...to think bra size should be taken in account with BMI/weight measurements (lighthearted)

[TiredDonut]

Every time I weigh myself or get weighted at a medical appointment I think they should take my 38E flumpage into account. In the words of Miranda Hart...."too heavy to post second class". Not a serious point obvs, just an observation.

To be honest I've wondered about this. It seems to obviously affect BMI quite significantly.

I’m a 30G and totally agree, but it’s no different from the other flaws in the BMI approach like penalising people with muscle. Body composition is a better metric.

30JJ and "obese" here and absolutely agree! I'm definitely carrying a few extra pounds but I'm fairly sure if I had smaller boobs I'd only be "overweight"!

Hard agree!

I’m only a 34E (and still a 32E when I’ve been lighter, about 15 years ago) so probably doesn’t make much difference to me.

But my friend who is 34J once drunkenly put her scales on the windowsill and weighed them* and maintained they added a whole stone. I can believe it!

*More scientific methods may be available.

Edit to add: she was very slim elsewhere, size 10 jeans.

I’ve often thought this - from somebody who’s totally flat chested!

This is so true, bra size is completely separate to the way weight is carried on the rest of your body.

YES!

Very true, I sometimes feel like a ship when I’m steering mine around!

Ha ha, true. Even when I'm a size 10 I'm a good D cup, maybe a DD. I reckon I'd weigh 7lbs less if I was flat chested!

It’s almost like BMI is completely flawed isn’t it 😂🤔

But that's already taken into account. BMI is such a broad range and not a specific weight, and thus accommodates larger boobs/ more muscle mass/bigger or smaller frames etc. At my height I could weigh anything between around 8st and 11st and be in the "healthy" bracket, which could factor in humongous boobage if necessary.

I told myself otherwise for years, though. When I was overweight, convincing myself it was partially down to my FFs was tempting. I'm now a size 8-10 and they're still a D.

Hahahahaha I might try this for a giggle 🤭

Absolutely! I had my bmi done by a nurse last week and I’ve apparently shrunk by 2” (I think the height measure was off) so they now account for a greater proportion of my bmi.
Not sure how you’d accurately weigh/measure them to counter the calculations but I bet there’s a fair few fellas (and some ladies) who’d be up for that job! 😂

I imagine, like with muscle, you'll know if you're an outlier with particularly out of proportion breasts. But breasts are largely fat, which is why they shrink when you lose weight. BMI is still a good guide for 99% of people, it's a large range to accommodate these variations.

Surely BMI was based on men, who, presumably in those days, did not have moobs. Probably different now!
By the same token your basic skeleton is not considered, so it is more or less meaningless.
If you can pinch more than an inch, that is probably the most accurate measurement.

Yes! I had this exact arguement with a surgeon once. "So if I get a double mastectomy and those scales say I meet the criteria is that okay?" Body fat percentage is the healthy metric to use.

And me! My shoulder blades are bigger than my boobs.

Yes I agree!

I reckon my boobage adds an extra stone to my weight. They never really change size regardless of the size of the rest of me.

I've worked really hard at loosing weight over the last couple of years and I'm now in the healthy BMI range but at the top end of it. It's my boobs. If I lost any more weight the rest of me would be too thin. I'd probably collapse under the strain of keeping the boobs up. 😂

Again, medical advice and practice linked very much to a man's body shape.

Presumably,if you stand in front of a full length mirror and your breasts are huge but the rest of you is a size 10/ 12, you can see that you are within very healthy boundaries and so can any health professional who is looking at you. If you have muscles and fabulous abs and substantial breasts that's not a health concern for your doctor either . If you have large breasts and the rest of you is just as large, and not toned, then it's not your breasts that are causing a concern/ problem. It's your overall largeness, which will cause you substantial problems with knees, hips, ankles, back once you hit the joy that is the menopause.BMI isn't perfect, it's just a guide. But we all know , when we take a long hard look at ourselves, whether we're actually overweight or not and , if your tummy is big or your backside is huge, then you have a problem with those areas that have nothing to do with your breasts.

Have you checked out height to waste ratio?

But yes, i'm 5ft 3 and wonder what my scales would look like if I wasn't a 34E

it is taken into account. However, for somethings, the weight of larger breasts does make a difference. Astonishingly, a lot of HCPs do use their full brains when they're looking at numbers and the patients in front of them.

36HH here (natural) and totally agree. No matter what weight fluctuations I’ve had my cup size doesn’t really change.

People come in all shapes and sizes, there is a lot of research into why BMI is pretty bullshit. But it’s a “best we’ve got” situation more than anything. There can’t be a one-size-fits-all calculation like this, because people are not built this way.

See also, body builders and various specific types of athlete who’s BMI would be “over” but they are made up of muscle, or otherwise incredibly fit.