BMI vs. Body Type

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shannon1120
shannon1120 Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I found this on WebMD and I thought it was very interesting!!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/calc-bmi-plus

For me, personally, I've always felt like BMI was inaccurate for me since I have a lot more muscle naturally than most women (and we all know muscle weighs more than fat)

My BMI is 29.3 (which is almost to the obese range)

BUT

my waist to height ratio is very cearly in the Healthy Range

Just thought this was an interesting tool to share!!

Replies

  • kburns0709
    kburns0709 Posts: 297 Member
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    thanks for sharing this is really interesting! I'm only .01 away from a healthy heigh-weight ratio but it has me in the middle of overweight
  • ritajean3
    ritajean3 Posts: 306 Member
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    I use frame size to set a goal weight.

    I am within my healthy bmi so now I use the frame size stuff from the 70s to set a goal weight. I have never had a poor waist to hip ratio
  • beyg
    beyg Posts: 212 Member
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    Cool thanks, and MFP is not off at all. Thanks:laugh:
  • NB_Eric
    NB_Eric Posts: 61
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    I actually saw something very similar to this a few weeks ago, a university ( in Winnipeg I believe ) is pushing to make this the benchmark for Canadians in that you are not simply measured on basic BMI stats ( which are horrible, you could be all muscle and be considered morbidly obese on the BMI scale ) but more on body shape, where your fat is stored, health risk factors etc...
  • NB_Eric
    NB_Eric Posts: 61
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    Although one odd thing I noticed about that WebMD test, I'm 5'8 and it states that my healthy weight starts at 122lbs?? I don't even think that's physically possible.
  • mehinalani
    mehinalani Posts: 38
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    Although one odd thing I noticed about that WebMD test, I'm 5'8 and it states that my healthy weight starts at 122lbs?? I don't even think that's physically possible.

    Yeah are you sure it wasnt set for a Female, that does not seem healthy for a male. I am 5'7 and find that the bmi can be a little off.
  • NB_Eric
    NB_Eric Posts: 61
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    Re-checked it and it was set for male, I thought it was a bit odd too, but oh well :) still has interesting features and stats.
  • yvonnej1
    yvonnej1 Posts: 904 Member
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    Yeah I'm not convinced on that BMI calculator, despite saying generally a BMI of 18.5-24.9 was healthy it still labelled my BMI of 19.5 (1m62/52kg) as overweight on one graph but on the next page said I was underweight if less than 65kg! I don't think the graphs and captions are quite right on the UK site at least.
  • stevwil41
    stevwil41 Posts: 608 Member
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    Although one odd thing I noticed about that WebMD test, I'm 5'8 and it states that my healthy weight starts at 122lbs?? I don't even think that's physically possible.

    I'm 6'1 and per BMI (Web MD or MFP) my healthy weight starts at 140 which is beyond ridiculous:)
  • insidelane
    insidelane Posts: 8 Member
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    BMI is useless really, just use a mirror :)
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    According to BOTH those measures, I am "healthy."

    That's why I go by body fat percentage instead. I have 32% body fat (EEEK!) which places me in the overweight category. I am a true example of skinny fat, and these 3 separate tests prove it.

    I was 34% body fat a month ago, but I am working hard to change that. I only lost 3 widdle pounds since September, but who cares about the scale when the body composition is changing? My goal for November is to get down to 30% and then by the end of the year to get down to 28%. I am ultimately aiming for an average of 16-17% which is the high end for female athletes since my goals are not just to lose weight.

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