"Who's NOT Overweight?"
Replies
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BMI is horseshit. Sorry to hear people have that *kitten* of insurance that they charge you a premium for measurement that doesn't take account for ANYTHING other than mass.15
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CattOfTheGarage wrote: »My life insurance company charges extra if your BMI is 'obese' or higher. No penalty for 'overweight'. I think it's fair, to be honest, for life insurance - which is basically gambling. You pays your money, you takes your chance.
Health insurance is rather different. Putting hurdles between people and healthcare because they're unhealthy is absurd.
But from an insurance perspective, those who are obese are more likely to incur more health care costs, just like smokers.10 -
That makes sense. Isn't around two thirds of the States overweight and obese? Six out of seven being overweight is higher but it could be demographics.
The SAHMs I know tend to be normal to overweight. There are a few obese. My guess is that it is a slimmer group than average for our age. I am one of the larger ones at 158lbs and 5'8". Normal BMI.
I'm a sahm as well and I literally do not know another sahm that's not overweight/very overweight. I'm definitely the odd one out in that sense, in my little circle.2 -
OliveGirl128 wrote: »CattOfTheGarage wrote: »My life insurance company charges extra if your BMI is 'obese' or higher. No penalty for 'overweight'. I think it's fair, to be honest, for life insurance - which is basically gambling. You pays your money, you takes your chance.
Health insurance is rather different. Putting hurdles between people and healthcare because they're unhealthy is absurd.
But from an insurance perspective, those who are obese are more likely incur more health care costs, just like smokers.
I'm 6 ft and 200 lbs. my body fat is roughly 10%. My vitals are near perfect. I'm "overweight" and approaching "obese" based on that. Total horseshit.12 -
BMI is horseshit. Sorry to hear people have that *kitten* of insurance that they charge you a premium for measurement that doesn't take account for ANYTHING other than mass.
It's right for around 85% of the population. @piperdown44 insurance had a good solution in that they would look at waist measurement to take into consideration anyone who was muscular.14 -
@jospen83 I have a friend who moved to the east coast from california - I always joke with her that's she's so thin she could take all my excess weight and still look great. She laughs that everyone in NY says that, but when she lived in Los Angeles she was one of the bigger women walking around. Her size 2/XS was almost chubby
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So a man my height that weighs 175 lbs but eats total garbage, drinks nearly daily, has vitals worse than mine, would be considered in a healthy range and get a better premium. I just did my BMI and I'm at 27.5. That's 2.5 points away from obese.4
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OliveGirl128 wrote: »CattOfTheGarage wrote: »My life insurance company charges extra if your BMI is 'obese' or higher. No penalty for 'overweight'. I think it's fair, to be honest, for life insurance - which is basically gambling. You pays your money, you takes your chance.
Health insurance is rather different. Putting hurdles between people and healthcare because they're unhealthy is absurd.
But from an insurance perspective, those who are obese are more likely incur more health care costs, just like smokers.
I'm 6 ft and 200 lbs. my body fat is roughly 10%. My vitals are near perfect. I'm "overweight" and approaching "obese" based on that. Total horseshit.
"It doesn't apply to me and my unusual circumstances specifically, therefore, horse*kitten*." Gotcha.30 -
I definitely see it in my office -- and when I go out to eat... I just didn't pay attention before - but now that I am trying to lose weight, I am more aware of it. I have good insurance through my job and when they start with all of the wellness stuff - I tell them that they aren't doctors and they need to respect my HIPPA!!! Anyway I am 5'6" 155 and according to my BMI I am over weight. SMH. But, I am trying...2
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So a man my height that weighs 175 lbs but eats total garbage, drinks nearly daily, has vitals worse than mine, would be considered in a healthy range and get a better premium. I just did my BMI and I'm at 27.5. That's 2.5 points away from obese.
Is your waist measurement less than 1/2 of your height? That is an alternative measurement that would take into consideration someone who has some level of muscle mass/less abdominal fat (which is an increased risk factor). IMO this should also be taken into consideration when determining any weight based insurance discount/penalty
https://qz.com/1002707/bmi-calculators-arent-accurate-but-our-body-fat-calculator-is/
At 6'2" and 205 my BMI is 26.3. However my waist-height ratio is 35 in waist / 74 in height = .473 so below .50.
The doctors that give the work physicals are real sticklers on BMI, but I've been lifting weights for years and they never had a problem with my weight.8 -
Maxematics wrote: »Yep, being overweight is the norm. That's why when most people start losing weight, the comments usually turn from compliments to thinly-veiled insults and (sometimes) fake concern. People don't want to take responsibility for their weight and love to blame a multitude of factors. When someone around them achieves weight loss, it is almost like a threat to their own lifestyle.
Even on MFP, you'll see many people aim for a weight that's just past or slightly below the top of the range for their height on a BMI chart. That's absolutely fine but I notice anyone who is, or wants to be, at the lower half of that range often gets asked why they do or people make excuses how it's just not sustainable and/or they couldn't imagine being that weight because they haven't been since they were a teen, they have curves, they have too much muscle, etc. There is a level of delusion in the world when it comes to what an appropriate weight range should be for a majority of people.
This is 100% true! Wow! I'm a nurse and despite being surrounded by health professionals, most of them are over weight. I've never been over weight but I did go through a phase of being chubby for a bit. I have now lost 6kgs in 9-6 months and I go to work and people tell me I look too thin or I'm losing weight to fast. They are all really bitter about it! I'm a very fit, active and healthy person and well within my bmi limits Limits. People just get really narky when they see that you can achieve your fitness goals and they are still swallowing down a donut. It's amazing how many people want to watch you fail!11 -
OliveGirl128 wrote: »CattOfTheGarage wrote: »My life insurance company charges extra if your BMI is 'obese' or higher. No penalty for 'overweight'. I think it's fair, to be honest, for life insurance - which is basically gambling. You pays your money, you takes your chance.
Health insurance is rather different. Putting hurdles between people and healthcare because they're unhealthy is absurd.
But from an insurance perspective, those who are obese are more likely incur more health care costs, just like smokers.
I'm 6 ft and 200 lbs. my body fat is roughly 10%. My vitals are near perfect. I'm "overweight" and approaching "obese" based on that. Total horseshit.
Do you really think your stats are the norm though?11 -
So a man my height that weighs 175 lbs but eats total garbage, drinks nearly daily, has vitals worse than mine, would be considered in a healthy range and get a better premium. I just did my BMI and I'm at 27.5. That's 2.5 points away from obese.
For our insurance other markers are also used-we have to go in for a mandatory blood pressure reading, blood work panel and waist measurement by a nurse, during the open enrollment period every fall. My husband has hereditary high cholesterol so he pays more, and I think that's reasonable because he's at a higher risk for costing the insurance company more money vs me, who has very good cholesterol numbers.
eta: sorry Op I kind of got us off track, there's a very large thread about this already going in the debate section so I'll refrain from posting further here!3 -
I saw this pic the other day, a reenactment of the iconic NY skyline construction pic from the 1930s, and noted that the modern construction worker is quite a bit heavier than the vintage ones
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In my location for my company, I can think of maybe 14 who are noticeably overweight, with 3 of them being obese. This is out of about 100 employees at this location. There is a very wide range of ages, cultures and economic situations. I think for the most part, the very busy location with few opportunities to eat helps control people's weight.
However, I do think that being overweight has become too normal. Sure, there are a few outlier situations but overall, I see no excuse to remain overweight.2 -
Packerjohn wrote: »So a man my height that weighs 175 lbs but eats total garbage, drinks nearly daily, has vitals worse than mine, would be considered in a healthy range and get a better premium. I just did my BMI and I'm at 27.5. That's 2.5 points away from obese.
Is your waist measurement less than 1/2 of your height? That is an alternative measurement that would take into consideration someone who has some level of muscle mass/less abdominal fat (which is an increased risk factor). IMO this should also be taken into consideration when determining any weight based insurance discount/penalty
https://qz.com/1002707/bmi-calculators-arent-accurate-but-our-body-fat-calculator-is/
At 6'2" and 205 my BMI is 26.3. However my waist-height ratio is 35 in waist / 74 in height = .473 so below .50.
The doctors that give the work physicals are real sticklers on BMI, but I've been lifting weights for years and they never had a problem with my weight.
I've been hearing this waist to height ratio, termed "overfat" if the ratio is higher than 0.50, all over the news lately. Here's one of many examples:
http://fox17online.com/2017/07/31/is-overfat-the-new-obesity/
"A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health suggests the number of people who meet the criteria for overfat in the top 30 industrialized countries are more than all of the obese and overweight people in the world. In fact, they estimate that 90% of the men and 50% of the children in the US, New Zealand, Greece and Iceland are overfat. In the top overfat countries, researchers found 80% of the women were overfat, too."
If insurance were start using waist to height exclusively instead of BMI, very few would pass the test.4 -
goldthistime wrote: »Packerjohn wrote: »So a man my height that weighs 175 lbs but eats total garbage, drinks nearly daily, has vitals worse than mine, would be considered in a healthy range and get a better premium. I just did my BMI and I'm at 27.5. That's 2.5 points away from obese.
Is your waist measurement less than 1/2 of your height? That is an alternative measurement that would take into consideration someone who has some level of muscle mass/less abdominal fat (which is an increased risk factor). IMO this should also be taken into consideration when determining any weight based insurance discount/penalty
https://qz.com/1002707/bmi-calculators-arent-accurate-but-our-body-fat-calculator-is/
At 6'2" and 205 my BMI is 26.3. However my waist-height ratio is 35 in waist / 74 in height = .473 so below .50.
The doctors that give the work physicals are real sticklers on BMI, but I've been lifting weights for years and they never had a problem with my weight.
I've been hearing this waist to height ratio, termed "overfat" if the ratio is higher than 0.50, all over the news lately. Here's one of many examples:
http://fox17online.com/2017/07/31/is-overfat-the-new-obesity/
"A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health suggests the number of people who meet the criteria for overfat in the top 30 industrialized countries are more than all of the obese and overweight people in the world. In fact, they estimate that 90% of the men and 50% of the children in the US, New Zealand, Greece and Iceland are overfat. In the top overfat countries, researchers found 80% of the women were overfat, too."
If insurance were start using waist to height exclusively instead of BMI, very few would pass the test.
I wouldn't mind it at all.. I'm 5'10" with a 38" waist and currently 50lbs overweight according to BMI. At a 34.5" waist i would be below the overfat ratio. Being shapped like a pear makes me less at risk of anything weight related and my waist is usually around 34 inches when im still somewhat overweight based on BMI, yet it's when i look and feel great and healthiest. I agree that BMI is wonky when you get into the tall and short population and prefer the overfat ratio.0 -
Most of us in my office are healthy BMI weight or just slightly above it. None are obese2
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goldthistime wrote: »Packerjohn wrote: »So a man my height that weighs 175 lbs but eats total garbage, drinks nearly daily, has vitals worse than mine, would be considered in a healthy range and get a better premium. I just did my BMI and I'm at 27.5. That's 2.5 points away from obese.
Is your waist measurement less than 1/2 of your height? That is an alternative measurement that would take into consideration someone who has some level of muscle mass/less abdominal fat (which is an increased risk factor). IMO this should also be taken into consideration when determining any weight based insurance discount/penalty
https://qz.com/1002707/bmi-calculators-arent-accurate-but-our-body-fat-calculator-is/
At 6'2" and 205 my BMI is 26.3. However my waist-height ratio is 35 in waist / 74 in height = .473 so below .50.
The doctors that give the work physicals are real sticklers on BMI, but I've been lifting weights for years and they never had a problem with my weight.
I've been hearing this waist to height ratio, termed "overfat" if the ratio is higher than 0.50, all over the news lately. Here's one of many examples:
http://fox17online.com/2017/07/31/is-overfat-the-new-obesity/
"A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health suggests the number of people who meet the criteria for overfat in the top 30 industrialized countries are more than all of the obese and overweight people in the world. In fact, they estimate that 90% of the men and 50% of the children in the US, New Zealand, Greece and Iceland are overfat. In the top overfat countries, researchers found 80% of the women were overfat, too."
If insurance were start using waist to height exclusively instead of BMI, very few would pass the test.
I wouldn't mind it at all.. I'm 5'10" with a 38" waist and currently 50lbs overweight according to BMI. At a 34.5" waist i would be below the overfat ratio. Being shapped like a pear makes me less at risk of anything weight related and my waist is usually around 34 inches when im still somewhat overweight based on BMI, yet it's when i look and feel great and healthiest. I agree that BMI is wonky when you get into the tall and short population and prefer the overfat ratio.
Genetically I'm an apple. It wouldn't take much of a weight gain and I would pass BMI and fail the overfat ratio. As much as I'd like to object to the idea, it's true, I know I'm at a bigger risk of various health problems than a pear.
Otoh, I might fail the test unfairly if I were having digestive problems (as I often do) that cause gas and/or inflammation.
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