BMI for African Americans/Blacks/Browns

Your BMI doesn't address muscle in the body in proportion to fat. So throw out BMI if your waist size is at or below 35inches, unless your shorter than 5'5. But the BF is the true indicator through out all different body types. So at 41% you are about 11% over fat. Great job on all the blood work , your activity and lifestyle is showing!

Great info glad we can discuss...BTW curves are Great!!!!

Well said Tasha!

By American Standards I am 2.3% overweight, I should be weighing around 155, which means I need 2 lose about 20 lbs...I weighed 174.2, BMI was 27.3, BP was 110/74, Total Cholesterol was 117, HDL 58, nonHDL 59, Glucose 73, my fat was 41.2%, I am suppose to be in a range of 21-33%, Fat Mass was 71.81, suppose 2 be 27.2-50.41 range & they said I shud eat 1565 to maintain my weight...EXCUSE ME, BUT WHERE IS THE AFRICAN AMERICAN/BLACK & BROWN FOLKS BODY MASS INDEX LOCATED??? Cuz the folks in the south say Im a HEALTHY weight & I think I nd 2 create anotha type of BMI!!!!!!!! I am heavy in the hips & thighs & I think I look good just like I am, these standards are so not realistic!!!! BMI 4 Blacks is a need, we are circumferenced different!!!!!

I don't think you should focus on race...

you should focus on build

there are three types if I am not mistaken

Small, Medium, Large Frame

What frame are you...

There are people from all races with all types of frames


I like to edit to add.

As a black man...I am jealous of white men Calves..

Damnit!

Well then you have not seen my husbands skinny *kitten* calves (he is so white he turns red just from thinking about going outside).

but I agree with this - race might account for different averages, but I have seen plenty of slim black girls and plenty of white girls with big hips and butts.

I don't know if I'd classify it as just THREE Types but different builds do account for different weights. I'm not particularly curvy but I'm kind of stocky, the high end of the BMI scale is fine for me but the low end would be unhealthy and or hospitalized. BUt plenty of other girls - of all races - can hit the lower end of the BMI scale and look fine.

You just said that your body fat is at 41.2% which means that you're really overfat. Just accept it & make that change in your body composition. I'm brown & I don't believe we need to set a different BMI standard. It is all about a person's built.

Using BMI as a measuring stick for fitness is ridiculous, whether you are comparing yourself against others in the same ethnic, national, linguistic or knitting group.

ETA: Jimmy the Greek would love this thread.

If I don't use BMI to compare myself to my fellow knitters, then how, pray tell, am I to continue feeling superior to them? Based on skill?

I agree that BMI calculations suck, it doesn't account for a lot of things, but honestly, I feel like a lot of women of color like to use our uniquely shaped/proportioned bodies as excuses to remain overweight and unhealthy. *Don't pull out your guns and pitch forks nah!* Yes, Black women are more curvy and volumptuous than other women but that line between healthy-curvy and unhealthy-curvy is very thin! I think that we need to find a way to maintain our culturally defined curves without sacrificing/neglecting our health. And yes, there are a lot of Black men who like thicker women but sadly, those are the same women who are suffering with hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, diabetes, heart problems, and a shortened lifespan. We need to stop being complacent with these socially acceptable standards for our health and well-being when they bear harmful and costly consequences.

~Tasha~

This touches on "fat acceptance," which I see more often than I care to in my own family. If they seemed to care about their health it wouldn't bother me so much.

Elizabeth, you're fine. You haven't crossed the line into "transparent" so I think you're good.

By American Standards I am 2.3% overweight, I should be weighing around 155, which means I need 2 lose about 20 lbs...I weighed 174.2, BMI was 27.3, BP was 110/74, Total Cholesterol was 117, HDL 58, nonHDL 59, Glucose 73, my fat was 41.2%, I am suppose to be in a range of 21-33%, Fat Mass was 71.81, suppose 2 be 27.2-50.41 range & they said I shud eat 1565 to maintain my weight...EXCUSE ME, BUT WHERE IS THE AFRICAN AMERICAN/BLACK & BROWN FOLKS BODY MASS INDEX LOCATED??? Cuz the folks in the south say Im a HEALTHY weight & I think I nd 2 create anotha type of BMI!!!!!!!! I am heavy in the hips & thighs & I think I look good just like I am, these standards are so not realistic!!!! BMI 4 Blacks is a need, we are circumferenced different!!!!!

The BMI might vary, but 41% is still high. If you had the same BMI and a lower body fat you'd be fine. Dropping to 33% without losing muscle would put you right around 155. For what it's worth, my fat's somewhere in 28-29% and I still have plenty of hips/thighs.

I'm hippy, hit 13 and there it came.

BMI is only good for estimating over large populations, it's far from perfect for all the reasons already stated.

You could use the Waist to Hip ratio. I haven't heard anything about a racial component, but it is well known that weight carried in the hips is less unhealthy than weight carried in the waist. I think you want to be under .8.

I do think there is a problem with fat acceptance and making excuses etc. However that is a separate issue to whether or not the BMI is an accurate or useful tool. Overweight people are capable of making intelligent assessments about such things, not everything is driven by our denial and shame. It would seem that most nutrition concious people on MFP are comfortable with the idea that government recommendations on macronutrients, for example, are wrong... why then couldn't the use of the BMI also be wrong?

Its not BMI being wrong that's the problem I think. There is some grey area on the subject so its not an exact science, but as a general guideline it does work. A lot of people who say "BMI is wrong" are often very overfat. BMI can be wrong for competitive athletes and people who spend time putting on a lot of muscle. Just like it can also be wrong for someone who is slim but extremely sedentary but both of these examples are extremes. For the average person who gets some light physical activity (just day to day things like walking, cleaning, etc), its usually pretty accurate.

There is no such thing as an average person... that's the point. There are averages across large numbers of people... or there is an individual person. The BMI is wrong as a tool for individual diagnosis, it is right when used for what it is designed for.. ie making assessments across big groups of people. I don't know how anyone who has actually read any information about the history, purpose or usuage of the BMI can claim otherwise. I am confused as to why you think it is relevant, again, to say that people who do not like the use of the BMI in an innappropriate way are usually overweight? Again I say, even overweight people can make intelligent assessments about things you know.

Not to be rude, but do you know what average means?

All these measurements, bmi, body fat, bmr, etc, are given in a range to account for differences between people. BMI is a tool, not the only tool. You're supposed to use a combination of tools to get a good estimate. That said, i still think its a pretty good tool.

I don't think everyone who doesn't like it is overweight, but I think the majority of people with a problem with it just so happen to be overweight. That's why it bothers them so much. If you're a few pounds overweight, then no biggie. People in this thread are telling a women with 41% body fat (not meaning to pick on the OP, but its the example at hand) that the BMI scales are useless. If she's over fat on more than one health scale are you going to just start saying they're all wrong? That's a little ridiculous.

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I love skinny white boy calves, lol. Speaking of, one of my white friends was laughing at me because my legs are whiter than his, and I'm Latino.
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hahah! I'm latina and I have white friends that say I'm from "iowa" since I'm pale and have no accent. That said I'm definitely hippy and understand the original OP frustration, but really it should be all about body fat percentage and that doesn't really matter what ethnic background one may have.

OH and I too love skinny white boy calves, and brown dudes calves, and black dudes calves...to be honest I'm just a leg girl. I love me some nice legs and really don't care what shade they come in!

I agree that BMI calculations suck, it doesn't account for a lot of things, but honestly, I feel like a lot of women of color like to use our uniquely shaped/proportioned bodies as excuses to remain overweight and unhealthy. *Don't pull out your guns and pitch forks nah!* Yes, Black women are more curvy and volumptuous than other women but that line between healthy-curvy and unhealthy-curvy is very thin! I think that we need to find a way to maintain our culturally defined curves without sacrificing/neglecting our health. And yes, there are a lot of Black men who like thicker women but sadly, those are the same women who are suffering with hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, diabetes, heart problems, and a shortened lifespan. We need to stop being complacent with these socially acceptable standards for our health and well-being when they bear harmful and costly consequences.

~Tasha~

I love this!!

There is no such thing as an average person... that's the point. There are averages across large numbers of people... or there is an individual person. The BMI is wrong as a tool for individual diagnosis, it is right when used for what it is designed for.. ie making assessments across big groups of people. I don't know how anyone who has actually read any information about the history, purpose or usuage of the BMI can claim otherwise. I am confused as to why you think it is relevant, again, to say that people who do not like the use of the BMI in an innappropriate way are usually overweight? Again I say, even overweight people can make intelligent assessments about things you know.

Not to be rude, but do you know what average means?

All these measurements, bmi, body fat, bmr, etc, are given in a range to account for differences between people. BMI is a tool, not the only tool. You're supposed to use a combination of tools to get a good estimate. That said, i still think its a pretty good tool.

I don't think everyone who doesn't like it is overweight, but I think the majority of people with a problem with it just so happen to be overweight. That's why it bothers them so much. If you're a few pounds overweight, then no biggie. People in this thread are telling a women with 41% body fat (not meaning to pick on the OP, but its the example at hand) that the BMI scales are useless. If she's over fat on more than one health scale are you going to just start saying they're all wrong? That's a little ridiculous.

Yep I'm pretty comfortable with the definition of average. Let me give you an example, say we were talking about average rainfall over a month period and we categorise a daily average of over 1 inch as "wet". Therefore if the month of May had an average daily rainfall of 1.1inch, it would be accurate to say that May was a "wet" month. However it is simply not accurate to then say that Tuesday the 2nd of May was a wet day just from that information. You could only make that assessment based on the data of that day alone.

The OP has provided us with data about her alone, ie her BF%, therefore the BMI is irrelevant. BF% and BMI are not equal tools in my eyes. One is accurate personal data and makes the other superfluous.

Also I don't think anyone was telling the OP that because the BMI is useless, that means she is not overweight.

I am also curious if you read the article I posted.

I love this thread and the replies in it. According to my doctor, MY BMI is 42. I'm top heavy, small in the waist, but I still have a flabby stomach from 2 previous c-sections. I was told that in order to have my breast reduction surgery, I would have to lose 55 lbs. My breast weigh over 20 lbs alone. I've been exercising and trying to change up my meal plan.

My caloric intake according to my BMI is 1747. Okay if BMI is not a factor, maybe I am eating the wrong amount of calories. I need to know the amount of BF (Body Fat) do I actually have.

There is also quite a bit of evidence that waist size is WAY more important than BMI for rating health and predicting the incidence of chronic diseases.

I found an article from yesterday about this but there have been many studies and articles in recent years: [http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/05/waist-size-signals-diabetes-risk/]

I have read several articles about this topic over the past couple of years. One agency thinks the magic waist number for women is actually 32 or 33. But they also found that for black women, that average was a little bit higher as well.
[http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/25/us-healthy-waist-idUSTRE70O4H320110125]

So I think healthy is different across ethnic groups. For Asians, a healthy BMI is actually lower than the current threshold since their bones are less dense than whites.

***I am a little skeptical of BMI for many reasons. But I'll have a new current theory about it. The stats of the average american woman are something like the following:
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 165 (which is around "30" pounds overweight per the mid-point of BMI for that height)
Clothing Size: 14 (which is roughly 43 in the hips)
Bra Size: 36DD (which is roughly 41 inches in the bust)
Waist size 37" according to the CDC

At this very moment, I am roughly much the same size as the average american woman, inches wise at 41-33-43.5. My waist is smaller -- in the so called "healthy" zone. (I am a little surprised the average waist size is so high actually). I weigh almost 45 pounds more than that "average" woman with my measurements. Isn't it safe to say, based on that, my healthy weight/measurements would be significantly higher than the average "white" american?