Am I unhealthy? BMI says I'm obese..
Replies
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I won't rehash the nuances of BMI; that's been pretty well veted above.
What is your blood pressure? This can be a good indicator of potential health risks.5 -
My "weight" also puts me into the overweight category, which was totally shocking to me, neither my nurse or doctor ever brought this to my attention, I happened to see it listed as a diagnosis (coded obese) on my electronic chart. By the way, I am 5'8 and 164 lbs with a medium sized frame. I exercise/strength train regularly, eat healthy, have zero medical issues (other than a work related back injury in which I had a spinal fusion), I do not take any medication, my bloodwork is great, my vital signs are perfect and I have been at this weight for over 15 years, it fluctuates up-down a pound or two and is where my body is comfortable apparently. I am 51 and feel fantastic! My point is, I am not going to let BMI "weigh-on-me" pardon the pun, too heavily.21
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I have a large frame, with the corresponding large head, broad shoulders, large wrists, and big feet, and I'd be happy at 171, but I am 3.5 inches taller than you, so I'm having a hard time seeing that weight being ideal for you height, unless you also have a large frame, and are super muscular as well.4
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RVLife32043 wrote: »My "weight" also puts me into the overweight category, which was totally shocking to me, neither my nurse or doctor ever brought this to my attention, I happened to see it listed as a diagnosis (coded obese) on my electronic chart. By the way, I am 5'8 and 164 lbs with a medium sized frame. I exercise/strength train regularly, eat healthy, have zero medical issues (other than a work related back injury in which I had a spinal fusion), I do not take any medication, my bloodwork is great, my vital signs are perfect and I have been at this weight for over 15 years, it fluctuates up-down a pound or two and is where my body is comfortable apparently. I am 51 and feel fantastic! My point is, I am not going to let BMI "weigh-on-me" pardon the pun, too heavily.
Actually your BMI is 24.9, the very top of the healthy range. At your height, you'd have to weigh at least 198 to edge into obese. Big difference to the OPs situation.30 -
Well done on the weight loss so far. That is a super achievement, and all the activity is going to help you no matter what your weight.
Others have done BMI to death on this thread but since you are obviously concerned about your weight I think you should consider delving a bit deeper. Try to find out your body fat percentage, for example. I am a tad overweight by the BMI scale (used to be obese) but my body fat percentage is still in the obese category and I am now working on that by losing more weight but concentrating on keeping as much muscle as I can (gaining some if possible).
Also make sure your blood pressure is fine.
Check out your resting heart rate (as a possible guideline to fitness).
Check out your VO2Max if possible. You can't do that accurately without access to some scary equipment but many gym treadmills and other cardio machines have a function where they measure heart rate commensurate to exercise and give you a fairly decent estimate. You can then work on improvement if necessary.3 -
SnifterPug wrote: »Well done on the weight loss so far. That is a super achievement, and all the activity is going to help you no matter what your weight.
Others have done BMI to death on this thread but since you are obviously concerned about your weight I think you should consider delving a bit deeper. Try to find out your body fat percentage, for example. I am a tad overweight by the BMI scale (used to be obese) but my body fat percentage is still in the obese category and I am now working on that by losing more weight but concentrating on keeping as much muscle as I can (gaining some if possible).
Also make sure your blood pressure is fine.
Check out your resting heart rate (as a possible guideline to fitness).
Check out your VO2Max if possible. You can't do that accurately without access to some scary equipment but many gym treadmills and other cardio machines have a function where they measure heart rate commensurate to exercise and give you a fairly decent estimate. You can then work on improvement if necessary.
Oh, speaking of body fat, when I get to my goal weight, which would also have me still in Obese, I was planning to get a DEXA scan for a reality check.3 -
SnifterPug wrote: »Well done on the weight loss so far. That is a super achievement, and all the activity is going to help you no matter what your weight.
Others have done BMI to death on this thread but since you are obviously concerned about your weight I think you should consider delving a bit deeper. Try to find out your body fat percentage, for example. I am a tad overweight by the BMI scale (used to be obese) but my body fat percentage is still in the obese category and I am now working on that by losing more weight but concentrating on keeping as much muscle as I can (gaining some if possible).
Also make sure your blood pressure is fine.
Check out your resting heart rate (as a possible guideline to fitness).
Check out your VO2Max if possible. You can't do that accurately without access to some scary equipment but many gym treadmills and other cardio machines have a function where they measure heart rate commensurate to exercise and give you a fairly decent estimate. You can then work on improvement if necessary.
I think the best suggestion is check with your doctor. My BMI works out to obese/overweight (right on border) yet my vo2 max is 40. This is top 10% for my age group. I’m certainly overweight but I am quite active so a real conundrum if you use those two measurements in isolation. My BP is also normal although a bit higher than historically. I’m at about 128/79 and resting HR is around 59 bpm. The v02 max and hr are from met Garmin which I wear consistently and for quite some time now so I’ll assume they are fairly accurate.
Edit - I’m only saying there are a lot more factors than one measurement and we are all different. “Average” stats are a good guide but don’t tell the whole picture. That being said I take the BMI very seriously and am actively working on getting it down.2 -
SnifterPug wrote: »Well done on the weight loss so far. That is a super achievement, and all the activity is going to help you no matter what your weight.
Others have done BMI to death on this thread but since you are obviously concerned about your weight I think you should consider delving a bit deeper. Try to find out your body fat percentage, for example. I am a tad overweight by the BMI scale (used to be obese) but my body fat percentage is still in the obese category and I am now working on that by losing more weight but concentrating on keeping as much muscle as I can (gaining some if possible).
Also make sure your blood pressure is fine.
Check out your resting heart rate (as a possible guideline to fitness).
Check out your VO2Max if possible. You can't do that accurately without access to some scary equipment but many gym treadmills and other cardio machines have a function where they measure heart rate commensurate to exercise and give you a fairly decent estimate. You can then work on improvement if necessary.
I think the best suggestion is check with your doctor. My BMI works out to obese/overweight (right on border) yet my vo2 max is 40. This is top 10% for my age group. I’m certainly overweight but I am quite active so a real conundrum if you use those two measurements in isolation. My BP is also normal although a bit higher than historically. I’m at about 128/79 and resting HR is around 59 bpm. The v02 max and hr are from met Garmin which I wear consistently and for quite some time now so I’ll assume they are fairly accurate.
Edit - I’m only saying there are a lot more factors than one measurement and we are all different. “Average” stats are a good guide but don’t tell the whole picture. That being said I take the BMI very seriously and am actively working on getting it down.
Garmin hr is likely accurate but the VO2 probably isn’t. My Garmin says my VO2 is 50 which I’d love to believe but I think it’s too generous.5 -
Hard to believe people wooed @Azdak, who has been in the fitness industry for several decades and has been a valuable contributor to these forums for over ten years and 8000 posts.
I hope those woos were from new people who think it's WooHoo.
Azdak, you said "for eight more weeks..." You retiring? If so, early Congratulations. :flowerforyou:9 -
cmriverside wrote: »Hard to believe people wooed @Azdak, who has been in the fitness industry for several decades and has been a valuable contributor to these forums for over ten years and 8000 posts.
I hope those woos were from new people who think it's WooHoo.
Azdak, you said "for eight more weeks..." You retiring? If so, early Congratulations. :flowerforyou:
Thank you for clearing that up. My first instinct on seeing a "woo" option was to assume it meant "woo". But then I wondered if it actually meant "WooHoo" so I have never dared press it at all.
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SnifterPug wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Hard to believe people wooed @Azdak, who has been in the fitness industry for several decades and has been a valuable contributor to these forums for over ten years and 8000 posts.
I hope those woos were from new people who think it's WooHoo.
Azdak, you said "for eight more weeks..." You retiring? If so, early Congratulations. :flowerforyou:
Thank you for clearing that up. My first instinct on seeing a "woo" option was to assume it meant "woo". But then I wondered if it actually meant "WooHoo" so I have never dared press it at all.
OOOHHHHHH!
Not to derail this thread, but look! Myfitnesspal has decided to change the Woo to "Disagree". Posted yesterday:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10759847/woo-be-gone#latest
Very good news.
from that thread:Woo will be going away in the next week so go ahead and get it out of your system while you still can. Woo because you love something, woo because its pseudo-science, woo to your heart's content
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cmriverside wrote: »Hard to believe people wooed @Azdak, who has been in the fitness industry for several decades and has been a valuable contributor to these forums for over ten years and 8000 posts.
I hope those woos were from new people who think it's WooHoo.
Azdak, you said "for eight more weeks..." You retiring? If so, early Congratulations. :flowerforyou:
I... don't think that's why it was woo'd 11 times (I was not one of them)7 -
mburgess458 wrote: »SnifterPug wrote: »Well done on the weight loss so far. That is a super achievement, and all the activity is going to help you no matter what your weight.
Others have done BMI to death on this thread but since you are obviously concerned about your weight I think you should consider delving a bit deeper. Try to find out your body fat percentage, for example. I am a tad overweight by the BMI scale (used to be obese) but my body fat percentage is still in the obese category and I am now working on that by losing more weight but concentrating on keeping as much muscle as I can (gaining some if possible).
Also make sure your blood pressure is fine.
Check out your resting heart rate (as a possible guideline to fitness).
Check out your VO2Max if possible. You can't do that accurately without access to some scary equipment but many gym treadmills and other cardio machines have a function where they measure heart rate commensurate to exercise and give you a fairly decent estimate. You can then work on improvement if necessary.
I think the best suggestion is check with your doctor. My BMI works out to obese/overweight (right on border) yet my vo2 max is 40. This is top 10% for my age group. I’m certainly overweight but I am quite active so a real conundrum if you use those two measurements in isolation. My BP is also normal although a bit higher than historically. I’m at about 128/79 and resting HR is around 59 bpm. The v02 max and hr are from met Garmin which I wear consistently and for quite some time now so I’ll assume they are fairly accurate.
Edit - I’m only saying there are a lot more factors than one measurement and we are all different. “Average” stats are a good guide but don’t tell the whole picture. That being said I take the BMI very seriously and am actively working on getting it down.
Garmin hr is likely accurate but the VO2 probably isn’t. My Garmin says my VO2 is 50 which I’d love to believe but I think it’s too generous.
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cmriverside wrote: »SnifterPug wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Hard to believe people wooed @Azdak, who has been in the fitness industry for several decades and has been a valuable contributor to these forums for over ten years and 8000 posts.
I hope those woos were from new people who think it's WooHoo.
Azdak, you said "for eight more weeks..." You retiring? If so, early Congratulations. :flowerforyou:
Thank you for clearing that up. My first instinct on seeing a "woo" option was to assume it meant "woo". But then I wondered if it actually meant "WooHoo" so I have never dared press it at all.
OOOHHHHHH!
Not to derail this thread, but look! Myfitnesspal has decided to change the Woo to "Disagree". Posted yesterday:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10759847/woo-be-gone#latest
Very good news.
from that thread:Woo will be going away in the next week so go ahead and get it out of your system while you still can. Woo because you love something, woo because its pseudo-science, woo to your heart's content
Sorry for the derail. If you haven’t already, please start a thread @cmriverside. (Just opened MFP so not caught up yet)
1) for informing folks, the responsible option.
2) so we can all go woo crazy without upsetting folk. A last irresponsible hoorah.
Cheers, h.
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middlehaitch wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »SnifterPug wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Hard to believe people wooed @Azdak, who has been in the fitness industry for several decades and has been a valuable contributor to these forums for over ten years and 8000 posts.
I hope those woos were from new people who think it's WooHoo.
Azdak, you said "for eight more weeks..." You retiring? If so, early Congratulations. :flowerforyou:
Thank you for clearing that up. My first instinct on seeing a "woo" option was to assume it meant "woo". But then I wondered if it actually meant "WooHoo" so I have never dared press it at all.
OOOHHHHHH!
Not to derail this thread, but look! Myfitnesspal has decided to change the Woo to "Disagree". Posted yesterday:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10759847/woo-be-gone#latest
Very good news.
from that thread:Woo will be going away in the next week so go ahead and get it out of your system while you still can. Woo because you love something, woo because its pseudo-science, woo to your heart's content
Sorry for the derail. If you haven’t already, please start a thread @cmriverside. (Just opened MFP so not caught up yet)
1) for informing folks, the responsible option.
2) so we can all go woo crazy without upsetting folk. A last irresponsible hoorah.
Cheers, h.
There is a thread? That's why I put it in my post. If you want a thread about it, be my guest. :flowerforyou:1 -
IMHO opinion as a 5'9 male at 165lbs the chances of a 5'3 female adding so much muscle that 171lbs is a good weight, let alone their best weight, are extraordinarily low. Aim for your best rather than better than you were.
Agreed. For a 5'3" female to be 170 and carrying enough muscle to legit consider that a "good weight" would mean you're carrying either enough muscle mass to be a world-class powerlifter or bodybuilder (and even they would arguably not be considered "healthy" - anyone who thinks competitive bodybuilding is a 100% healthy endeavor has their head in the sand). You could also get a DEXA done and get a reasonably accurate idea of how much bodyfat you're carrying and work from that angle.
You've done awesome work so far but IMO there is always room for improvement (that's not just for you, but for everyone, myself included!).21 -
5'3"171. 23. Congrats on losing 30+ pounds OP. That is fantastic and I bet you feel and look SO much better. As a petite I often notice threads where folks seem much happier as a heavier weight. Then a few months or years later they drop a little more and will post about how even BETTER they feel. If you are comfortable where you are at I like the suggestion someone had about setting your goals to 1/2 pound per week and calling it maintenance to see what happens. I would be willing to bet WOOs that you will feel even better at another 20 pounds lighter (or even more shhhh) Do this for you and not your Mom or any of your friends. Hey. Just lift up a huge jug of cat little and think how much your knees would love you for relieving them of that extra stress?8
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cmriverside wrote: »Hard to believe people wooed @Azdak, who has been in the fitness industry for several decades and has been a valuable contributor to these forums for over ten years and 8000 posts.
I hope those woos were from new people who think it's WooHoo.
Azdak, you said "for eight more weeks..." You retiring? If so, early Congratulations. :flowerforyou:
I profoundly hesitate to disagree with Azdak, and I didn't woo him this time. I perceive his reply as pretty cautious (he didn't assert that OP is healthy, for example).
But this time, I don't really fully agree with him, either. Personally, I think that it's pretty important for OP to follow up with a health professional (who is not her mom!), rather than relax, because if she is still overfat, that would be easier to fix (with good long term prognosis) at 23 than it will be down the road if health issues arise.
Many people's "do I look obese" meter is discalibrated these days. Frankly, I might well have clung to an answer like Azdak's here as justifying being fat even longer, which would not have been a good thing. So, I think he's correct (as always ), but in a way that I fear won't lead OP in the most productive direction, which would be to get individualized, independent expert advice about whether she's fatter than ideal for best odds of continuing long-term good health, thus whether she should lose more weight (and how much might be reasonable).
By her own report, she's been working out for a year (good) after being quite inactive beforehand, has lost a bunch of weight already (good) but is still at a relatively high weight for her height, "tries to eat clean" but is "definitely not great at the eating part" and was formerly worse on that front.
Overall, that's not a green light/no worries situation. It's not a flashing red light situation, either. Yellow light, exercise caution, IMO. But I'm not an experienced, knowledgeable, intelligent health/fitness practitioner like Azdak is, just an formerly-fat active person close to OP's size.middlehaitch wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »SnifterPug wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Hard to believe people wooed @Azdak, who has been in the fitness industry for several decades and has been a valuable contributor to these forums for over ten years and 8000 posts.
I hope those woos were from new people who think it's WooHoo.
Azdak, you said "for eight more weeks..." You retiring? If so, early Congratulations. :flowerforyou:
Thank you for clearing that up. My first instinct on seeing a "woo" option was to assume it meant "woo". But then I wondered if it actually meant "WooHoo" so I have never dared press it at all.
OOOHHHHHH!
Not to derail this thread, but look! Myfitnesspal has decided to change the Woo to "Disagree". Posted yesterday:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10759847/woo-be-gone#latest
Very good news.
from that thread:Woo will be going away in the next week so go ahead and get it out of your system while you still can. Woo because you love something, woo because its pseudo-science, woo to your heart's content
Sorry for the derail. If you haven’t already, please start a thread @cmriverside. (Just opened MFP so not caught up yet)
1) for informing folks, the responsible option.
2) so we can all go woo crazy without upsetting folk. A last irresponsible hoorah.
Cheers, h.
If they handle this like some other reaction changes, the woo count may just turn into a disagree count.
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@HakunaMatata137
You've made many successes and are living a lifestyle wanting to help others by becoming an instructor.
This word doesn't define you. This word is just a stepping stone to the next level.
Continue to improve yourself. Best wishes8 -
Congratulations. Great job!
1. BMI - good for a general idea, rough on the extremes. I'm 6'6" - 20 years ago I was a fairly lean 230; had hiked through Europe for 10 weeks with a 40# pack, legs were shredded, eating maybe 2 meals / day. I went to a University medical doctor who first said I should weigh 196#. I told him he was smoking crack. (I have broad shoulders, big boned.)
2. Hamwi formula / UW - is another measurement used by the Navy. If you are 'large boned' (based on wrist circumference), I believe there is another 5 - 10% allotment. Google it.
3. American standards vs Canadian / European standards. At the same time about 20 years ago, I was on a dating site that was 50% Canadian. Amazed at the number of beautiful, toned, athletic women who self identified as having "a few extra pounds". I was chatting with a European somewhere in my travels, and she said "that American over there". I asked her how she knew the person's nationality? Tennis shoes, large camera? "Americans are fat." Ouch.
4. Some of these topics can be depressing. I was playing with these BMI / other calculators... what if I lose another x amount of weight. Several said 50% of the weight loss would be muscle, which was very demotivating. I stopped looking at them.
(Some people claiming you either lose weight or gain muscle; gaining muscle in a caloric deficit 'impossible'. When I hike 1 hour up a ridge, I feel my legs getting stronger; coming down, I feel my core. Ironically, though in a caloric deficit, when I hike the weight reduction seems to stop.)
Maybe a body fat measurement would add insight? My next step. Good luck!
SW: 315
CW: 276
GW: 245?2
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