Overweight based on BMI or Body Fat %??
tanyaltrl
Posts: 42 Member
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
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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Replies
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Might have to copy and paste the link for it to work0
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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.0 -
And along with Anvil's post - you look fine.
Your own goals are what matters, not the actual bmi or bf% numbers.0 -
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.0
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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 lol0
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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.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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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.0 -
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.0 -
Packerjohn 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.0 -
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.
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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%.1
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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.
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Packerjohn 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 < 25.0 -
Check by using your weight circumference !0
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Packerjohn wrote: »Packerjohn 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.0 -
It's pretty impossible to measure body fat accurately though.0
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Packerjohn wrote: »
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.0 -
Packerjohn wrote: »Packerjohn 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
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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.0
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EvgeniZyntx wrote: »
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
" Thus, many overweight female adolescents could be missed in intervention programs that use the proposed international BMI cutoffs as selection criteria."
Interesting. Not sure I expected the bias to be that way.0 -
Packerjohn wrote: »
Or loose skin...0 -
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I am only 5lbs overweight according to BMI. I think its totally possible I have 5lbs extra muscle than an average female my height. I used to have manual labor job, now I cycle up mountains and run. My resting heart rate is 42 bpm. Overweight or not, I still want to lose 40lbs...but my first weight loss goal of being "normal weight" seems more arbitrary now...1
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Thanks for the feedback everyone! I am only 5lbs overweight according to BMI. I think its totally possible I have 5lbs extra muscle than an average female my height. I used to have manual labor job, now I cycle up mountains and run. My resting heart rate is 42 bpm. Overweight or not, I still want to lose 40lbs...but my first weight loss goal of being "normal weight" seems more arbitrary now...
You want to lose 40 more pounds from here?
What's your frame size?0 -
You may need to review your goals once you lose another 10 lbs - 40 is likely to result in significant LBM loss.0
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kshama2001 wrote: »Thanks for the feedback everyone! I am only 5lbs overweight according to BMI. I think its totally possible I have 5lbs extra muscle than an average female my height. I used to have manual labor job, now I cycle up mountains and run. My resting heart rate is 42 bpm. Overweight or not, I still want to lose 40lbs...but my first weight loss goal of being "normal weight" seems more arbitrary now...
You want to lose 40 more pounds from here?
What's your frame size?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z7ixun22k9cmlyu/image.jpeg?dl=0
This is me exactly 40 pounds lighter. I'm 5'9" average frame. I carry all my weight in my legs and neither of these pictures show them. Hill climbing cyclists tend to be very skinny while just keeping enough muscle to get them up hills.0 -
BMI works for large swaths of the population but not individuals. It doesn't take into account muscle mass. You are much better suited to use the scale, measuring tape, body fat calipers, and mirror to judge where you are and where you want to be.1
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I was shocked when I went to the Dr this year my BMI has gone up but my fitness and muscle tone is much increased. I recall the old ad "pinch an inch" to determine if you are over fat. I no longer can pinch any fat on my sides. So I dont want to be deluding myself about my fitness but I dont think my gain is fat.0
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EvgeniZyntx wrote: »Packerjohn wrote: »Packerjohn 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
This study was done on a much larger sample (~12k ) with varying age groups and both genders and found about a .8 correlation for women. Body fat was determined by DEXA.
http://m.ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/2/500.full
RESULTS
Basic descriptive information about the analytic sample is shown in Table 1. Differences in mean values between men and women were tested by using a 2-sample t test for complex survey data (14). Pearson correlations between percentage fat, BMI, WC, and WSR are shown in Table 2 by sex and age group. Correlations by race-ethnicity group within sex and age groups were similar to those seen overall (data not shown). All correlations were significantly greater than zero (P < 0.0001). For men, the correlations between percentage fat and BMI ranged from 0.789 (20–39 y of age) to 0.716 (≥80 y of age). The corresponding values for women were 0.839 and 0.724. For comparisons between pairs of correlations, statistical significance was based on a P value of 0.00045, which was equivalent to a P value of < 0.05 after Bonferroni correction.0 -
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
I'm glad you posted this! I was confused by the same thing. My BMI is 25 which is overweight/almost normal BMI cusp. But when I did the military body fat quiz I came up as 30% body fat. I am still shaken from this.0
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