BMI is B-A-D

[JohnN]

I knew of this, but it's the first time I've read it where it's explained for non-medical

"The issue is that BMI measures health risk by calculating height and weight. However, muscle and bone weigh more than fat, so BMI measurements can overestimate the danger for people with a muscular build or a larger frame. ....Bioelectrical impedance analysis, or BIA, uses undetectable electric currents to measure not only the percentage of body fat but also lean muscle mass and water weight."

I believe The Villages Health has this machine and that I used it some time back

BMI is B-A-D, a new study suggests. Here’s a better way to measure weight (https://www.yahoo.com/news/bmi-bad-study-suggests-better-183049907.html)

[Topspinmo]

IMO person in shape with muscular body not worried about fat. It’s use slobs that have beer belly size of ringer washing machine that needs simple calculations height vs weight to determine if fat. BMI standard not perfection.

IMO fat is the problem, the myth of being big boned is myth. You can be muscular and have fat. For that maybe the fat pinch good indicator. Football linemen are good example muscular with fat so they can throw their weight around, but excess weigh my have cardiovascular underlined problems? Body builder another example lean and muscular but maybe lacking in cardio? IMO MMA or college wrestler prefect specimen strength and endurance lean mean fighting machine.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

BMI is just a single tool in the toolbox of measurements. It isn't intended to be a diagnostic tool all by itself. It provides a baseline, a guideline, a suggestion for the medical professional. For example and for comparison:

A 6-foot heavyweight champion weightlifter who weighs in at 250 can easily have a BMI close to 40.0 and be fit and healthy. A 5'8" non-weightlifter who is getting winded and can't play tennis once a week anymore, and weighs 250 and has almost a 40.0 BMI - is probably solidly in the "obese and needing help" category.

But a person who is only normally active - maybe played tennis once a week and walks to the 7-11 when they're low on milk - who is finding themselves exhausted after walking even a block from home, and who eats a lot of sugary foods, and their hips have developed "muffin-tops" - who has a 40.0 BMI - is PROBABLY extremely overweight and needs assistance in losing it and getting fit again. Not a heavyweight champion weight-lifter.

Your BMI plus your weight, muscle tone, age, activity level, overall experience of health (or lack thereof), and eating habits are all used - in combination - to determine whether or not you're overweight/obese and need to do something about it, or don't need to do something about it.

If everything checks out except your BMI is high, you're probably just fine. If you appear "fat" AND you have a high BMI, AND you lack muscletone, AND you eat a lot of unhealthy foods, then it's time to do something about it.

[Bjeanj]

I had a decent BMI until I lost over 2” due to age, I guess. It wasn’t really high, but that 2” pushed my BMI into attention-getting territory. Darn it! Have since lost 10 pounds, so now I’m juuust over the so-called “obese” category.

[tophcfa]

I had a decent BMI until I lost over 2” due to age, I guess. It wasn’t really high, but that 2” pushed my BMI into attention-getting territory. Darn it! Have since lost 10 pounds, so now I’m juuust over the so-called “obese” category.

Dam loosing those two inches. I have always been 6’1” and I went to see a joint replacement doctor a couple days ago and measured a tick above 5’11”. I complained to him than my spinal cord must be depressing. He laughed and said that might account for about 1/4 inch, but the other 1 3/4 inches is because both of my hips and knees are completely bone on bone. Apparent loosing all the cartridge that used to cushion both my knees and hips made the difference, and if I have all the joints replaced I will be about 6’ 3/4” again. This getting old thing sucks! As far as the BMI thing goes, I just went away for a few days with three of my best long time friends. According to the BMI index, two of them are obese, I am borderline overweight, and the other is in the sweet spot of the BMI scale. Unfortunately, my buddy that has the supposedly perfect BMI score had a stroke during our trip and we had to call 911 to get him rushed to a Neurological Intensive care unit. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear he suffered any significant long term damage and big time kudos to the Maine Medical Center in Portland. So I wouldn’t recommend focusing too much on the whole BMI thing.

[Topspinmo]

[QUOTE=tophcfa;2442018]Dam loosing those two inches. I have always been 6’1” and I went to see a joint replacement doctor a couple days ago and measured a tick above 5’11”. I complained to him than my spinal cord must be depressing. He laughed and said that might account for about 1/4 inch, but the other 1 3/4 inches is because both of my hips and knees are completely bone on bone. Apparent loosing all the cartridge that used to cushion both my knees and hips made the difference, and if I have all the joints replaced I will be about 6’ 3/4” again. This getting old thing sucks! As far as the BMI thing goes, I just went away for a few days with three of my best long time friends. According to the BMI index, two of them are obese, I am borderline overweight, and the other is in the sweet spot of the BMI scale. Unfortunately, my buddy that has the supposedly perfect BMI score had a stroke during our trip and we had to call 911 to get him rushed to a Neurological Intensive care unit. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear he suffered any significant long term damage and big time kudos to the Maine Medical Center in Portland. So I wouldn’t recommend focusing too much on the whole BMI thing.[/

I wouldn’t recommend focusing too much on the whole BMI Thing.

It’s only guide. If I got beer belly can’t see my toes then yes I would be more worried about diet, cardio, laying off happy juice, cigarette's/wacky weed, and other things that got me fat. Nothing can be fixed over night when took years to get where they are. The skinny guy may of had unlining problem or family history problem that went unnoticed till done something out of ordinary?

[Altavia]

Some studies show an increased BMI as we age has a positive affect on longevity.

What is the SBMI? (https://www.smartbmicalculator.com/why-sbmic.html)

Impact of Body Mass Index on All-Cause Mortality in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PMC (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11051237/#:~:text=Since%2520the%2520early%25201970s%252C%25 20BMI,BMI%2520between%252018.5%E2%80%9324.9%2520fa ils).

[ithos]

Saturated fat in the diet is enemy number one. Switch to a whole food plant based diet and risks of disease will be almost nil.

Saturated Fat Causes Artery and Lung Inflammation (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/saturated-fat-causes-artery-and-lung-inflammation/)
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/saturated-fats
The Game Changers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSpglxHTJVM

[Fastskiguy]

If you're short it's easy to hit your optimal BMI numbers but if you're tall you need to be a bean pole. I don't understand why something so stupid ever got popular.

Joe

[ithos]

Your heart health should be your number one concern. For less than $150 you can get a coronary calcium score.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/16824-calcium-score-screening-heart-scan

[CybrSage]

BMI of as created long ago in France. The inventor said it should not be used for individuals, it is used for a population to give a high level oversight.

Then the US government said using the bodies if French peasants from the 1800s was too much so they lowered the weights.

Millions went to sleep in shape and woke up officially overweight and many work up suddenly becoming obese...

Tom Cruise has always been considered grossly obese due to him being short and having so much muscle.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

BMI of as created long ago in France. The inventor said it should not be used for individuals, it is used for a population to give a high level oversight.

Then the US government said using the bodies if French peasants from the 1800s was too much so they lowered the weights.

Millions went to sleep in shape and woke up officially overweight and many work up suddenly becoming obese...

Tom Cruise has always been considered grossly obese due to him being short and having so much muscle.

No idea where you got your information.

Tom Cruise's BMI was last publicized as being around 26. 26 is not "grossly obese." The number falls into the "overweight" category but not obese, not slightly obese, not grossly obese, not morbidly obese.

[Topspinmo]

BMI of as created long ago in France. The inventor said it should not be used for individuals, it is used for a population to give a high level oversight.

Then the US government said using the bodies if French peasants from the 1800s was too much so they lowered the weights.

Millions went to sleep in shape and woke up officially overweight and many work up suddenly becoming obese...

Tom Cruise has always been considered grossly obese due to him being short and having so much muscle.


I guess Franco fat? One of the greatest short body builders.

https://www.simplyshredded.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Columbu09-Myspace-edit-Copy.jpg

https://www.oldschoollabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Frank-vs-Franco.jpg

[ithos]

BMI of as created long ago in France. The inventor said it should not be used for individuals, it is used for a population to give a high level oversight.

Then the US government said using the bodies if French peasants from the 1800s was too much so they lowered the weights.

Millions went to sleep in shape and woke up officially overweight and many work up suddenly becoming obese...

Tom Cruise has always been considered grossly obese due to him being short and having so much muscle.

You nailed it. It is worthless for individual diagnosis. It is for population studies so they can draw charts like this:
The CDC 2023 Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps for 48 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 U.S. territories show the proportion of adults with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 ( ≥30 kg/m2) based on self-reported weight and height.
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data-and-statistics/adult-obesity-prevalence-maps.html

[ithos]

Also they can warn people of the dangers of being fat.

ex. People in higher BMI categories (overweight, obese) are statistically more likely to develop:
Type 2 diabetes
Hypertension
Coronary artery disease
Sleep apnea
Certain cancers

[Bjeanj]

You nailed it. It is worthless for individual diagnosis. It is for population studies so they can draw charts

Until there is a cheap, easy alternative to BMI calculation, this is what I’ll be using. That, and whether I can “pinch an inch”.

[ithos]

Notice that no state has hit the 45% threshold. My money is on WV.