To think it’s possible for child to be overweight BMI but not unhealthy?

Picture has just shown for me.

That's not an 8 year old. That's also not an overweight person. What a strange strange thread

Children do naturally fluctuate in weight. My DS was a massively chunky 2 year old who was at one stage almost into the overweight category by BMI. He gradually slimmed out between 2 and 4 and hovered around 50th centile BMI. Between 5 and 7 he was a string bean, at one point going down to 13th centile. Now at 8 he’s gone back up to 45th. It’s important to keep an eye so you know what’s going on - at both ends of the spectrum. I suspect my DS is due a growth spurt and yours probably is too, but consistently being in the overweight category is a pretty reliable indication that your DS is overweight.

All the rib talk on this thread is hilarious! Under 10s should have visible ribs and shoulder blades. Visible does not equal protruding.

@NameChangedOct24 his height and weight should ideally be following the same curve on centiles chart. I am not a big believer in BMI. A child of 8 should on average (note the average, that includes height so 50th centiles) should weigh 24kgs. Currently as an average he weighs the same as a 13yr old child. If this is a blip, then he could be due a growth spurt. If this is consistent then maybe he is a little overweight if his centiles don’t match and he is not a very tall boy. At this age there are a few things you can do and not have too much awareness of what you are doing from him. I wouldn’t make him aware. But you could sign him up for more exercise, additional football etc. and ensure no treats at home for him to grab.
i thiink he can absolutely be healthy at this weight but you need to be aware of his future weight and the implications of childhood increased weight on long term weight as an adult. You don’t want his body to adjust to needing more calories to feel sated. There are lots of health promotion programmes around healthy weight management for children from NHSE, just look online and it’s everyday tips on diet and exercise. Not that I am suggesting there is anything wrong with his diet or the level of exercise. Just that it can support a healthy height appropriate weight, if that’s what he needs.

You're right, but how do you suggest as a nation we measure body fat?

This is a good demonstration of why BMI is a blunt tool. According to your BMI you weight is within the healthy range. But it seems your ideal weight is less than that. And that's fine. That's why BMI needs to be looked at with other factors.
Someone who naturally lies at the top end of the BMI range who then loses a lot of weight w/o trying would want to be looked into even if they still lied within the healthy range.

I naturally lie at the low end. Always have. I could probably put on about 2 or 3 stone and still be in the healthy range. I know that this would not be healthy FOR ME. This doesn't mean that BMI is rubbish.

Yes, but we’re outliers, most people with an obese bmi aren’t professional athletes!

Sorry typo - 'the OPs son is...' (don't know who Alex is!???)

The OPs son Alex s not a professional rugby player. He doesn't sound like a pro athlete. He is not an adult who can lay down significant volumes of muscle. It is not helpful to compare an 8 yr old child with an adult professional athlete.

The OPs son is overweight. It's helpful for her to know that so she can make adjustments to keep him healthy

“Belly overhang” from fully grown adults about a literal child makes me shudder 🤢

Josette was questioning the previous poster who wrote

BMI is the trigger for eating disorders in my opinion

The previous poster was giving an opinion; not talking about having actually having experienced an eating disorder!

@CoffeeAndATwix

No, he is towards the top of the bmi healthy scale at the moment (we saw his constant paediatrician last week who always checks his hight/weight/blood pressure etc). He has lost and gained around 50 centile points this year in weight.

Bodies are weird, and disabled bodies are weirder… you would expect larger bmi to equal higher blood pressure too for example, but he has normal systolic pressure and low diastolic pressure.

Sometimes children put a bit of "puppy fat" down, before a growth spurt ime. If he is eating a lot, but it's healthy(ish) stuff, I wouldn't worry OP. He might just need it. If it's UPF, I'd maybe try to cut those back, so you know the tummy isn't from an addiction. Wouldn't cut calories though, especially as boys can start puberty from 9 - he could be an early bloomer!

BMI should not be used.

Most professional rugby players would be obese/

Better use its body fat %

My son was fairly overweight at 13 and had been for a few years , he was not happy...always wearing big jumpers, which made him look even bigger. We never made a big deal regarding his eating, which wasn't great (smacking on sweets after school) We encouraged him to start reading the labels on the back of packaging and letting him make informed decisions about his choices. Now at 16, he's lost about 2 stone , goes to the gym, and rarely eats crap food - he decided . If you are worried at 8 I would start looking at labels on food together, teaching him what calories are and how our body processes them , no judgement just education

Yes of course it’s possible just like adults whose BMI is between 25 and 29 statistically live longer than those in the normal or underweight category.
My DP’s kids are very skinny but their diet is atrocious (it’s not my place to decide what to feed them, it’s their parents’ but it’s about 95% UPF and I’ve forced myself to stop worrying about it). My niece and nephew are solidly built, not fat but definitely not skinny. They eat loads of fruit and veg and a largely unprocessed diet with a few treats here and there. I’d venture that my niece and nephew are healthier or are at least laying a better foundation for adult health.

No. I am overweight. The BMI is a blunt tool which cannot tell my body type from the next. I am well aware that BMI says I am a healthy weight. My body tells me otherwise.

You are not overweight from a health point of view. You may be over the weight that you’d ideally like to be!

If he is 90th centile for height and 90th centile for weight, then he is probably 50th centile for BMI, which is perfect

Your BMI does not tell you that you are a sedentary beast. It tells you, you are overweight. It sounds like you are taking steps to lose weight which is great!

Your BMI does not tell you anything about how your fitness compares to your colleague. It simply lets you know that you are overweight. If your colleague's BMI is within the healthy range, then her weight is in the healthy weight range. That doesn't mean she is healthy. Simply that weight is not a risk factor for her health.
Sounds like she has other factors which might be risk factors for future health probs though.

Weight, and being overweight, is only one risk factor for later poor health. There are many others (smoking, eating highly processed foods, lack of exercise). Weight is highly correlated with many health problems though, so great you r losing weight.

@Andthesky no you're not. You're in the middle of a healthy weight.

I am 5'2" and weigh 9 stone. I am overweight, whatever a BMI chart says. I can see it in the mirror and feel it when I move.

You wouldn’t be very overweight by any objective standard; you’d simply not be as slim as you’d like to be!

A healthy weight on BMI charts actually covers a wide spectrum from really slim to a little bit plump.

Why? There is a range of ‘healthy’ BMI scores- a score within the healthy range is, by definition, healthy. If every human body was supposed to be a particular spot on the BMI chart then the model wouldn’t use a range.

My son has always been in the health BMI range but because of medication/disability/chronic illness he has lost and gained weight more than your average child, and seen more doctors and specialists… all of whom have assured us he is fine whether he is the light end or the heavy end of the BMI healthy range. He is bobbing along on 90 something for height and weight at the moment on the centile charts.

I'm much more concerned that you posted a picture of your child on the internet for loads of strangers to comment on his weight.

If you're worried, go to your GP.

Don’t get wrapped around the axle on BMI. Yes, it’s a misleading tool for a small proportion of the population with very high muscle mass, but it’s not magic - it’s a very simple sum that looks at only height and weight. Higher BMI = more weight for height. All the whys and wherefores are individual, but generally speaking, higher BMI = higher body fat, with all the negative health outcomes associated.

I cant see the picture, but the fact is you have a child with a higher BMI, so you need to be really honest with yourself about diet, activity levels etc, so that you can figure out whether you’re looking at a potential future problem that will cause ill health. The numbers by themselves are the starting point, not the end point.