AIBU to tell you that BMI doesn't apply to everyone!

[Randomuser456]

Foreword I know it's a blunt tool, etc, etc ,etc... and I DO exercise more than the average person (don't really ift heavy) but I've always thought my clothes size doesn't match my weight.

Anywho according to the Navy Body Fat formula I'm around 27-28%

A BMI extrapolation would put me at 38%. By reversing that calculation someone with my BF% is around 15kg lighter than my current weight.

Anyway just a public service announcement :)

She is talkibg about body fat. For a woman body fat ubdeer 28 is healthy

Oh get a grip. 3 km once a week isn’t someone doing an Ironman. It doesn’t make you athletic. Could I do a 3 km open water swim right now? I’d be concerned. Could I do 3 km in a pool with a couple of breaks and enough time? Yes. I’d be tired. But wouldn’t be hellish. And I don’t swim anymore - haven’t swum properly for over a decade.
As Ive said I’m not athletic, don’t train but would be concerned if I couldn’t bosh out a 1 km swim in 25 minutes (in a pool). This does not render BMI a poor basic measure for me.

Stop kidding yourself. Being fitter than most - if most do nothing - doesn’t make you muscled so as to invalidate BMI. And supporting PP’s delusion doesn’t help. She’s obese/overweight, which puts her health at risk. Helping her think it’s ok and not a risk isn’t fair or helpful.

I have terrible technique (probably) and it takes me 40 mins to swim 1km . I have thought I could get adult swim lessons to improve technique and get faster but I figure all that splashing probably still burns calories and that’s why I’m there! Despite this I’m often the fastest swimmer in the pool and most people stop and chat and don’t swim for as long as an hour. So I think saying 3km in an hour is “easy” isn’t really right or equivalent to a 5k park run. It’s more like doing a 5k park run in 20 minutes which most people can’t do. I think you’d have a nasty shock now if you don’t exercise regularly and tried to do 1km in 20 minutes. My boyfriend used to be a swimmer in his youth and came with me recently and was shocked at how little stamina he has. It really is use it or lose it.

I know what you are trying to say though. 3km a week is a hobby swimmer, not a “I have so much muscle bmi doesn’t work for me” swimmer.pre cancer I would swim 1.6km 3x a week and no one would mistake me for muscular, just toned if anything.

No one has said it’s easy ffs. But possible. Swimming 3km in 50 mins to an hour is likely the eqv of a parkrun in 20 minutes.

That’s what I said? I was agreeing with you.

My local pools have the fast lane marked as “under 30 seconds per 25 metres” to avoid slow swimmers getting in the way. So 3km (120 lengths) in 60 mins is normal for the fast lane, which is usually quite full. But, yes, it’s something you have to build up to or do regularly, as the “3km per week” swimmer does.

Thank you.

I'm early 40s. I lift weights 4-5 times a week and run 4-5 times a week depending on what else is going on, but I walk briskly more than run now, mainly because my dog is getting older and slower. I watch calories unless I'm having a 'day off'. It takes work.

I've reported my photo as I know people could recognise me from it and my NC didn't work.
I may try to find another of me clothed where you can see muscle mass more clearly.

Also, I've remembered another instance where I worked with another woman. She had visibly more fat than me, visibly 'chubby', large breasts etc. She weighed less than me, despite being the same height! Some people are just heavier.

It’s pretty accurate for me. I often gain and lose half a stone. When i’m at my highest i’m in the overweight category and I do feel that I need to lose weight then. Others wouldn’t agree but I carry all my weight on my stomach and approaching 50 I want to avoid weight health related issues.

Also, when a survey of how much exercise people do is conducted do they consider other things? I mean I'm aware that a lot of people may have a sit down office job that they'd drive to and then go home and watch tv all night, but will there be some who've ticked 'no physical exercise ' who have for example a job in care where they're on their feet a lot of the day walking around, or someone who's a builder or site worker or something else physical?
I WFH at a computer and a lot of my colleagues are visibly overweight and do no exercise to my knowledge (and we're a close team who share what we're doing with one another a lot!). When I say 'I'm going to the gym tonight!' For example a lot of them say 'I'm going to watch (tv show)' and comment on how disciplined I am as they'd never want to exercise.

I appreciate my single lifestyle makes it easier than if I had children and other responsibilities.

Most TDEE calculators will ask what type of work you do + any exercise on top

Apologies - as we were then!

Okay.
I've calculated my TDEE but never added exercise as a lot of information (including on here!) Has stated that it over estimates how much one burns off during exercise.

Rubbish (like quite a lot of this thread's replies, to be fair).

Essential fat: 10% to 13%
Athletes: 14% to 20%
Fitness: 21% to 24%
Average: 25% to 31%
Obesity: ≥32%

In my long-ago fit period, when a GP lectured me on my obesity, my body fat as measured by the gym's electric current thingy was 21.5% and I wore a size 12, 1980s sizes. I did not look muscular, just toned.

I'm saying I agree with OP: my personal experience also indicates that BMI can be badly skewed by a high level of fitness. You don't need bulging muscles for this to apply.

Nowadays I'm a sedentary lard ball, falling just within the top end of normal on every measure. I look like it, too ... rather, I look overweight but not 'fat', just solid.

It's clear many people answering now have worryingly obsessive/compulsive fixations on their body shapes & sizes. My advice would be to chill out a little! Not as much as me, obviously, but for god's sake stop worrying about your 27% fat, it's perfectly healthy.

It does, you're better off if you wear a device with JR tracking, and even then it could be inaccurate.

For example my Garmin says that unless I raise my heart rate my calorie expenditure is basically the same whether I'm walking 7 miles or sitting at my desk.

Things like cycling/running the calorie expenditure seems more "accurate". Currently I'm averaging 2.3k calories a day, I'd say maybe 2k is more accurate

My TDEE is around 1.5k and the BMR is 1.3k

I would agree I burn 500 cals from cycling/strength which is why I think 2k is semi accurate (I could be underestimating too, but I think that's better than over).

Sorry, I meant to quote someone else!

That’s really high for a UK 8. I’m a UK size 4-6 with 13.5% body fat according to the Navy body fat calculator.

Doctors need something yeah but they probably need more than one method to asses an individual’s health. Insisting on using something that’s well known to be scientifically inaccurate probably isn’t the best idea, it’s not helping anyone (especially if you’re not a white male).
Weighing “too much” for your height is rooted from the BMI and it is well known now that height and weight aren’t direct indicators of health. So yeah doctors need to use something but they might as well use shoe size for all the good the BMI does anyone.

You can be any size really, with that % you have the bare basics to function

Just so we can be clear - the pictures below give an idea of what 12% body fat looks like on a woman. It's not "slim" it's absolutely ripped and requires hours of lifting and probably a bulking/ cutting cycle. Very much good on anyone working hard enough to build that physique by the way!

Oh sorry the picture didn't post. Here is a link instead https://kubexfitness.com/blog/body-fat-percentages-actually-look-like/

Me? Who says I'm worrying? Couldn't care less, frankly. I feel fine. Plus, not me that reckons 27% bmi is overweight, it's the people who created the ridiculous system, so bit unfortunate to tell me I'm talking 'rubbish'.

You're confusing body fat % with BMI different things.

Again body fat of 27% is not classified as "overweight" in quotations because body fat is not a weight measurement, BMI of 27 does classify someone as overweight

I menstruate regularly and grew and birthed my child. I’m healthy.

You already told me this?

Thanks, @Randomuser456, I didn't realise she'd mixed them up.