Your take on BMI

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  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
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    How is everyone who is touting body fat percentage as the best measurement measuring their body fat accurately? I've tried the army body fat calculator, calipers, and a body fat scale, and I'm STILL not sure what my exact body fat measurement is. I've gotten measurements everywhere from 12% to 19%, with the average around 17%... How is that useful?

    I've used a DXA scan in the past... accurate but cost prohibitive.
  • dbrooks82
    dbrooks82 Posts: 46 Member
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    I use it as a guideline only. I just want it to say im a normal weight. I just moved from obese to overweight and felt great about it. However it varies individually. I knew an older woman who was very healthy looking...maybe even on the underweight side...but her BMI actually said she was overweight!! Same with my uncle. I say go ahead and use it as a guide, but dont get hung up on it. Its not completely accurate for everyone.
  • CrusaderSam
    CrusaderSam Posts: 180 Member
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    It doesn't take muscle into consideration, just height and weight.....so it's crap...

    bmi-comparison.gif

    Arni is 6'2" and was 235 and you know what, he took a lot of roids. To get like that body builder, someone would have to take a lot of roids too, so many you would think it would kill them but it doesn't. If BMI is crap, that pic is even more crap.
  • asarwe
    asarwe Posts: 73 Member
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    Based on statistics alone, the applicability of BMI is normal distributed. This means it is within its range of accuracy for 95% of people. I think our perceptions are off if we think anything else.

    the 5% of people for whom BMI does not apply are extremely ectomorph body types (very hard to gain fat OR muscle, the "thin as a rail" type) and muscled people (LBM puts them above a normal BMI). Most people do not fall into either of these categories.

    BMI alone is not a sufficient gauge of health. It has to be used in conjunction with other tools, such as heart-rate tests under stress, distribution of body fat, strength compared to body weight etc (yes, BF% too, but that one is hard to measure) for accuracy.
  • hendinerik
    hendinerik Posts: 287 Member
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    How is everyone who is touting body fat percentage as the best measurement measuring their body fat accurately? I've tried the army body fat calculator, calipers, and a body fat scale, and I'm STILL not sure what my exact body fat measurement is. I've gotten measurements everywhere from 12% to 19%, with the average around 17%... How is that useful?

    I've used a DXA scan in the past... accurate but cost prohibitive.

    I think calipers, used by someone who knows what they are doing, who can take measurements in multiple places on your body, can be fairly accurate. My nutritionist took my measurements with calipers on body fat percentage and she checked 4 different places on my body - a lot more accurate than the "machine" -- where you hold it between your hands she said could have a 4 point/percent variation.

    That being said, I think it's hard to use any one number as the end-all be-all standard for your health... there are certain visual cues like how your clothes feel/fit etc that have to be considered.

    I know both my BMI and BFP went down with a good exercise and nutrition plan over six months of time - in the end the "number" IMO can only be meaningful within the context of your goals and as part of a bigger picture.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    It can be used as one of many tools, but I don't like it. As others said, it can be good when you're bigger. According to it, I'm in the overweight section. I do body fat and measurements as a more accurate measure. I don't even take much notice of what the scales say anymore either.

    Mel

    What she said. I'm classified as overweight, but my body fat % is in the ideal range. And since I have higher than average muscle mass, most people would guess my weight is lower than what it is. In fact, just today someone thought I weighed 15-20 lb less than I do (so she thought my PR lift was way more badass than it actually was lol)

    That said, at my goal body fat %, I should be out of the overweight range, so it's not like its an impossible task... I just have to get a lot leaner than someone with less muscle to get the same BMI.
  • FuzzieJelly
    FuzzieJelly Posts: 848 Member
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    BMI changed from 65 to 54 in 2012! Yay!!!
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    At current, if I were to drop to 0% bodyfat I'd weigh about 200lbs. At 5'9", this is borderline obese.

    It's fine for the average deskjockey who does no exercise. For anyone active, it is pretty worthless.
  • mikeschratz
    mikeschratz Posts: 253 Member
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    My BMI is what got me to start losing. The place I work had one of those remote control looking BMI checkers and when I grabbed it, it said I was morbidly obese, and that hurt.
    It is what got me started, I don't pay any attention to it now, I am 14% bf and still in the obese range for BMI.
  • dinamadden
    dinamadden Posts: 16
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    bmi is stupid because it doesnt take into account bone density, muscle, or bf%
  • nhradeuce
    nhradeuce Posts: 168 Member
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    A few people have mentioned that BMI is not good for the "Arnie" types. While accurate, it doesn't tell the whole story either. You don't have to be a body builder for BMI to be out of whack. I am 5'9 and weight 174 which puts my BMI at 25.7, on the low end of overweight. I will probably end up being on the high end of healthy or low end of overweight no matter what I do. I work out 5 days a week and play 3-4 soccer games per week, run 5ks to warm up and run half marathons and obstacle runs several times per year. I am not really worried about my BMI and I am by no means an "Arnie" type.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    This is my take on it

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819715-for-the-ladies
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
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    BMI is not the whole story, but I do find it useful for setting initial targets for my weight. Having a BMI > 30 (obese) was one of my big motivators to get on MFP and drop that weight permanently. I was in denial for a long time about how big I had gotten.

    If you want a whole picture, you should look at BMI, BF%, and waist circumference.

    All of that should then be looked at in context of how active the person is and their dietary intake also.
  • kitigonkukoo
    kitigonkukoo Posts: 218 Member
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    lol agreed- BMI = Crap when it comes to individual purposes. It's useful for large groups of statistical data... and nothing beyond that.

    Example:

    I have a friend who is tall and extremely fit- like, 5% body fat or less kinda fit, and very muscular.

    According to BMI, he's "obease". We laugh about it all the time.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    BMI is good for an average idea of how overweight or underweight a person is. But it doesn't include any special exceptions, so it isn't helpful for a lot of people.
  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
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    I really couldn't give a crap about people using the BMI as a tool to manage their personal goals. I have issues with people, particularly medical professionals using it as the sole indicator of someone's health. Personally it sh!ts me to tears that despite having a completely normal pregnancy, having perfect results on absolutely every test I've been given, despite being fitter and stronger than most people I know, I have to have a separate individual assessment on my ability to birth my baby in the low-risk hospital of my choosing... based on BMI alone. When I ask, can you check BF%? The answer is a flat no. Similarly when I hear stories of 3 year olds being referred to a dietician, based on BMI alone, without any other health factors, without looking at diet or lifestyle, heck without even opening their eyes and looking at the girl and seeing she's tall and broad... that sh!ts me...

    It also sh!ts me whe nmy work pays for a 'health assessment' of staff which pretty much involves calculating BMI. Then based on that tells a colleague who is 28, smokes and has already had a heart attack that he is "healthy" and I am not...

    Having a higher than 'normal' BMI is a loose indicator that maybe something might be wrong. It's not a diagnosis...
  • sarahslim100
    sarahslim100 Posts: 485 Member
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    I found it very helpful for me. It was a scqre at firat to see what i was but now im in the healthy range
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    It says I'm healthy even though I'm large framed, and I think I have a slightly more lean mass than average.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    I'm overweight by my lean body mass alone. It doesn't apply to me...

    I hate you. I hate you so much I want to be like you.


    As far as BMI goes, it only seems relevant to your joints - at least in the individual sense. But, realistically, people that have been building muscle have likely/hopefully been slowly strengthening their entire bodies. Thus, it's only minimally relevant even in that regard.

    Back when I was overweight, all my numbers (BP, cholesterol, and the like) were good, if not perfect. I asked my doctor, and he said that, as long as all my numbers were as good as they were, he didn't see the need for me to lose weight. I did so because of me.
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
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    I like BMI threads, everyone is a massive bodybuilder

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