Do you think BMI is a hoax?

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  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    How many fit and healthy people have a BMI of 40 ? 45 ?

    It's a statistic, which can be abused or misinterpreted.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    yep
  • fShaw86
    fShaw86 Posts: 878 Member
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    I don't think it's a hoax, but it's a mathematical formula, and not based on science at all. I only realized how lame it was after a muscled friend mentioned his weight, and I did a BMI thing, and was like dude you're fat. He was like dude you're lame, it's all muscle. LOL. BMI doesn't take into consideration muscle mass or fat, just lumps up everything together.
  • megabyt23
    megabyt23 Posts: 580 Member
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    Considering the fact that it doesn't really take into account your muscle vs body fat percentage...I'd say it's pretty useless. They used to "test" our BMI's at school. They told me that I was at risk for being obese. I was 5'4 and 115 pounds at the time. lol
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    Considering the fact that it doesn't really take into account your muscle vs body fat percentage...I'd say it's pretty useless. They used to "test" our BMI's at school. They told me that I was at risk for being obese. I was 5'4 and 115 pounds at the time. lol

    5'4 115 is 19.7 BMI, which is at the lower end of the "normal" category.
  • anna_toffee
    anna_toffee Posts: 31 Member
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    i firmly believe that it is a very inaccurate means of judging health. according to that scale, my ideal weight is approx. 135lbs. as a healthy, 5'8 19-year-old my most comfortable, maintainable weight is closer to 150lbs. the last time i was near 135lbs i was very unhappy and very stressed. i would rather not return to that just because of the BMI scale.
  • SummerLovesPhil
    SummerLovesPhil Posts: 242 Member
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    Hoax? No. But it's a 200-year-old numerical hack designed for distributing public resources, and developed by a mathematician, not a doctor. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439
  • mbz0616
    mbz0616 Posts: 77 Member
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    Starting next year, my employer will use BMI as one of the biometrics they look at in order to determine whether we earn cash rewards in our health care reimbursement accounts. If an employee meets certain targets (based upon the American Heart Association guidelines) for BMI, blood pressure, total cholesterol, cholesterol/HDL ratio, glucose, and tobacco use, the employee will receive the reward, The company's rationale is that meeting optimal targets reduces the employee's long-term risk for chronic conditions, which helps reduce health insurance costs.

    One more reason to keep going to the gym!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    From the CDC:

    Why does CDC use BMI to measure overweight and obesity?

    Calculating BMI is one of the best methods for population assessment of overweight and obesity. Because calculation requires only height and weight, it is inexpensive and easy to use for clinicians and for the general public. The use of BMI allows people to compare their own weight status to that of the general population.

    What are some of the other ways to measure obesity? Why doesn't CDC use those to determine overweight and obesity among the general public?

    Other methods to measure body fatness include skinfold thickness measurements (with calipers), underwater weighing, bioelectrical impedance, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and isotope dilution. However, these methods are not always readily available, and they are either expensive or need highly trained personnel. Furthermore, many of these methods can be difficult to standardize across observers or machines, complicating comparisons across studies and time periods.

    http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/index.html#Why
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,224 Member
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    i firmly believe that it is a very inaccurate means of judging health. according to that scale, my ideal weight is approx. 135lbs. as a healthy, 5'8 19-year-old my most comfortable, maintainable weight is closer to 150lbs. the last time i was near 135lbs i was very unhappy and very stressed. i would rather not return to that just because of the BMI scale.

    BMI doesn't give anyone a single numeric weight goal, nor is it age specific. As a 5'8" person, BMI says a healthy weight is anywhere from 125 to 163. So your 150 is just fine - and healthy according to BMI. I agree that it's not a unilateral or even the most appropriate measure of health, but your situation fits well within what BMI considers as healthy (and not an outlier example of why it's "bad").
  • chadraeder3
    chadraeder3 Posts: 288
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    It dates back to the mid 1800's ...............not terribly relevant now

    Yep BMI was created back in the 1800's for 1800's man, in the last 200 years we have made huge advancements and should have a updated the concept of BMI. BMI is a starting point but everyone is a individual and cannot fit in to a rigid model. Some people are healthy at the BMI weight and some will look anorexic at that weight
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    It dates back to the mid 1800's ...............not terribly relevant now

    Yep BMI was created back in the 1800's for 1800's man, in the last 200 years we have made huge advancements and should have a updated the concept of BMI. BMI is a starting point but everyone is a individual and cannot fit in to a rigid model. Some people are healthy at the BMI weight and some will look anorexic at that weight

    If you think you'll look "anorexic" at 25 BMI, you probably haven't been 25 BMI in a while. It's difficult to look heavily muscled in regular fit clothing at 25 BMI, but it's not skinny. In areas of rampant obesity, having lean or athletic levels of body fat may appear "too thin", but that's a perception issue.
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
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    I wouldn't call it a hoax, although I would say it is being misused.

    BMI as an indicator of obesity is like waist measurement as an indicator of visceral fat levels. Correlation in sedentary populations, 60-85% of the planet is sedentary (WHO, 2002), apply it to everyone.
  • jmoliveson
    jmoliveson Posts: 40 Member
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    I do not agree with the BMI and although I am considered overweight by its standards, I don't care. I refuse to be within its range because I am muscular and would rather look and feel strong and healthy. Good question though because it is confusing.

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