Overweight based on BMI or Body Fat %??

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tanyaltrl
tanyaltrl Posts: 42 Member
edited March 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
Which determines if a person is actually overweight?
I know BMI isn't very reliable and accurate like Body Fat %
Im confused by there not being an "overweight" range for body fat. It just goes from "acceptable" to "obese" I am ~30% Body Fat aka "acceptable" based on my handheld Omron Body Fat Analyzer. My BMI is 25.7 aka "overweight"

Wonder if anyone else has experience being on the cusp of overweight/normal and what their BMI/Body Fat numbers looked like?

I have a pic for reference if anyones curious.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z7ixun22k9cmlyu/image.jpeg?dl=0
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  • tanyaltrl
    tanyaltrl Posts: 42 Member
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    Might have to copy and paste the link for it to work
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited March 2016
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    BMI and bodyfat don't correlate well. A person who's 10% bodyfat with a lot of muscle mass could be considered "obese" by BMI standards, and a person who's 35% bodyfat with a very low weight ("skinnyfat") could be considered "normal/healthy" by BMI standards.

    (As an aside, some people hate the term "skinnyfat", but it's an actual thing. The medical term for it is MONW (Metabolically Obese, Normal Weight). It means you're in the normal weight range but have a high bodyfat percentage, which can still subject you to metabolic/health issues suffered by obese people.)

    Also, the classifications for bodyfat percentage depend on whose chart you're looking at. The chart from the ACE (American Council on Exercise) lists the following categories: Essential Fat, Athletes, Fitness, Average, Obese. The Jackson-Pollock chart (further down that page) lists the categories as Lean, Ideal, Average and Above Average.

    As another aside, the Omron Bodyfat Analyzer is a BIA (bioelectrical impedance analysis) device. While possibly useful for monitoring overall long-term trends, BIA is considered a highly inaccurate method of measuring body composition, so I wouldn't put too much stock in it.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    And along with Anvil's post - you look fine.
    Your own goals are what matters, not the actual bmi or bf% numbers.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
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    My problem with BMI is that it doesn't factor in your level of fitness, it's just height & weight. Pretty arbitrary. You look great in your pic, I wouldn't worry much.
  • xtina315
    xtina315 Posts: 218 Member
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    When I was 150ish lbs back in the day lol, I was considered overweight and had a high bmi, but was extremely active. I think the bmi is garbage lol
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    tanyaltrl wrote: »
    Which determines if a person is actually overweight?
    I know BMI isn't very reliable and accurate like Body Fat %
    Im confused by there not being an "overweight" range for body fat. It just goes from "acceptable" to "obese" I am ~30% Body Fat aka "acceptable" based on my handheld Omron Body Fat Analyzer. My BMI is 25.7 aka "overweight"

    Wonder if anyone else has experience being on the cusp of overweight/normal and what their BMI/Body Fat numbers looked like?

    I have a pic for reference if anyones curious.
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/z7ixun22k9cmlyu/image.jpeg?dl=0
    BF % is accurate and reliable only when measured using an accurate method, like bod pod or a hyro tank. Scales and handheld body fat analyzers are not accurate AT ALL. I asked how far off these devices are awhile back. People said they can be off as much as 15-20 percentage points and can change wildly from one time to the next.

  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    My problem with BMI is that it doesn't factor in your level of fitness, it's just height & weight. Pretty arbitrary. You look great in your pic, I wouldn't worry much.

    BMI works for 80% or so of the population reliably. If someone has been doing resistance training or a manual labor job they may be overweight by bmi but an acceptable level of bodyfat. Otherwise moat likely not.
  • thunder1982
    thunder1982 Posts: 280 Member
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    For me 30% BF is probably 5kg over my max weight for a healthy BMI, so pretty close to your stats I am currently obese under both methods though online calculators looking at height and weight put my bf% in the high 40's (I think one came back 48%),measurement ones put me around 32% and my home scales have me at about 35%. I am around 35% BF from looking at pictures. At the moment I am focused on bf%, thats probably about 9-10kg away as a rough weight goal. For me its a good next goal to work towards to get into a healthy BF% range.

    I agree for most people BMI is a good guide and generally a healthy BMI will correlate to a healthy BF%. Its never going to work for everyone and everyone like to think they are the exception to the rule. In my younger years I was always heavier than I looked, now I am just plain heavy. From the online cals I am probably still heavier than I look and I might be able to get away not going down to to the lower end of my BMI range to look the way I want to but I think that the BMI range is still a good place to at least shoot to get into.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    My problem with BMI is that it doesn't factor in your level of fitness, it's just height & weight. Pretty arbitrary. You look great in your pic, I wouldn't worry much.

    BMI works for 80% or so of the population reliably. If someone has been doing resistance training or a manual labor job they may be overweight by bmi but an acceptable level of bodyfat. Otherwise moat likely not.

    I'm not doubting your statistics, I'm just curious as to where you got the information.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
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    Obese is just a word for overweight. When I was pregnant at 36 they classified me as Elderly.

    Overweight means heavy for your height. Weight. So Wolverine, with his adamantium bones and stocky build, would undoubtedly be overweight.

    Very few people in real life are overweight because of muscle, but some are. Bodybuilders and some athletes.

    BMI builds in body type difference though, and is based on risk classes. Statistically you are at lower risk of death inside the "acceptable" bmi.

  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    You look great in your pic! I don't think there's any way you're overweight. I'm guessing your body fat percentage is a bit lower than the 30%.
  • abster50
    abster50 Posts: 32 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    BMI and bodyfat don't correlate well. A person who's 10% bodyfat with a lot of muscle mass could be considered "obese" by BMI standards, and a person who's 35% bodyfat with a very low weight ("skinnyfat") could be considered "normal/healthy" by BMI standards.

    (As an aside, some people hate the term "skinnyfat", but it's an actual thing. The medical term for it is MONW (Metabolically Obese, Normal Weight). It means you're in the normal weight range but have a high bodyfat percentage, which can still subject you to metabolic/health issues suffered by obese people.)

    Also, the classifications for bodyfat percentage depend on whose chart you're looking at. The chart from the ACE (American Council on Exercise) lists the following categories: Essential Fat, Athletes, Fitness, Average, Obese. The Jackson-Pollock chart (further down that page) lists the categories as Lean, Ideal, Average and Above Average.

    As another aside, the Omron Bodyfat Analyzer is a BIA (bioelectrical impedance analysis) device. While possibly useful for monitoring overall long-term trends, BIA is considered a highly inaccurate method of measuring body composition, so I wouldn't put too much stock in it.

  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    My problem with BMI is that it doesn't factor in your level of fitness, it's just height & weight. Pretty arbitrary. You look great in your pic, I wouldn't worry much.

    BMI works for 80% or so of the population reliably. If someone has been doing resistance training or a manual labor job they may be overweight by bmi but an acceptable level of bodyfat. Otherwise moat likely not.

    I'm not doubting your statistics, I'm just curious as to where you got the information.

    Here is a sample:
    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133551500073X

    Highlights

    o The accuracy of age adjusted BMI for passing or failing body fat standards was 83%.
    o The correlation between BMI and % body fat as determined by DEXA was 0.86
    o An equation was derived to estimate % body fat: % body fat = 1.3974(BMI) − 19.166.
    o Soldiers with a BMI of 27.5 < 30 had 10 kg more fat mass than Soldiers with a BMI < 25.
    o Soldiers with a BMI of ≥ 30 had 17 kg more fat mass than Soldiers with a BMI < 25.
  • kiara1066
    kiara1066 Posts: 119 Member
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    Check by using your weight circumference !
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    My problem with BMI is that it doesn't factor in your level of fitness, it's just height & weight. Pretty arbitrary. You look great in your pic, I wouldn't worry much.

    BMI works for 80% or so of the population reliably. If someone has been doing resistance training or a manual labor job they may be overweight by bmi but an acceptable level of bodyfat. Otherwise moat likely not.

    I'm not doubting your statistics, I'm just curious as to where you got the information.

    Here is a sample:
    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133551500073X

    Highlights

    o The accuracy of age adjusted BMI for passing or failing body fat standards was 83%.
    o The correlation between BMI and % body fat as determined by DEXA was 0.86
    o An equation was derived to estimate % body fat: % body fat = 1.3974(BMI) − 19.166.
    o Soldiers with a BMI of 27.5 < 30 had 10 kg more fat mass than Soldiers with a BMI < 25.
    o Soldiers with a BMI of ≥ 30 had 17 kg more fat mass than Soldiers with a BMI < 25.

    Thank you for a good science based article. Appreciate the info.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    It's pretty impossible to measure body fat accurately though.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    It's pretty impossible to measure body fat accurately though.

    Jump up and down naked in front of a mirror. If it jiggles it's usually fat
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    It's pretty impossible to measure body fat accurately though.

    Jump up and down naked in front of a mirror. If it jiggles it's usually fat

    That's why I try to avoid jumping up and down in front of mirrors. That being said, it has been interesting to see the changes around my midsection as the fat goes away. At my age though, I'm a little concerned how it's all going to look when I hit maintenance. I'm not a spring chicken any more. Of course I won't be grossing anyone out at the beach by wearing a bikini.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    My problem with BMI is that it doesn't factor in your level of fitness, it's just height & weight. Pretty arbitrary. You look great in your pic, I wouldn't worry much.

    BMI works for 80% or so of the population reliably. If someone has been doing resistance training or a manual labor job they may be overweight by bmi but an acceptable level of bodyfat. Otherwise moat likely not.

    I'm not doubting your statistics, I'm just curious as to where you got the information.

    Here is a sample:
    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133551500073X

    Highlights

    o The accuracy of age adjusted BMI for passing or failing body fat standards was 83%.
    o The correlation between BMI and % body fat as determined by DEXA was 0.86
    o An equation was derived to estimate % body fat: % body fat = 1.3974(BMI) − 19.166.
    o Soldiers with a BMI of 27.5 < 30 had 10 kg more fat mass than Soldiers with a BMI < 25.
    o Soldiers with a BMI of ≥ 30 had 17 kg more fat mass than Soldiers with a BMI < 25.

    Thank you for a good science based article. Appreciate the info.

    That's really best case scenario though. In women and adolescents there is a lot of evidence that the specificity of BMI to identify obesity is very low.

    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/80/3/597.full
    http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v32/n1s/full/ijo200887a.html


  • TribalmamaEmily
    TribalmamaEmily Posts: 41 Member
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    Have you had your body fat% tested? A DEXA scan or purchasing a body fat caliper is your best bet, if you are that concerned. However, you look amazing!!! IF you lose more body fat, than you're also gonna lose some of your curvaliciousness which makes us *female, imo and many guys agree. ;o) ANYWAY even at my lowest body fat% in my late teens and early 20's (amateur kick boxer) i was still considered "obese" by bmi standards. I later found out that my Lean Muscle Mass was higher than average so this was the discrepancy. (Bioelectrical Body Fat Analyzer at my gym, i was the guinea pig) Every BODY is unique. Like a previous poster said, it's your own goals that matter. Not some stereotyped formula that works in theory but just doesn't cut it for the non-cookie cut person.

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