NHS BMI calculator

[wheresit]

Anyone else mildly intrigued as to what's going on here that's had the NHS calculator down for at least a week now? Is there a new kind of BMI going to be announced or something?

"Changes to the BMI healthy weight calculator
The BMI healthy weight calculator is being updated and is temporarily unavailable.
If you're concerned about your weight, or the weight of someone you care for, speak to a GP."

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/bmi-calculator/

It's definitely been down since 13/4 as I went to use it following a pre-op appointment (was mildly curious as I don't weigh myself at home) but was working around a week before that as we did it for dc1 following her being weighed on a school trip. I wonder what they're doing to it that's taking so long?

Since the actual calculation itself can’t change I imagine it’s some nonsense relating to sex/gender terminology

Wow that's ages!

I wonder why they'd take the old one down rather than just changing it when they have a new one ready.

(I know this doesn't really matter, it's just weird to me!)

Funnily enough I googled new BMI calculator and found this

people.maths.ox.ac.uk/trefethen/bmi_calc.html

It could be an adjustment to the ethnicity-specific BMI thresholds, or a change in the wording on either ethnic origin or sex/gender.

The mathematician in your link has a point - using the power of 2, rather than any non-whole number between 1 and 3 was obviously chosen for simplicity. There is probably a fractional number of two-and-a-bit that would be a more accurate measure of healthy weight for height, but much less easy for the general public to calculate. But there's zero chance that the NHS website is going to unilaterally make a major change to its calculations with zero notice and no generally accepted research.

It's annoying me because I like to check mine regularly as I lose weight. It's entertaining to see it drop and the other ones available don't factor in ethnicity or activity levels or give the same advice as the NHS one. They're all rather basic.

You can always just calculate it yourself as weight in kg/height in metres squared.

The NHS calculator asks you more questions but it's the same calculation - just with different cut-offs by ethnicity.

@AutisticLegoLover yeah I check quite often too and I think it's one of the better ones (especially as there are no ads). Hurry up NHS!

I wonder if they are going to add in the bit about waist size rather than it just being a weight by height calculation.

I've just discovered something interesting. I was always annoyed that when I entered my weight on my iPhone Health app, it didn't automatically capture my BMI. But it turns out it does have a built in BMI calculator - it just doesn't record it automatically.

So if you have an iPhone and add your weight and height in, then go to BMI and press the Add button on the top right corner, you'll find that it's pre calculated for you using your last entered weight and height and you can just press Add again to record it.

I understand adding bits but to me you only take something down if it's faulty or giving bad information - until then you leave it up and replace it, so I'm intrigued by what it was doing "wrong".

Still offline!

It’s been down for at least two months! 🤔

How hard is it to update a calculator? what revelations are they going to unveil?

If you do a Google search there's a GP practice that has the old calculator on their website. I found it on Monday and was thinking king about this thread. I'll see if I can find it again and post a link.

Here you go.

www.chartwellgreensurgery.nhs.uk/bmi-calculator

It will be interesting to see what the new one is like.

Oh thank you @AutisticLegoLover!

That's so strange that it feeds from the NHS site, which means the old calculator must be working but just not visible.

I know this is the dumbest thread of all time and can't believe something this minor is annoying me but there you go

I think it might be to do with the levels of physical activity selections, which don’t match up with guidance. I don’t think that effects the BMI calculator, but it does affect the guidance that it gives around recommended calorie intake.
So the site recommends overweight people to eat more calories than they need because the levels of physical activity aren’t correct. I don’t know why it’s taking such a long time to fix though.

The British Heart Foundation has one on its website which I’ve been using in the absence of the NHS one.

I am curious too, it’s been down for ages. Hope it’s not some gender stupid crap. Eyeroll.

I'm doing the same and it's been down for ages now !

IT'S BACK !!!!

Can't see any difference from the previous one

Might be more info underneath.

Ooh thanks for flagging @Mumzoo5070! Drumroll!

... and it looks identical to me