BMI- do you follow the BMI guidelines or do you think it rubbish?.

[cherrypiepie]

I had to get my BMI to below 30 for Medical reasons. BMI is also used in pregnancy to guide how you are cared for.

I'm pretty happy that BMI is an accurate representation for me; over 30 and it's not good. Under 30 I feel and look better (obviously a gradual shift. I have never been lower than 27 so can't imagine if I got to BMI 25! )

Lots of people think BMI is rubbish and pointless. They think its not accurate and they totally ignore. A few get annoyed that medical care is sometimes governed by BMI.

I understand it not accurate for those with high muscle mass (elite sport or weight trainers).

But are these other people right an I have got the wrong end of the stick? Are these other people correct and I am in cloud cuckoo land for wanting a BMI below 25?

Should I ignore the BMI?

My elderly mum is deemed a healthy weight on a BMI of 22. She is not, she barely eats and is on build up drinks. But her weight check nurse insists she is a healthy weight.

Yeah if you've got a standard/ normal body it's pretty accurate. People who say it's a load of rubbish are people with a ton of muscle mass

It's also quite a wide scale, I can be between 9.5 and 13 stone. The smallest I've been was 10.5 stone and I was a size 8 which at nearly 6 foot tall with a broad frame was way way way too thin so I can't imagine what 9.5 stone would be like

Absolutely yes, I do think BMI is a good metric. For those who quote sportspeople with BMI equivalent to morbidly obese people or rugby players etc., they need to remember those individuals are not the norm by any means and should not be used as an example to try to debunk its usefulness. I have a suspicion that people say this to excuse their own obesity. And as a pp has mentioned, even for rugby players high bmi is associated with cardiovascular disease etc.

Well done on your weight loss op, that's impressive!

I think BMI is too rigid. If you’re a size 10/12 but are big busted you could weigh a lot more (I know I do) but a Dr wouldn’t take that into account if your BMI was 32. (Btw 32 is still healthy in the world of incurable) the Dr would start telling you you’re overweight etc and I think this contributes to a skewed idea of BMI/weight.

I never had an issue with having big breast and weight with doctor. It really provides massive scope to cover for that.
In combination with waist measurements, it's a good indicator of risks imho

As others have said, it's a good starting point, but doesn't tell the whole story.

My BMI is a little under 25, but I'm a size 16 (which people seem to struggle to accept) - I have a very slender frame, and a rather less slender stomach! I do still need to lose weight to be healthy; ideally your waist should be less than half your height (mine isn't), otherwise you're probably carrying too much visceral fat, which isn't great for heart disease or diabetes.

I suspect most of those saying 'BMI is a load of rubbish' are overweight by any metric, but don't want to admit it.

@Ivy48

No one who is a size 10 has a BMI of 32. Their boobs would need to weigh 2 stone each!

It's a blunt tool but I'd put money on the fact that if everyone in the world got a Dexa scan to accurately measure their body fat vs muscle/skeleton there would be many more people of a "normal" BMI who are actually "overfat" than there would be people of a high BMI who happened to be mega jacked. As a case in point, most female professional CrossFit athletes, who are about as jacked as it gets, have a BMI under 25. Of course they also have v low body fat which offsets it, but we need to remember that it's possible to be very muscly and still "over fat" (a lot of strongmen would fall into this category).

The main criticism is it doesn't take account of fat distribution so you could have a BMI of 28 with it all on your butt and have fewer health risks than someone of 24 who has skinny legs and butt and a big tummy.

I think its a good guide but tbh mostly you can just get naked and look in the mirror. If you've got rolls or can pinch multiple inches, you gotta cut down on the beers.

Btw- I'm not convinced that high BMI from being jacked with low body fat would lead to diabetes etc. or rather I cant think of a physiological reason why it would be the case.

@Insert1x20p I love your explanation!

I understood the previous comment of the high BMI of A pro sportsperson leading to other diseases as being those who also have a high body fat. Surely there is a limit to how much muscle you can build and weigh? And then some additional fat must account for some additional weight and there for body stress an all these things would affect you predication to heart disease etc?

I'm not a medic at all and you sound far more knowledgeable that me!

This is an interesting article on the subject which I stumbled across when looking for inspirational weightloss stories:

www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/9183606/all-classed-obese-size-8-14-love-naked-sex/

That article in the Sun is not correct. I checked 2 BMI calculations and they were wrong - both had BMIs in the 20s. All of the women look overweight to me and I would be physically uncomfortable at their size. Each to his own though.

I think that the amount you need to eat to sustain a heavy weight (even if muscly) could lead to health issues if you are eating too much of the wrong foods eg. Lots of processed carbohydrates. Your body still has to process all the sugar even if it burns it off (I am not a medic this is just from memory of reading something!). Also, if you have a big muscly heart, you need to be careful if you suddenly stop exercising so much, as you don't want the big heart to turn fatty.

None of the ladies in that sun article are a size 10.

Or if they are I need to stay shopping in the shops they do!!

I'm a 14 most places. Occasionally a 12. And they're all very similar if not a little bigger than me.

I'm 5'3" so ok maybe 2" taller but not enough height difference to be 2 clothes sizes different.

Oh also to add my BMI is 26.7

So apparently bigger than them in clothes size although look slimmer and bigger clothes size. And yet they're obese and I'm overweight.

Some bad journalism there.

I’m 5’3 so similar height to the ladies in that Sun article. I’m a size 10 and my BMI is 22. At BMI 30 I would be a size 16, which is what those ladies look to be. They have good proportions, but they are clearly overweight.

BMI is a very good guide for the vast majority of the population.

I have a large frame and look best at a BMI of around 23. Current BMI is 27 so a way to go yet. It's important to look at BMI as a range. In my younger days I tried to get to the lowest 'normal' BMI for my height - and made myself ill (hair falling out etc).

I'm 5'2" and I just instinctively know that anything over 10 stone is overweight for someone my height. You'll be in the obsese territory when you get to 11.5 to 12 stone but still probably only wearing a size 16.

Gotta face dem facts!

My friend's daughter is in now in the healthy range of her height, around 22-23 BMI, having lost quite a bit of weight.

Her mother sees the now slim face and thinks her daughter is far too thin. She isn't, it's just that she's used to seeing her plumper.

As has already been said it's not the whole story but for most of us it's a good guide.

I think it's a useful guide and tool in medicine (they can do studies on people in the various different groups and get evidence based for how well certain treatments may work) and also for targets for people to aim for. Mathematically looking at the extremes (eg really short or really tall people) there may be issues (likewise those with high/low muscle content and also where the fat is deposited-I believe some studies have shown centralised/abdominal fat can be a sign of potential risk of cardiovascular health issues). I could also believe as PPs have said that ethnicity could affect what weight is healthy due to build.

When I weigh myself I aim to use it and set a target weight of within the "healthy" range according to the NHS. So I guess I have some faith in it!

It seems like everyone who disagrees with BMI has a BMI above 25 themselves.

It is extremely unlikely that a woman could put on enough muscle to have a bmi over 25 just through muscle alone.

As for men, being a weightlifter or strongman isn’t necessarily healthy, as a look at the longevity of some of the famous strongmen will tell you. Carrying all that extra weight puts a strain on the cardiovascular system irrespective of whether the weight is muscle or fat.

In fact lots of elite athletes have health issues, especially on retirement, as you would expect if you push your body to its limits.

I think it's a very wide range so one person may be too thin for their build at the lower end, while another person may be carrying too much weight at the upper end of 'healthy'.

The people who decry it are usually the ones who are a bit overweight and don’t like to be told it. I mean, it’s just a ratio, there’s not much to argue with!

I agree that looking at waist size is super important too from a health perspective, as there is a lot of good evidence that belly fat is linked to morbidity.

Anyone bringing out the elite athlete argument gets a massive eye roll from me. Dave the postman with a BMI of 33 is not likely to fit into that category, and I’m sure the international rugby players who do have got their nutrition well looked after...