BMI and Large Frames

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SupeNikkie
SupeNikkie Posts: 10 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've always been a little stymied at the "fact" that my BMI consistently says I am in the (edit:overweight) range. I mean, I'm not opposed to losing some weight, and I know BMI calculations should be taken with a grain of salt because of the different compositions between fat and muscle et cetera, but it always kind of bugged me.

I was reading around the internet and came across this (link at the bottom):

"Wrap your thumb and middle finger around your opposite wrist. If your fingers do not touch, you have a large frame. If they barely touch, you have an average frame. If they overlap, you have a small frame. This method may underestimate the size of your frame, however, if you have particularly long fingers. Once you have confirmed that you have a large frame, multiply your BMI by 0.9 to arrive at your frame-adjusted BMI."

Lo and behold, my thumb and middle finger don't touch when wrapped around my wrist, and I have relatively small hands when compared with other's. When I multiply my BMI as provided in the MFP calculator, 25.7, by 0.9, I get a frame-adjusted BMI of 23.13, or smack in the middle of a "normal" range. When I calculate the BMI of my "goal" weight, it's verging on the low side of healthy.

Thoughts?

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/243072-ideal-body-weight-for-large-framed-people/#ixzz1g3PZMNRn

Replies

  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
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    bump
  • angievaughn
    angievaughn Posts: 655 Member
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    i read somewhere about how many inches around your wrist is...is how you tell....I think if your wrist is 6.5 inches or more around than you are a large frame.....

    the only reason I have a hard time with saying using you hand to measure...is because before I lost weight I could not wrap my hand around my wrist...but now that I have lost 80 pounds I can!!! My wrist is 7 inches around...so I consider myself a large frame.

    good luck!!
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
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    Read this: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439&sc=fb&cc=fp

    Don't use BMI. It's useless. It's better to focus on getting healthier and being happy with yourself.
  • LindseyDD
    LindseyDD Posts: 160 Member
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    I am 5'10'' and my fingers overlap around my wrist and there is NO WAY that I would be considered a small frame!

    I wish it worked for me because I also agree that BMI is all out of wack!

    I weigh 197.5 pounds and have a BMI of 28 putting me in the overweight category - I have 32.5 pounds to goal (165) and that will put me at the high end of a normal BMI, I have had this conversation about BMI with several people and have always come to the conclusion to ignore it keep doing what I am doing and go by what my doctor tells me!
  • LessJos
    LessJos Posts: 113 Member
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    I tried that too but I lost so much weight on my wrist! How can that be a real measurement if you even lose weight on your wrists? I can't go from a large to a small frame.
  • SupeNikkie
    SupeNikkie Posts: 10 Member
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    Wow, a lot of super quick responses!
    For what it's worth, my wrist is 6.5" around.


    EDIT: it's apparently not worth much. haha. Thanks for the links, erry'body
  • kekl
    kekl Posts: 382 Member
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    BMI is bunk... Seriously...

    Check this site out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/77367764@N00/sets/72157602199008819/

    Especially, check out these pictures:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/77367764@N00/1465258677/in/set-72157602199008819
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/77367764@N00/1472416891/in/set-72157602199008819
  • Mama_CAEI
    Mama_CAEI Posts: 235
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    Same here: a few months ago, my fingers didn't reach around my wrist and now they do. But I consider myself a large frame because I have wide shoulders. I'm actually in the higher part of my "healthy" BMI range, but I would look like death warmed over if I was closer to the low end of it. There's a reason that it's such a wide range.
    Besides, hip to waist ratio is apparently a more accurate measurement of how healthy your weight distribution is.
  • cruiseking
    cruiseking Posts: 338 Member
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    I think the mirror in my bathroom is the most accurate tool that I use. For me, my ideal weight will probably end up being at the highest pound considered normal on the BMI scale. Beyond that I would either A) have no muscles, or B) look manorexic. Or A&B combined. I won't know for sure for another 12lbs.
  • Alicia744384
    Alicia744384 Posts: 8 Member
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    I am 5'10'' and my fingers overlap around my wrist and there is NO WAY that I would be considered a small frame!

    I wish it worked for me because I also agree that BMI is all out of wack!

    I weigh 197.5 pounds and have a BMI of 28 putting me in the overweight category - I have 32.5 pounds to goal (165) and that will put me at the high end of a normal BMI, I have had this conversation about BMI with several people and have always come to the conclusion to ignore it keep doing what I am doing and go by what my doctor tells me!

    I agree! I have small wrists but know I am not a small frame. I have always felt that from my elbows down did not match with the rest of my body, lol...
  • kelseyt17
    kelseyt17 Posts: 110 Member
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    BMI also has a lot to do with muscle. The BMI calculator pretty much only calculates fat. I could lose weight, then gain it back in muscle (which I have) and my bmi would still be the same on these calculators. There are some though that take measurements into account, which are more accurate. The best way to find out your BMI is to go to a doctor or some personal trainers know where to do it. But anyways I'm small framed cause my fingers overlap and my bmi is 19.9 & I'm not even at my goal weight yet.
    But I have a friend who is larger framed and has a higher BMI and we can fit the same clothes with little difference.

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