Shrinking height and BMI? Should I lie to the BMI Calculator

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bobdawg65
bobdawg65 Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I had back surgery for a ruptured disc a few years ago and was surprised to find out recently that I am nearly an inch shorter now than before the surgery. If BMI is based on a height to weight ratio and I am carrying the same weight on my frame now as when I was taller, why does that mean I am now less healthy according to my BMI? After all, my frame is the same frame as before, only shorter in the lumbar vertebrae. Should I lie to BMI calculators and use my old height or must I work harder to be lighter than before just because I am shorter?

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  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    You answered your own question. "Because BMI is based on a height to weight ratio." So if you're shorter, the ratio has changed. When I was at my heaviest weight, that would have been a healthy weight on a taller person, but since I wasn't that height, it wasn't healthy for me.

    BMI isn't all that accurate in terms of health, but if you're going to use it, then no, you shouldn't lie.
  • cjw6
    cjw6 Posts: 94 Member
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    Thats one of the big problems with BMI as a measurement. In a similar way, if a person goes into hospital for, say a leg amputation, they will come out maybe 30lb lighter, and their BMI will have dropped loads. Are they healthier? Obviously not, their core body fat is the same, the fat around their organs is the same etc. BMI is also not useful for people with a big muscle bulk who will be heavier for their height than they 'should' be (many professional sports people/olympic athletes for example).
    I wouldn't get too hung up on the (very small) difference that the change in height would make, because it doesn't represent anything significant in reality.
  • bobdawg65
    bobdawg65 Posts: 17 Member
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    Thanks for the inputI I especially like the amputee example; that does help illustrate some of the limitations of using BMI as a measurement tool. FYI, it is not one of the prime standards by which I measure myself, but I do occasionally check it. My main reason for that is that my GP puts it in my chart at every checkup, so I try to get down into the good range. The metrics that mean something to me are weight/BP/cholesterol, how I feel physically, if my jeans fit, if I look presentable in a business suit, and primarily, my satisfaction level with my body.

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