Morbidly obese, Really??

If he's morbidly obese... Well I should already be dead, we'll leave it at that.

His doctor, it seems, is relying solely on BMI and not, you know, actual physical evidence of health.

Granted, I'm not a doctor, but I don't think your friend needs to worry about obesity.

This is a very important question and I'm glad that you asked it! BMI (body mass index) is a calculation of your height relative to your weight. Your BMI is 28.3, which puts you in the overweight category. A BMI of greater than 30 is considered obese; 25-29.9 is considered overweight; 18.5-24.9 is normal; and less than 18.5 is underweight. BMI is a reliable indicator of body fat, too much of which may increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and numerous other diseases. But BMI does have some limitations when it comes to weight and disease risk assessment. In a very large-framed or muscular person like you, BMI may overestimate body fat. Conversely, BMI may underestimate body fat in a very small-framed person, someone who has very little muscle mass, or a person who carries his or her excess weight mainly around the midsection and has very thin arms and legs (the so called apple shaped body type).

Since there is no adjustment factor for BMI relative to muscle mass and body frame, many experts recommend also measuring waist circumference and often consider other weight-related risk factors including high cholesterol, high blood sugar, family history, smoking and inactivity when assessing risk of obesity-related disease. If you have two or more of the above risk factors, or if your waist is greater than 40 inches (for women, greater than 35 inches), that puts you at higher risk for obesity-related diseases, especially heart disease and diabetes. At 165 pounds, you would most likely benefit from losing just 10 percent of your body weight (about 16.5 pounds), rather than aiming for 135 pounds, which may be unrealistic for your body type. Losing 10 percent of your weight, staying physically active, not smoking and eating a healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables will go a long way toward keeping you healthy, regardless of where you fall in the BMI chart.

source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/expert.q.a/08/07/bmi.muscular.people.jampolis/

BMI is strictly a ratio of height and weight. His BMI is 32. Something-which puts him in the "obese" range. Morbidly obese is generally classed as BMI over 40. And yes, it's well known that people with high amounts of lean body mass will fall into overweight/obese ranges on the BMI scale. The vast, vast, vast majority of the population that is 5'10" and weighs 225 will indeed be obese. He is obviously not. BMI should not be the end all and be all of measuring health, but for the vast majority of the population, it's probably a relatively fair guide. Those at either end of the bell curve will be mis measured by this single metric.

If you want to educate the doctor, first I would invest in bodyfat calipers, which cost about $20. I got mine at AccuMeasure:
http://www.accumeasurefitness.com/

You can use that measurement to figure out ideal weight. This formula comes from Sandra Rosenzweig's Sportfitness for Women (Harper & Row, 1982):

1. Get weight of fat = total body weight times fat percentage.
2. Get lean body weight = total body weight minus current fat weight.
3. Get ideal fat weight = desired fat percentage divided by current fat percentage times current weight of fat.
4. Ideal body weight = lean body weight plus ideal fat weight.

If the doc still says your guy is morbidly obese, I would invest in a new doctor. :-)

His doctor needs to see an eye-doctor.

If that's morbidly obese, then I'm totally screwed and will never in a million years get in a healthy range. Did the doctor see him without his shirt on? I mean, really...

He definitely needs a new doctor unless the doc was kidding about it being an ironic thing. I'm not kidding. A doctor who follows only numbers to that kind of crazy extent could kill a person.

If he's morbidly obese... Well I should already be dead, we'll leave it at that.

Never a truer word was said. My goal is 200 lbs, when I reach it I will still be obese.
My ideal BMI is 155lbs!

BMI is a population metric.

trying to apply it to individuals can be problematic. this is an example where it is so.

Very nice! :bigsmile:

Yeah, tell him his doctor is an idiot and find a new one!

The doctor probably calculated his BMI, which takes in account your age, gender, height, and weight. It does not calculate how much muscle you have. The only way you can lower your BMI is by losing weight. I have the same problem as I'm currently at a school that I have to pass a BMI test, but because I have muscle I fail it by a couple points. It's the problem of the BMI and relying on the BMI.

his doctor should be shot and laughed at.

We were just discussing this at work. We have a health screening at work on the 30th. One person passed the BMI part of it last year everyone else was considered overweight or obese. It is clearly not an accurate measurement.

The insurance companies use this as a way to increase our co-pays and premiums.