to think this BMI calculator is bollocks?

[onemiddlefinger]

I'm not particularly concerned with my DS's weight but just after reading another thread I went and checked the NHS BMI calculator and apparently he is VERY OVERWEIGHT!!!

He certainly is big but he is also very tall for his age (2yrs 3 mnts), when recently seeing a pediatrician (for another reason) I did ask if there is anything we should be worried about regarding his size (way over the 99th percentile in weight and height for his age) and she assured that he was in proportion and he was fine. So how do these BMI calculators work?
I find this result to be a bit shocking and complete bollocks at the same time.

I don't really understand the tall thing either. Came across it when trying to work out if my 11mo DD is heavy enough to worry about. She feeds herself so eats as much or as little as she wants but is very high in the centiles for head size, length and weight.

I don't understand either how overweight children can be very tall??

Um, why can't overweight children also be very tall?

Well he is not a bodybuilder, but even at 2 years you can see he is broad shouldered (as is his dad) and he certainly is strong.
However my main argument is that his paediatrician has seen him and noted that his height and weight are in proportion even thought they are both very much above average.

The calculator says I am obese because my boobs are MASSIVE.

Obviously some children are just very tall, but a lot of obese children, the 5 year olds wearing 10 year old clothing, have bodies that have used that excess of calories to grow abnormally tall (for their age) as well as putting down excess fat stores.

When they go through puberty (often earlier than normal since excess weight can trigger the hormonal changes), this upward growth will stop. If the excess intake of calories continues then obviously the obesity will continue and may be more obvious.

All the overweight children I know, are also much taller than their peers (I don't know that many overweight children. So make of that what you will.)

Wasn't he weighed/measured at his 2y check with the HV?

And did you use the calculator on the nhs website OP?

Scrap that, sorry just seen it was the nhs one you used, sorry

Can I just point out that it isn't always easy to tell whether someone is overweight just by looking at them? People are a lot bigger now than they used to be and because of this our perception of what a normal weight looks like has been skewed massively.

If most people you see every day are overweight then that will become normal to you and it won't look look overweight any more. There have been several studies which show that people often don't recognise it when they or their children are overweight because everyone else is the same size so how can I/my child be overweight?

Speaking from personal experience I can say that those studies defiantly hold true.

My gp told me I was very slim then was shocked when I told him my weight. Sounds daft but I wouldn't always take a gp's word for it - they're not always the healthiest.

I am sorry but you can't rely on the centile charts and being in proportion especially if the child's weight is on a high centile. You should be guided by the BMI calculator. Overweight kids are taller as increased fat leads to increased growth hormone therefore they can seem more in proportion than they should be.

Without knowing your son's height, weight and what BMI calculator you were using I can't tell if YABU.

Also it's relatively normal for young children to expand out then up so might be overweight at one point then back to normal range a few weeks later. I wouldn't worry too much about any one test but take all the measurements again in a month. If he is still "overweight" then make suitable adjustments - nothing drastic, smaller portion sizes, reduced snacks, replace high sugar foods with more filling alternatives etc (you know what to do).

There are too many people on my facebook who complain - "I can't believe my school sent me a letter saying my child's overweight, look at him" and show a lovely picture of their beautiful child in his pants and they are a little plumper than they should be. It's not a big deal, you don't need to "diet" them and it won't do their health any harm but cutting down on some of the little extras might help stop them becoming larger later in life.

Well, I guess that's told me then. I always thought a person's height was determined by the genes of their parents, not by being overfed.

I'm also curious to know how tall the OP's toddler is and how much they weigh.

I also don't understand why you'd check their BMI if you weren't concerned about their weight. Surely you'd only do that if you were worried?

For those saying that if you are on the same centile you are in proportion that simply isn't true at the extremes. Take for example my dd who is on the 99th for height at just short of 6ft however the same centile for weight would make her over 14st /90kg which would be noticeably overweight.

I remember reading about children who are overweight also becoming "over tall", ie taller than they would eb expected based on parents' height, or something?

This leads to girls reaching puberty younger, for example.

I would not worry too much about bmi at age 2, TBH though

plenty of tots are a bit chubs, mine were, and the lovely fatty bits all disappear once they get into sport and become lanky and full of bones, corners, edges (misses chubby tot stage).

If you are active, as a family, and eat well, it should all even out.

Why are you checking his BMI and posting here if you are so certain he is not over weight?

I do think that the general population has now lost all sight of what normal weight looks like.

Just check the red book you will have.

99th percentile is not overweight if his height is similar.

All of mine are around 91/99th percentile for height and weight, I am 5ft9, DH is 6ft3 so hardly a shock. None of them are overweight though.

I think they should be within a percentile of each other, so if weight was 75th and height 50th that would be okay on basis both would fluctuate, but weight 75th and height 25th wouldn't.

Mintyy height is determined by lots of things. You will inherit genes from your parents which will be a factor in determining how tall you will be but there are other things which will affect how tall you are. That's why identical twins often end up being different heights despite being genetically identical.

Just noticed you said his paediatrician has seen him. Does he have a certain condition that means he is under a paed? It's just that some conditions do affect BMI and it might mean that you shouldn't be using the "general" charts on the website.

My son has low blood sugar issues so our paed has actually advised us to try and keep him in "overweight" category as it means his body has more reserves to try and protect his brain when the hypos strike. He is therefore 2 centiles higher in weight than height which we don't worry about in the circumstances.

Toddler years are tricky though because they're still having massive growth spurts, so they look chubby and you start to wonder, then they shoot up and look skinny again. DS feels like he's made of lead (around 75th for height and weight) but I can see his ribs and all the bones in his back, and he has lost his toddler tummy now at 3. I think the best way is to use your eyes, but be honest.