Who figures this BMI crap anyway?
anirishdad
Posts: 80
Hi all. Was going to try and get myself back in shape. Clean slate type thing..
The years and unfortunately the pounds, seem to be creeping up on me. I think when I hit 40 some friggin switch flipped that told my body that I have to stop eating like I did in my 20s and 30s.Thing is..no one told my taste buds.
Anyway.. going to try and get back on the wagon and get back to a healthy weight. Now, for work they want my BMI under 25,..so to hit that I have to get under 174 I think. (I’m 5’11’’) OH sure..that should be no problem.. I was that when I was SEVENTEEN!! Who figures this BMI crap anyway?
Anyone here in the same boat? I’d love to have some likeminded friends ,support, inspiration.. Wish me luck.
The years and unfortunately the pounds, seem to be creeping up on me. I think when I hit 40 some friggin switch flipped that told my body that I have to stop eating like I did in my 20s and 30s.Thing is..no one told my taste buds.
Anyway.. going to try and get back on the wagon and get back to a healthy weight. Now, for work they want my BMI under 25,..so to hit that I have to get under 174 I think. (I’m 5’11’’) OH sure..that should be no problem.. I was that when I was SEVENTEEN!! Who figures this BMI crap anyway?
Anyone here in the same boat? I’d love to have some likeminded friends ,support, inspiration.. Wish me luck.
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Replies
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BMI is fine. Why the complaint? Are you saying you have grown in height since you were 17?0
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So, you were on the higher side of normal when you were 17, and this condemns you to being overweight forever??? Or are you saying you are extremely muscular, in which case, it should be possible to explain this at your working place?0
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At 5'11", you can weigh 179 and be at 25 BMI. Unless you have a lot of muscle mass, that would be a good weight at your height.
I do agree that for some people, especially men, the BMI charts can be a bit off. If you have a large frame and higher than average muscle mass, then it may be hard to get your weight under 180. If that is the case for you, I would ask your work to check your BF% and if it is in the healthy range, then give you a pass on the BMI being slightly over.
Or put some lifts in your shoes to give you another 5 or 10 pounds!0 -
BMI sucks.
It doesn't take into account muscle mass and that right there can make a huge difference. There are people out there who, according to their BMI could be considered obese, when, in fact, they are bodybuilders-as an example. BMI is a good start, but you should also consider finding out your body fat percentage. This could be as simple as taking measurements with a tape measure and using an online calculator to get a pretty good estimate. It could be more complex, like seeking out a professional to get more accurate measurements. You can also get calipers and measure your fat rolls, hehe. I've never used them, but I hear they are more accurate than the tape measure method.
Between monitoring your BMI, your body fat percentage, and even things like how you FEEL and how healthy your body is overall (maybe through labs and what not)...all of that will help you decide what a good weight is for YOU.
And clearly these first two posters after you woke up on the RUDE side of the bed. Because really, its not secret that BMI is a d-bag.0 -
BMI figures are way too generic. I think they should be outlawed! Too many other things figure into what the scale says. It's not just a height to weight ratio. We should be able to take into account muscle mass, bone density, etc. It would be much more reasonable to expect a body fat percentage from an employee. Where the heck do you work OP?0
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Also, my husband is 5'9 at 180, and because of his muscle mass he will never be where BMI says he should be (169) unless he's at the end of his cut cycle and getting ready to bulk.0
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BMI is fine. Why the complaint? Are you saying you have grown in height since you were 17?
It's really not.
It doesn't take into account body composition. A lot of athletes are considered obese according to BMI because they've got so much muscle. It doesn't even work well on the average person because there's no such thing as the average person.0 -
BMI is fine. Why the complaint? Are you saying you have grown in height since you were 17?
yes, he probably has! many males grow a couple more inches between 17 and 20.
http://chartsgraphsdiagrams.com/HealthCharts/growth-2-20-boys.html0 -
BMI is fine. Why the complaint? Are you saying you have grown in height since you were 17?
yes, he probably has! many males grow a couple more inches between 17 and 20.
http://chartsgraphsdiagrams.com/HealthCharts/growth-2-20-boys.html
My brother graduated HS at 17 and was 5'11", then a year later he was 6'5". Seriously.0 -
BMI sucks.
It doesn't take into account muscle mass and that right there can make a huge difference. There are people out there who, according to their BMI could be considered obese, when, in fact, they are bodybuilders-as an example. BMI is a good start, but you should also consider finding out your body fat percentage. This could be as simple as taking measurements with a tape measure and using an online calculator to get a pretty good estimate. It could be more complex, like seeking out a professional to get more accurate measurements. You can also get calipers and measure your fat rolls, hehe. I've never used them, but I hear they are more accurate than the tape measure method.
Between monitoring your BMI, your body fat percentage, and even things like how you FEEL and how healthy your body is overall (maybe through labs and what not)...all of that will help you decide what a good weight is for YOU.
And clearly these first two posters after you woke up on the RUDE side of the bed. Because really, its not secret that BMI is a d-bag.
For the majority of the world's population, BMI is a relative indicator of obesity. It's telling that your example to discredit BMI (bolded above) is such a tiny percentage of the population. Yes, for that tiny subset BMI is skewed ... but perhaps you've noticed that there is not a bodybuilding epidemic in America while obesity is quite common.
I'm trying to overlook the fact you referred to a mathematical relationship as "a d-bag" and chalk it up as a youthful indiscretion on your part.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-definition/obesity-definition-full-story/0 -
I'm female, and I grew 2 inches from the age of 23. It's rare, but it happens!BMI is fine. Why the complaint? Are you saying you have grown in height since you were 17?
yes, he probably has! many males grow a couple more inches between 17 and 20.
http://chartsgraphsdiagrams.com/HealthCharts/growth-2-20-boys.html
My brother graduated HS at 17 and was 5'11", then a year later he was 6'5". Seriously.0 -
My company has BMI under 32 as a criteria to qualify for a lower medical premium. I think we're getting ready to lower that to 28. But 25? I guess they want to make sure you're in the 'normal' range. Makes since, but BMI is such an out dated measure of health. But, it's a quantifiable number, so it's used often.0
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Would depend on the job role maybe I guess?
My work asks you to fill in an annual health check form but no one actually bothers following up on it. Unless of course there's a major red flag.
Funnily enough I went to a dance class the other night & their paperwork asked for my BMI. I was pretty surprised by that.0 -
Nothing wrong with the BMI when it's used for what it is.
It's a rough guideline, not an absolute rule.
There will always be exceptions to any guidelines laid down just because not everybody is the same, the best you can ever do is come up with something that works for most people.
It should never be used as an absolute rule.0 -
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BMI is fine. Why the complaint? Are you saying you have grown in height since you were 17?
It's really not.
It doesn't take into account body composition. A lot of athletes are considered obese according to BMI because they've got so much muscle. It doesn't even work well on the average person because there's no such thing as the average person.
Please use a bit of common sense and then BMI is fine. It is clearly not a one size fits all model. If you are a matchstick with a BMI of say 26, then common sense would say dont lose anymore. Similarly if you are very well built with lots of muscle.
I have a BMI of around 23.5. If I tried to lose another 2-3kg to hit my ideal BMI, I would look too thin for my liking.
However, various people of average build - no point being picky about this; it is quite reasonable to assume what is an average build (someone who doesnt work out 6 times a week, perhaps) - think they arent overweight when they actually are. Besides what is wrong with a tool that reasonably encourages people to lose weight. Is there really an epidemic of vast people being treated for eating disorders because of what BMI has got them into?0 -
BMI sucks.
It doesn't take into account muscle mass and that right there can make a huge difference. There are people out there who, according to their BMI could be considered obese, when, in fact, they are bodybuilders-as an example. BMI is a good start, but you should also consider finding out your body fat percentage. This could be as simple as taking measurements with a tape measure and using an online calculator to get a pretty good estimate. It could be more complex, like seeking out a professional to get more accurate measurements. You can also get calipers and measure your fat rolls, hehe. I've never used them, but I hear they are more accurate than the tape measure method.
Between monitoring your BMI, your body fat percentage, and even things like how you FEEL and how healthy your body is overall (maybe through labs and what not)...all of that will help you decide what a good weight is for YOU.
And clearly these first two posters after you woke up on the RUDE side of the bed. Because really, its not secret that BMI is a d-bag.
It is a guideline. If you cant use common sense, then you are very much like the person who ran his car across a train track because his sat nav told him to take a turning down there....0 -
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BMI is for use in general populations and works fairly well but does not work for all individuals in the population. There is another measure call ASBI which takes waist circumference into the calculation and is supposed to be a much better indicator of health.0
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BMI is fine. Why the complaint? Are you saying you have grown in height since you were 17?
It's really not.
It doesn't take into account body composition. A lot of athletes are considered obese according to BMI because they've got so much muscle. It doesn't even work well on the average person because there's no such thing as the average person.
Please use a bit of common sense and then BMI is fine. It is clearly not a one size fits all model. If you are a matchstick with a BMI of say 26, then common sense would say dont lose anymore. Similarly if you are very well built with lots of muscle.
I have a BMI of around 23.5. If I tried to lose another 2-3kg to hit my ideal BMI, I would look too thin for my liking.
However, various people of average build - no point being picky about this; it is quite reasonable to assume what is an average build (someone who doesnt work out 6 times a week, perhaps) - think they arent overweight when they actually are. Besides what is wrong with a tool that reasonably encourages people to lose weight. Is there really an epidemic of vast people being treated for eating disorders because of what BMI has got them into?
There is no such thing as an average person. There are so many factors that go into your body composition. Genetic traits, race, gender, level of exercise, type of exercise you do, what kind of work you do. None of this is taken into account with BMI.
You've even demonstrated yourself. To be the right BMI, that would be too thin for you.0 -
Anyway.. going to try and get back on the wagon and get back to a healthy weight. Now, for work they want my BMI under 25,..so to hit that I have to get under 174 I think. (I’m 5’11’’) OH sure..that should be no problem.. I was that when I was SEVENTEEN!! Who figures this BMI crap anyway?
I'm the same height as you and my lean weight range is 150-160 lbs, on a medium bordering on small frame.
Which is about 100 lbs less than when I was 17.
What's your complaint again?Please use a bit of common sense and then BMI is fine. It is clearly not a one size fits all model. If you are a matchstick with a BMI of say 26, then common sense would say dont lose anymore. Similarly if you are very well built with lots of muscle.
I have a BMI of around 23.5. If I tried to lose another 2-3kg to hit my ideal BMI, I would look too thin for my liking.
However, various people of average build - no point being picky about this; it is quite reasonable to assume what is an average build (someone who doesnt work out 6 times a week, perhaps) - think they arent overweight when they actually are. Besides what is wrong with a tool that reasonably encourages people to lose weight. Is there really an epidemic of vast people being treated for eating disorders because of what BMI has got them into?
All of this.0 -
BMI is fine. Why the complaint? Are you saying you have grown in height since you were 17?
It's really not.
It doesn't take into account body composition. A lot of athletes are considered obese according to BMI because they've got so much muscle. It doesn't even work well on the average person because there's no such thing as the average person.
^^ BMI is silly. It's a decent starting point to see how you are health wise, but don't use it as a bible.0 -
It's really not.
It doesn't take into account body composition. A lot of athletes are considered obese according to BMI because they've got so much muscle. It doesn't even work well on the average person because there's no such thing as the average person.
For the sub 1% of the population this applies to, sure. Most everyone else fits in the numbers fine. But muh thin privilege!!0 -
My company has BMI under 32 as a criteria to qualify for a lower medical premium. I think we're getting ready to lower that to 28. But 25? I guess they want to make sure you're in the 'normal' range. Makes since, but BMI is such an out dated measure of health. But, it's a quantifiable number, so it's used often.
If someone is a rare physical specimen outlier, they should ask for a body fat test instead. Most people don't have that problem however.0 -
Between monitoring your BMI, your body fat percentage, and even things like how you FEEL and how healthy your body is overall (maybe through labs and what not)...all of that will help you decide what a good weight is for YOU.
I felt pretty good at 485 pounds, but I'm preeeeeety sure that wasn't a good weight for me. Lo and behold over 100 pounds later I feel even better, and I'm still going.
Using good bloodwork numbers alone as an indicator of health sucks too. My blood sugar and cholesterol were fine for a long time (over 20 years), until one day they weren't anymore. Guess what? One hundred pounds lighter they're fine again without medication. Funny how that works.
People can scream fat is healthy from the rooftops until they pass out, but it's not going to make it true.0 -
I actually read a really informative post about BMI a short while ago. It's really not a good measure for individuals. In fact Ancel Keys, the guy who popularized BMI in its current general use, says that it's only appropriate for population studies, and inappropriate for individual diagnosis. I'll sum up the points the post post made about BMI (as the full article is about more than BMI), but you can find the full post here: http://fozmeadows.wordpress.com/2014/03/28/female-bodies-a-weighty-issue/. It has links to sources and such for the points made below.
1. It doesn't take into account the fact that muscle is denser than fat.
2. It doesn't take height or bodytype into account. Taller individuals will always have a higher BMI regardless of their actual weight, because of the way the measurement is constructed, while shorter people will always have a lower one. Having been originally developed in Europe, using European physical norms, in the 1800s, neither does it factor in ethnicity or metabolism.
3. Although women are both shorter on average than men while naturally carrying more fat, the BMI calculation doesn't take this into account, but uses the same measurement for both men and women. In fact, it was originally formulated based on studies of white male populations only.
4. It doesn't account for age, or any change in height that occurs with age. A teenager who hasn't yet achieved their full growth or settled into their normal, adult weight is held to the same standards as someone old enough to have begun losing height.0 -
BMI - IMO - is a garbage stat as it does not adequately account for muscle mass..
My BMI is "obese" but i am 12% body fat …go figure….0 -
Hi, BMI? back in January there was a horizon TV program on BMI. Basically the researcher found out that in the 50s in USA the insurance companies were spending lots of money on peoples health. So to save money a statistician (not a doctor) worked out the average age of all the healthy people on their books, this gave rise to the BMI formula. It meant that if you were outside the healthy BMI range for your height the insurance companies would charge you more insurance.
Now the other problem with this is the average person in the 50's was a lot thinner due to lower sugar, fats & salt, eating healthy homemade food, meat & 3 three veg a day. So the medical groups jumped on this as an easy (lazy) way to decide weather you were healthy, but then they also used to prescribe speed to help with weight loss. This has been bugging me since I saw this program , as my BMI means I will need to weight the same as I was when I was 14 years old (184lbs) I'm 6ft tall built like a brick out house. There are so many factors that also should be taken into account. Keep up the good work.0 -
BMI is to compare statistics of populations, not personal health and fitness.0
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BMI is fine even for bodybuilders.
If you look at most natural 5'11" bodybuilders their stage weight is 165 or under and off season is about 180 and that puts them at about a 25 BMI when they are bulking. Now if you go to a gym and you see the same guys there all the time, you can see right off when a guy starts a drug cycle, they will put on about 20# of muscle in no time, like 6 weeks. Now that will take them way out of the BMI ranges. So if you dont take drugs BMI works fine, even for bodybuilders.0
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