Told to lose weight by midwife

[Paradii]

My BMI is 26 so I am classed as overweight.

I train horses for my job so I have a lot of muscle mass, especially in my legs. I have a flat stomach and definitely don't look overweight. I told her this but she insisted that I'm overweight and should aim to eat less calories/ more healthily.

Aibu to think I shouldn't try to lose weight, particularly when pregnant?

Lots to consider here. I don't think I'll ask to change midwife; she was very pleasant and we got on well.

This just bothered me because I now feel like I look "fat" and I'm just going to look increasingly fatter, which I know is stupid. I wear size 10 clothes.

I just don't understand why my BMI is so high if it's not muscle. I'm half tempted to post a pic incase I'm seeing myself completely differently to how everyone else does!!

@CSJobseeker

BMI is a blunt tool. It works for 'average' people but not for those with a more physical/active life-style (and a greater than usual muscle-mass).

This is nonsense. There are a tiny fraction of people with enough muscle to skew BMI - e.g. professional weightlifters. For everyone else, including active people, it's a fair measure.

I am very sporty and fit, and do a strength based sport - despite this my muscle mass is nowhere near enough to skew my BMI. See upthread for my comment re: Serena Williams - she's a healthy BMI too.

Oddly, I was thinking about weight-lifting/body-building tupes who are outside the average (we have a prize-winning one of those here so it is probably more important to us :) ).

However, one of the other reasons you might not want to regard BMI as something with pin-point accuracy is that scales can be blunt tools too.

Weight varies by a few pounds between one set and another.
If your BMI is over or under by a very little -this might be significant.

It can be hard to be as exact as to say that someone who is JUST above their BMI ideal is really overweight.

It is a tool - but as imperfect as those of us it measures.

As is said above - GPs etc. are tending to look at waist size as well.

My bmi was 37 at booking and no one has ever mentioned loosing weight. They told me to watch what I eat and try not to put too much on.

A bmi of 26 is barely out of normal esp.of you're quite muscly

I just did the calculations and a friend of mine who is a PT has a higher BMI than you and according to the NHS is “overweight.” She works out 5 days a week, has a tiny waist and a totally flat stomach, but lots of muscle. Training horses is immensely physically draining and literally gets very muscle in your body—stomach legs arms chest bum will all be muscled. You’ve have a couple of pounds of ass from it

BMI doesn't take frame and muscle into account at all. Some people are also just heavier. My DP is described by everyone he knows as "thin" or "skinny". His BMI comes up as the obese category. He works out loads and carries muscle all over especially around his upper back/shoulders. BMI is just an indication, if you're strong then you register as overweight.

@TheOrigRights the formula is weight over height.....yes it then gives a range but that doesn't factor in muscle mass or body fat index.
As said the only way to accurately calculate this is with specific tests including a tank method. I was a guinea pig at uni for sports science experiments my bmi calculation was very different to actual accurate results.

It's a tool but is pretty arbitrary it's also all based on white Europeans for the levels and doesn't factor in different cultural aspects.

For some they will be in the range but it's not only athletes which don't fall within it.

The NHS unfortunately is pretty far behind on many aspects relating to nutritional health accurately and diet.
For instance their Gestational diabetes advice is about 15 years out of date, is based on the type 2 diabetic diet and presumes that people are overweight and that's the cause! Whereas Gestational dietebetes is a hormonal aspect there are certain risk categories.

How far along is your pregnancy, OP?

yes it then gives a range but that doesn't factor in muscle mass or body fat index.

It doesn’t. That is why it gives a range. Not a specific figure.

I was told to lose weight (it's the default advice for a particular condition) just after the person had weighed me and given me the results of my DXA scan. I was a BMI of 18.5 and a bodyfat level of 20%.

I was also told to try and walk for 20mins a day. When I'd arrived for the scan she'd been laughing with me about the amount of sports kit I was carrying as I was going on to a weekend event. We'd discussed how many days a week I trained.

@EmbarrassingHadrosaurus

I was told to lose weight (it's the default advice for a particular condition) just after the person had weighed me and given me the results of my DXA scan. I was a BMI of 18.5 and a bodyfat level of 20%.

I was also told to try and walk for 20mins a day. When I'd arrived for the scan she'd been laughing with me about the amount of sports kit I was carrying as I was going on to a weekend event. We'd discussed how many days a week I trained.

Have you had the advice yet about doing lots of lovely housework for 'activity'?

Funnily enough, my male DP (who also has the same kind of arthritis) has never been advised to do this.

Funnily enough, my male DP (who also has the same kind of arthritis) has never been advised to do this

Ooh, thankfully, no. I wonder if we all have the same sort of arthritis.

Apologies, @Franklyfrost, my ignorance of horse vaulting is showing. (Sounds amazing, though.)

My daughter's midwife told her she was overweight at her 37 week check up. That would be the two stone she had put on in pregnancy taking her 7.5 stone to 9.5 stone. Dd nodded and smiled as she has to work really hard to maintain 7.5 stone as she is prone to losing weight and had never been called overweight in her life.

My booking BMI was 26 too. I got down to 25 and when I fell pregnant was deep into a heavy weight training programme and was in the best shape of my life… however pregnancy was a shock and the first trimester ruined me and I gained weight by the time I had my booking appointment at 10 weeks. BMI also 26 and I’m aware my diet is still not great (I’m still exercising) however, I wouldn’t even know how to begin to track losing weight whilst becoming bigger from pregnancy anyway 🙈

I find it strange that a midwife is telling you to lose weight during pregnancy. Everything I have read and heard from medical professionals say that it is not a good idea to try and lose weight in pregnancy even if you are overweight/obese, you should maintain.

And anyway, a BMI of 26 is nothing to worry about.

What I think would be a better approach is to help women not gain masses during and post pregnancy. I found it fine to shift some of my baby weight but was a good stone heavier when first pregnant with number 2 than number 1 and I have really struggled to shift the weight after my second. I wish I’d been a bit stricter tbh. I think it is weight creep that they really worry about more than the fact you’ve got a bmi of 26.

It’s well known that BMI is useless in someone with a high muscle mass. It’s doubtful with what you’ve said you are even in the overweight category.
I have an NHS nutritionist/dietitian because due to illness my BMI is 15. It’s difficult to take her seriously when she clearly doesn’t follow her own advice.

@Paradii

Lots to consider here. I don't think I'll ask to change midwife; she was very pleasant and we got on well.

This just bothered me because I now feel like I look "fat" and I'm just going to look increasingly fatter, which I know is stupid. I wear size 10 clothes.

I just don't understand why my BMI is so high if it's not muscle. I'm half tempted to post a pic incase I'm seeing myself completely differently to how everyone else does!!

I doubt you are. I have never seen someone who wears size 10 clothes look "fat", I'm sure the midwife is going purely off your BMI. But she is misinformed. Talk to your GP before starting any weight loss plan especially if you are pregnant. They will probably advise against it.

@Twolostsoulsswimminginafishbow

It’s well known that BMI is useless in someone with a high muscle mass. It’s doubtful with what you’ve said you are even in the overweight category. I have an NHS nutritionist/dietitian because due to illness my BMI is 15. It’s difficult to take her seriously when she clearly doesn’t follow her own advice.

BMI works fine unless you're muscular to the extreme.

Non-athletes/bodybuilders are never so muscular that it renders BMI "useless", however much some people would like to think it does.

If you’re seeing your midwife, you must be a little way into your pregnancy, so your BMI may have been below 26 pre-pregnancy. I know it’s different for everyone, but I seemed to put on weight from the start.

Your BMI is 26 while you are pregnant??? Surely nothing to worry about at all. My BMI was about 20 before I became pregnant with DD1, it was 28/29 when I was full term. I just about got back to normal BMI before having DD2 and was the same weight at FT pregnant even though she was a pound heavier.

Then it took me 12+ years to get back to normal BMI again, just about this summer. It's about 26 at the moment.

Also a bit tricky when you are pregnant but doctors also look at things like your waist measurement to height ratio. Mine is in the normal, healthy range even if my BMI is a little high.

My BMI is 32 and I'm a professional dog walker. I walk 60 miles a week. My midwife applauded me for this the other day and told me to keep up with my level of exercise as far into my pregnancy as I feel comfortable. A BMI of 26?? I'd have laughed my eye out if anyone suggested I lose weight while pregnant, especially a midwife!

How is your diet? Do you eat healthily? You have an active lifestyle so unless you’re eating takeaways everyday just ignore the snooty moo.