People commentng on weight (am I too thin?)
Comments
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Tie it to your bike and use it as extra weight on your rides?
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I have a 10KG dumbell allready, never use it dont feel I am getting anything from it.
Well if you don't use it you won't get anything from it..
Do 10-20 "hammercurls" keeping your elbow in the same place and without using your back/shoulder muscles. That should definitely develop your biceps.
The pullups are good for arms and shoulders, also abdominal muscles to some extent.
But really, I wouldn't worry about it - if you keep cycling and keep fit you'll look good whatever, and anyone who doesn't think so is just lacking taste!0 -
BMI is a worthless load of toss...neeb wrote:Willhub, check out the body mass index calculator on NHS direct (HERE).
When you were 13.5 stone you were a bit overweight for your height, unless you are very "big boned" or very muscular.
You are now just within your ideal weight range, but it wouldn't do you any harm at all to lose a little bit more, whatever your mum says!
using only height vs weight is useless. what about bodyfat%, muscle%, shoulder width etc etc
according to BMI, a large bodybuilder with 8% bodyfat would be called obese. and a cyclst who is a specialist climber would come out as "underweight", despite being very fit and very healthy.0 -
No it's not. It's a rule of thumb and so a compromise between accuracy and practicality. For most normal people it's a useful guide, but obviously if you are on the tail ends of the normal distribution curve for the amount of muscle you have, or because you are a naturally very thin and also an elite level specialist climber, it won't work. But if you are in these categories you are likely to know that already and won't be using BMI. It certainly gives a more objective indication than your own body image or your mum's opinion..BMI is a worthless load of toss... 0 -
I disagree - I think it works more for looking at populations than individuals - you can tell more about whether you are over or under weight by looking in a mirror than calculating your BMI.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
That assumes that everyone has the same idea about what "fat" looks like and what "skinny" looks like, and also that everyone applies the same standards to themselves as they do to other people! Someone who is anorexic looks in the mirror and sees a fat person. I would guess that even looking at the same "other" people, a random sample of people would disagree quite significantly about which ones were fat, normal or skinny. There are huge personal, cultural and historical variations in what people think is fat or underweight, not to mention the different standards they tend to apply to themselves compared to other people.you can tell more about whether you are over or under weight by looking in a mirror than calculating your BMI.
Do you really think the NHS would be better just to say "have a look in the mirror - are you fat?" 0 -
The recommendations for a healthy BMI were changed because it was felt people wouldn't accept how low the weights were - so it's not as if BMI is independent of those cultural and historical variations. Yes some people will look in the mirror and think they are fine when they aren't - or fat when they aren't - but by the same token people calculate BMI and decide they are stocky or well muscled when in fact they are not. My point is I can look in a mirror and see how much fat is on me - if I calculate my BMI I can only make an assumption based on the probability of me falling somewhere close to the average in terms of build, musculature etc.
So yes I do think you can tell more about whether you are under or over weight with a mirror than BMI - what the NHS should tell people is neither here nor there.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
I think what you are actually saying is that you can tell more about whether you are under or overweight by looking in a mirror, and you may well be right (I have no way of knowing, which is the point really! At least if I knew your BMI I would have an objective measure from which to select possible variation in fat/muscle/bone density etc).
People's genetic makeup will influence how muscular or fat they are to some extent, and environmental factors (diet, exercise) will also have a big effect. Unless you are a body builder or a very well-trained athlete however, fat is going to be the most significant determinant of large variations in your BMI, because it is far easier to influence the amount of fat you have through diet and exercise than the amount of muscle you have through whatever means (also, if you ARE significantly altering your BMI my changing the amount of muscle you have, you are far more likely to be aware of this).0 -
neeb, I take it you missed that girl on BBC at breakfast time last week?
she was 12 yrs old, and the wiifit said (on the bmi scale) that she was overweight/obese, even though she was quite thin. It made her want to go on a diet !
how about this scenario:
A bloke gets a new job as a removal man, in 6 months he puts on 20 lbs of muscle and loses 20 lbs of fat. His BMI is the same.
Are you saying this is an acceptable level of accuracy?0 -
BMI is a statistical tool rather than a reflection of real life. It is used to predict ill health in populations. Under 18.5 and above 30 a population will suffer noticibly greater ill health. Between 25 and 30 there is an increased RISK of ill health. Between 20 and 25 the risk of ill health is not affected by weight/height ratio. But you can have a BMI of 27 and be fit & healthy, and a BMI of 22 and be a couch potato who only drinks vodka - not healthy.
BMI should really only be used in combination with an examination of other lifestyle factors including diet, exercise, alcohol consumption etc.0 -
Infamous wrote:neeb, I take it you missed that girl on BBC at breakfast time last week?
she was 12 yrs old, and the wiifit said (on the bmi scale) that she was overweight/obese, even though she was quite thin. It made her want to go on a diet !
how about this scenario:
A bloke gets a new job as a removal man, in 6 months he puts on 20 lbs of muscle and loses 20 lbs of fat. His BMI is the same.
Are you saying this is an acceptable level of accuracy?
How is that possible? Muscle weighs more than Fat :?0 -
no it doesn't- it weighs the same its just denser and therefore takes up less space. a lb of fat weighs the same as a lb of muscle.
Gats0 -
lol. yes muscle is denser, that's got nothing to do with it. I was just using it as a possible example.willhub wrote:How is that possible? Muscle weighs more than Fat :?
Other than a higher metabolism, the amount of muscle you have doesn't affect the amount of fat you have. You could put on 20lb of muscle, and not lose any fat. or lose 20lbs of fat and not gain any muscle. They are independent.
what gatsby said.0 -
fizz wrote:Screw what other people think and say, if you are happy with your weight and your appearance, then I'd be inclined to ignore comments such as those that have been made to you.
Take pride in the fact that you cycle and that you are slim and trim, theres no shame in it, personally I'd be going and worrying about something else instead.
Im 5ft 11 and 13st 11lb yes I could do with loosing a few pounds, but I really dont care, I eat what I like and I cycle because I enjoy cycling. If I loose a few pounds in the process and get fitter then thats a bonus.
Sorry for the rant, but this sort of stuff really annoys me.
your 100% right - I shouldn't care what people think. Its not I don't care what they think its just I probably didn't realize how obvious the hard work was showing in my body.
Before I started training I had a bit of a belly and some love handles and a bit of fat on my face. Now that its all gone it does make me look a totally different person so their comments are justified.
In terms of how I feel and how I see myself when I look in the mirror? When I look in the mirror I am happy with how I look and the difference now is that there is no fat or atleast any I can see..
How I feel? I feel great 90% of the time unless I have had a really hard ride the day before but this usually goes away after the next day recovery ride..
Its cool to see the different perspectives that people have on this issue and its one that has got me thinking about how it seems "alot" of people see athletes as weirdo's - It seems in the U.K if your not a bit on the podgy side there is something wrong with you.
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Any idea how to get rid of fat from the chest area? (Manboobs), I seem to be loosing fat all over I think but not from the chest area.0
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You can't lose fat from one specific area.willhub wrote:Any idea how to get rid of fat from the chest area? (Manboobs), I seem to be loosing fat all over I think but not from the chest area.
Just keep going and you will eventually get there. Although I would think about starting some weight training, it will make you ride faster/be stronger/look better.0 -
neeb, I take it you missed that girl on BBC at breakfast time last week?
she was 12 yrs old, and the wiifit said (on the bmi scale) that she was overweight/obese, even though she was quite thin. It made her want to go on a diet !
Didn't see this, so have no way of knowing by what criteria she was "quite thin". If she was not overweight she must have been unusual in some way though to have a high BMI as a 12 yo girl. As I said, it's a rule of thumb and a pretty rough one for which you are going to be able to find many exceptions, but as there's no easy way for most people to measure their percentage of body fat or to know how accurate their visual self-assessments are, it's useful because it's better than nothing. More people are going to gain a more accurate awareness than they previously had of whether they are overweight or not by using it than are going to be seriously misled by it.
<sigh> I know I'm on to loser trying to defend BMI on a cycling website, as it's inaccuracy for athletes is well known...
In willhub's case (i.e. the reason I brought it up) I'm prepared to bet that the BMI provides useful and accurate-enough-for-the-purpose reassurance that he is not unhealthily thin.0 -
She was definately "thin", she claimed to do a lot of sports too (perhaps her muscles were somewhat developed for her age).neeb wrote:Didn't see this, so have no way of knowing by what criteria she was "quite thin". If she was not overweight she must have been unusual in some way though to have a high BMI as a 12 yo girl.
Not true. Just a quick look on argos website shows a "Visiq Body Fat Analyser with Fat Monitor." for £1.99, and they also sell scales that can analyse bodyfat for as little as £30.neeb wrote:....but as there's no easy way for most people to measure their percentage of body fat....
thats the point though, surely any test that measures fitness/health/fatness should result in an athlete coming at the top of the results, rather than being an "abnormal" piece of data?neeb wrote:<sigh> I know I'm on to loser trying to defend BMI on a cycling website, as it's inaccuracy for athletes is well known...
I do see your point, I wasn't having a go at you, but at the BMI.neeb wrote:In willhub's case (i.e. the reason I brought it up) I'm prepared to bet that the BMI provides useful and accurate-enough-for-the-purpose reassurance that he is not unhealthily thin.0 -
Maybe the problem with BMI is that it sounds more precise than it is so people expect more from it than they should. It's just a way of saying "you're heavy (or light) for your height, by this amount".Not true. Just a quick look on argos website shows a "Visiq Body Fat Analyser with Fat Monitor." for £1.99, and they also sell scales that can analyse bodyfat for as little as £30.
I didn't know that. Do they work? How?0 -
I have no idea about the £1.99 one, it just clips to the waistband:neeb wrote:Not true. Just a quick look on argos website shows a "Visiq Body Fat Analyser with Fat Monitor." for £1.99, and they also sell scales that can analyse bodyfat for as little as £30.
I didn't know that. Do they work? How?
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/p ... ODYFAT.htm
but the scale ones pass electric current through you, and measure the resistance or something.
I don't know how accurate they are (even the ones where you sit in a huge tank of water aren't 100%) but I would imagine they are accurate enough to use.0 -
With regard to looking thin - one of my work colleagues commented that I shouldn't lose any more weight because I may begin to look a little gaunt in the face. No big deal - except I currently weigh 113 kgs - having dropped 22 kgs in the last 18 months. :shock:0
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Some people who have been bigger...or quite fat in the past look very different, and sometimes worse, when they lose the weight. Take Andy 'The Viking' Fordham for example. But I'm sure he's alot healthier now he's stopped drinking 50 bottles of beer a day.....or whatever it was. You just get used to people looking a certain way.0
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That happened to me. A few years back, I got my weight down from 16 st 5 lbs (104 kg) to 11 st 10 lbs (75 kg) but I still had a small roll of fat round my waist. I think I'd have had to have got down to about 11 st 4 lbs to get rid of that. My face looked gaunt and my body generally looked very scrawny. Funnily enough I couldn't see it when I looked in the mirror, but I had some photographs taken and I was quite shocked when I saw them. I've put lots of weight back on since then, but I've decided not to lose that much again. I'm over 6' 1" and I'd be happy to be about 12 st 7 lbs now. I'd look alright at that weight and would feel healthy, and my cycling would be transformed. I felt the cold a lot when I was below 12 stone and I got ill every couple of months.johnnyc71 wrote:With regard to looking thin - one of my work colleagues commented that I shouldn't lose any more weight because I may begin to look a little gaunt in the face. No big deal - except I currently weigh 113 kgs - having dropped 22 kgs in the last 18 months. :shock:0 -
i went from 16st down to 12st 5 in 4 months an it made me feel shite at first so i put a stone back on with weight training and eating a bit more an i feel really good now so sometimes losing to much aint good i still got people who think i look gaunt especially er indoors cheesy quaver0
