BMI....I'm fat!

[nickey009]

According to this:

http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

I'm "over weight." I really didn't think I was over weight. I play basketball twice a week and I've never been told by my doctor to lose weight. When I was younger I was super skinny....times have changed I guess.

BMI 25.8

[posnera]

25.8 is hardly a reason for concern. Also, muscle weighs more than fat, so a muscular person will have a higher BMI than a wiry one.

[gisb0rne]

BMI is retarded.

[KinkyKid]

A year or two ago, there was a small controversy over the fact that the BMI does nothing to really take into account muscle. This is from the website you link:
[ QUOTE ]
Part 1: Assessing Your Risk
According to the NHLBI guidelines, assessment of overweight involves using three key measures:

body mass index (BMI)

waist circumference, and

risk factors for diseases and conditions associated with obesity.
The BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height and waist circumference measures abdominal fat. Combining these with information about your additional risk factors yields your risk for developing obesity-associated diseases.

What is Your Risk?
1. Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is a reliable indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk of disease and death. The score is valid for both men and women but it does have some limits. The limits are:

It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build.
It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass.

[/ QUOTE ]

So use your judgement as to the significance of that number.

[HCR]

Yeah BMI makes no account for muscle mass. If you actually do any exercise or have any muscle mass whatsoever its useless.

[Toro]

BMI is no different than height/weight charts as they are just a function of your height compared to your weight. Body fat is the key.

You could take 2 people both 6' 3" and 225 lbs and one could be incredibly fat and the other incredibly lean. It depends on % of body fat. Forget BMI.

[PITTM]

yay! im not obese anymore! im almost not even overweight anymore. i used to be 31, and i just got a 26.2.

rj

[GGrey]

the only way to accurately quantify your BMI is with calipers and a pro

[posnera]

[ QUOTE ]
the only way to accurately quantify your body fat percentage is with calipers and a pro

[/ QUOTE ]

BMI is what it is, a ratio of height to weight.

BMI's margin of error is so horrible that it makes BMI completely useless.

Supposedly, to get to the top of "normal", I'd have to be around 160. I can see the start of a 6-pack in my abs at 180. I'd be totally ripped at 170. At 160 I'd be scary-thin.

For women, if they have wide hips and full breats they're going to rate far worse than a willowy type on BMI.


Get a body fat measurement. Or, better yet, look in the mirror.