get it down to 25%--I also have a high BMI. Higher than my size would indicate because I have so much muscle which is 1/5th the size of fat. Just remember that BMI is just a tool.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    A lot of people think that being at the low end of the bmi spectrum is underweight and unhealthy. But, that is an over reaction. People that are petite and small framed are very healthy at the low end of the spectrum and even down to 18 bmi. You can go over this with your doctor to see where you are based on you as an individual with your frame size, history, and genetics.
  • bdkglk
    bdkglk Posts: 67 Member
    Thanks for this discussion. I am glad someone finally explained skinny fat to me. I can see how this happens because muscle weighs more than fat. At 146 lbs the BMI calculator has me at 25 and this is still overweight I am told.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    BMI calculators are pretty accurate for determining obesity. Yes, there are exceptions among people with massive amounts of muscle, but these are rare. BMI is actually less accurate at the lower end of the spectrum. The CDC estimates that nearly 30% of people with BMI in the healthy range are overfat (aka "skinny fat"). That means that they weigh less because they lack lean body mass and still have more fat than is healthy.

    Clearly you didn't read my post. I don't have 'massive amounts of muscle' and no one I know who is at a healthy bodyfat and is borderline obese does either.

    And trust me, that's not 'rare'. There are a crapload of us on my friends list alone, and I know a substantial amount of people in my day to day life that it doesn't fit either.

    The chart is useless unless you fit the average. At either end it's completely skewed.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Thanks for this discussion. I am glad someone finally explained skinny fat to me. I can see how this happens because muscle weighs more than fat. At 146 lbs the BMI calculator has me at 25 and this is still overweight I am told.

    Ignore the BMI chart. Get a qualified person to measure your bodyfat...and use that as a gauge of your overall health. Lean mass is healthy. The only place that carrying any overabundance of lean mass can have a negative effect is joint inflamation...and trust me, it's going to be difficult at best for a woman to gain the kind of lean mass those kinds of issues would be triggered by.
  • wassergottin
    wassergottin Posts: 154 Member
    Body fat percentages are more accurate than BMI calculations, but the BMI does work for the average person and fortunately, the majority of people fit the average. At that height and weight you are technically obese, whether or not you feel like it. The best thing to do would be seeing a doctor or a health center that has people on hand who can calculate your body fat, and do some health assessment such as blood work.

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