BMI WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!

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Chany_b
Chany_b Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
So when i do reach my goal of10 stone ( i am currently dead on 12 stone) so anyway, when i do reach my 10 stone/140 pounds goal, im still in the overweight category due to only being 5ft1! what the hell is wrong with this system?? SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW BMI ACTUALLY WORKS??!!

add me as a friend

Thanks guys!!!
Chantelle
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Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    How does it work? ......... Poorly!

    No seriously .... you topic sentence says it all. BMI is ONE number, it does take muscle/fat composition in at all.
  • subigirl
    subigirl Posts: 53 Member
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    Like you said...BMI is a load of crap! It is ONLY a measurement of weight vs. height. It does not take into consideration one's structure. It leaves out the lean mass...larger bone structures, muscle mass, etc. My son has 7% body fat, but his BMI is in the "overweight" range. He is an athlete and a body builder! Fat tissue about the size of 3/4 a loaf of bread weighs the same as muscle tissue the size of an average fist!
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,829 Member
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    I think the most important thing to measure is your body fat percentage. If THAT is in a healthy range, then BMI can go kick rocks. Getting an accurate body comp test is the best way to see what is healthiest for you. Some people have naturally tiny frames, or naturally larger frames. Or more muscular bodies. Or more delicate bodies...but body fat percentage is generally the best number to stick to.
  • Prefessa
    Prefessa Posts: 90
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    BMI works for the "General Population" of Sedentary folks who maintain a healthy body weight and don't carry a whole lot of muscle on there bodys.

    I have a BMI if ~28 which makes me fat....at 18% Bodyfat, that puts my LBM at 165#s. For me to have a "healthy BMI" I need to be 169#s......So assuming I can hold onto the muscle, I will never get there. 4 lbs of fat is pretty much limited to the fat in your brain and nerve cells.

    What sucks is that insurance companies are using this now...so an athelete will get the same crummy rate.
  • Sahloknirr
    Sahloknirr Posts: 4
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    BMI is an EXTREMELY outdated form of fitness assessment. It was invented around 1830 and was originally used for populations study (of people of average body composition who do NOT exercise) and not meant for study of a specific individual. So, BMI completely ignores the bodies muscle mass, so you will be considered overweight for your height if you are muscular and exercise, which is NOT what BMI was originally intended for. I just ignore it :\
  • ErrataCorrige
    ErrataCorrige Posts: 649 Member
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    I think the most important thing to measure is your body fat percentage. If THAT is in a healthy range, then BMI can go kick rocks. Getting an accurate body comp test is the best way to see what is healthiest for you. Some people have naturally tiny frames, or naturally larger frames. Or more muscular bodies. Or more delicate bodies...but body fat percentage is generally the best number to stick to.

    ^^^^THIS x2!
  • peachNpunkin
    peachNpunkin Posts: 1,010 Member
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    BMI is just a tactic by the medical field to charge you more for healthcare. Here in the states the insurance companies use it to increase your monthly premium. It's a rip off tactic, that is all. I don't think we need a BMI to tell us rather or not we are overweight.
  • hexrei
    hexrei Posts: 163
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    What Prefessa and Salohknir said. It has uses when looking at large groups of sedentary people but should never be used to analyze individuals, not when body fat percentage can be evaluated instead.
  • Okieace
    Okieace Posts: 56
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    Yep, BMI is way flawed as a way to measure an individual. The problem is the medical and insurance field has embraced it as the gold standard for weight.
  • amoffatt
    amoffatt Posts: 674 Member
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    I don't go by my BMI because it wants me from 97 to 110 pounds at the most. I felt and looked healthier at 115 to 120. I'm 4'11 in height.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    I currently have a BMI of about 24, which is just 1 point below the top of a "normal" BMI for my height; however, I have had a healthy body fat % for 30+ pounds.

    It is good as a general guesstimate tool for the average population but doesn't take into account muscle mass or body fat. Just focus on getting healthy and don't worry about your BMI.
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
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    Go by body fat and how you look and feel. If you are muscular you can forget about BMI altogether.
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
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    My body fat % could be 0 (with my current lean mass) and my BMI would still be in the healthy range. :laugh:

    BMI is a helpful generalization, but not a cut-in-stone rule.
  • 110839
    110839 Posts: 9
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    So when i do reach my goal of10 stone ( i am currently dead on 12 stone) so anyway, when i do reach my 10 stone/140 pounds goal, im still in the overweight category due to only being 5ft1! what the hell is wrong with this system?? SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW BMI ACTUALLY WORKS??!!

    add me as a friend

    Thanks guys!!!
    Chantelle
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    My body fat % could be 0 (with my current lean mass) and my BMI would still be in the healthy range. :laugh:
    Ditto here.
  • mp15
    mp15 Posts: 8 Member
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    Honestly I think the BMI is only good (not perfect) for kids under the age of 18. It's not meant for fully developed men and women especially if you using it to measure somewhat athletic individuals, or someone who lifts weights.
  • 110839
    110839 Posts: 9
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    :smile: Well if you do a lot of exercise - the sort that builds muscle - that would lessen your weight loss but replace the fat with some buildup of good lean muscle. I should think that could only be good. I would also therefore expect it to affect your BMI, amd TheZilla's comments fit the bill! Don't worry too much about BMI. When I was running a relatively successful weight group I had been taught that your waist measurement is a better indicator than BMI anyway, and we had specially marked tapes which showed warning and danger zones, and if you were a little below that it's fine. If you are interested I will see if I can find a tape and let you know the parameters.
  • Fit_Canuck
    Fit_Canuck Posts: 788 Member
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    Agreed, BMI is absolute junk. I would have to lose all skin, bones, organs , fat and water plus an extra 10lbs of muscle to get in the " Healthy " BMI range.
  • MaggiePuccini
    MaggiePuccini Posts: 248 Member
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    I don't like the system at all. I'm 5'1'' as well and I've always thought it was harder on small people!! Maybe that is a forcefield of denial there! But, it makes no allowances for good muscle tone, strong bones or porous bones, weight distribution........ A bmi can't tell you all you need to know IMO.

    Waist measurement is brutal though. You can't hide from the truth when you#re dealing with a simple measuring tape.

    Have you heard of the 48% rule? your waist shouldn't be more than 48% of your height. However, that is a little harsh and I was told that in a GYM, so I think they meant that that is an indication of physical peak. Not that if you go over it you're instantly at risk of getting diabetes. I'm working on getting my waist down an inch.
  • subigirl
    subigirl Posts: 53 Member
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    Like some pointed out, insurance companies are now using BMI to help determine rates, which I think is the biggest load of CRAP! I'd like to see them try to raise my rates if my son's BMI comes into play! At 5'9" and 195 lbs, his current BMI puts him toward the higher range of overweight. He gains much more muscle, and he will go into obese! How can a kid with 7% body fat be obese? His stomach is a brick wall!

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