Whats your BMI (body mass index)

numptyfish

Somebody just called me skinney because i have lost weight lately through diet and exercise.
(The only diet change really was eating nothing with High Fructose corn syrup etc and cutting out refined sugars. Food intake amounts changed little. Exercise included lots of bodyweight circuits)
I accused them of being overweight.
It turned out i have a BMI of 22.4 which is in the normal weight range and they were on the edge of obesity.
Even making allowances for build etc i think i proved my lack of gut was normal.
So whats your BMI? Is it a good indication of a healthy weight?

TomHR

mine is 21.3

BMI doesn't take into account of peoples build etc. I know a bloke who is about 3 inches shorter than me (im only 5ft 6inch) and he is built like a house massive muscles. So surley he would come up with a BMI as being obese or at least overweight when he clearly aint!

BMI is a reliable indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk of disease and death. The score is valid for both men and women but it does have some limits. The limits are:

It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build.
It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass.

Surf-Matt

BMI is as useful as an aerodynamic parachute.

I touch "overweight" with a BMI of around 25 but have less than 10% bodyfat, a sub 30" waist, can run sub 7 minutes miles off road for 10k or more and can batter up a hill on an MTB at a decent rate.

So it really is silly.

cee

Surf-Matt
+1

My BMI is 26.9.

No one in their right mind would say I was overweight.

The Northern Monkey

I'm clinically obese

Btw, BMI isn't used in a sport/nutrition world any more.

Use waist to hip ratio instead.

Surf-Matt

Are you sure it's not waist to neck ratio?

numptyfish

bigbenj_08 wrote:

I'm clinically obese

Btw, BMI isn't used in a sport/nutrition world any more.

Use waist to hip ratio instead.

So in the sport/nutrition world what is used. i didn't need a skin fold measurement to tell the podge on my front was body fat.

Is there a way without "accurate" skin fold measurements to tell if you are over or under weight?

numptyfish

sorry just saw the waste / hip ratio bit!

The Northern Monkey

Surf-Matt wrote:

Are you sure it's not waist to neck ratio?

yep. 100%

Surf-Matt

Ignore me. Mine is 0.85 which is apparently healthy.

The Northern Monkey

waist to hip ratio meaning..
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/waist-to- ... -chart.php

Just so you know, its only an assessment of your RISK of cardiovascular disease. Thats because central obesity is highly associated with heart problems.

numptyfish

quick check with rope and ruler gave me a ratio of 0.91.

Surf-Matt

Numpty - I think that means you are unlikely to keel over and die. Which is handy.

The Northern Monkey

Surf-Matt wrote:

Numpty - I think that means you are unlikely to keel over and die. Which is handy.

thats one way to put it!

Anonymous

BMI is bullcrap

I went to see the doctor because of knee pain. He just told me to lose 5 stone.
Now I can accept that I'm overweight, that's fine. I reckon I could lose 2 stone.

However, even though I'm no Mr Universe, I'm pretty big, and a hell of a lot of that mass is muscle. I've done lots of weightlifting for years, as well as playing rugby, if you see what I mean.
However, my doctor told me I should be just under 10 stone for my height of 5'9"
:shock:

That can't be right, I'd look imaciated.

The Northern Monkey

yea its bullcrap.

I'm 6ft2 play rugby, weight lifting, cycling.... i'm not what you'd call fat or unfit.

However my BMI says i'm clinically obese

I have actually sat in a bodpod and had my body fat measured (is the "gold standard" of body fat weighing) for my size I was under average by a fair bit

Surf-Matt

yeehaamcgee wrote:

BMI is bullcrap

I went to see the doctor because of knee pain. He just told me to lose 5 stone.
Now I can accept that I'm overweight, that's fine. I reckon I could lose 2 stone.

However, even though I'm no Mr Universe, I'm pretty big, and a hell of a lot of that mass is muscle. I've done lots of weightlifting for years, as well as playing rugby, if you see what I mean.
However, my doctor told me I should be just under 10 stone for my height of 5'9"
:shock:

That can't be right, I'd look imaciated.

I used to be 9.25 stone (5'8") - I was fit as a fiddle (lots of surfing, lifesaving events, etc) but got blown over in a strong wind.
10 stone is about the "norm" for 5'9" but verging on the light side.

Jason Robinson is 5'8" and over 13 stone - is he fat? I don't think so.

Anonymous

see, I reckon 13 stone or so would be fine for me. under that, and it would probably be dangerous

Surf-Matt

Yee - I peaked at 12.5 stone (very little fat) when really hammering the weights and looked like a bit of a thug! Made running and surfing quite tricky so trimmed a stone off.

ride_whenever

I'm just over 14 stone, but i'm carrying a lot of excess weight, i've really piled on the fat the last 9 months. I'm hoping to get down to around 12 which should put me in reasonable shape.

Surf-Matt

ride_whenever wrote:

I'm just over 14 stone, but i'm carrying a lot of excess weight, i've really piled on the fat the last 9 months. I'm hoping to get down to around 12 which should put me in reasonable shape.

This word will mean you are doomed to fail.

Change it to "will" and you stand about 35543562565 times more of a chance.

Anonymous

that probability s rouded off, of course

Surf-Matt

I'm always very approximate when it comes to stats...

supersonic

Mine is 22.8. But I have a gut, and very thin arms and legs.

BMI really is not a good way of comparing things!

andituk

24.8 which makes me normal, about the first time I've been called that

I was 26.something before I started riding.

meat

Minee is 30.3 :-( I;am 5 foot 10 and 16 stone 4 .... think i need to get out more .....

cyclingtaz

i find bmi confusing as im 5ft 8 and 14st 10 ive been told my bmi is 31+ and im overweight which is a fair coment as i probably am but ive got no fat on my legs and ok ive got a bit of a overhang on my stomach whick id like to get rid of but to much is made of us having to be a certain bmi or look a certain way as i get loads of comment at work about my weight and what i eat and keep being told i need to stop eating so much and loose weight apparently my ideal weight is around 11 stone and i feel that if got down to that i would not look right

Mastineo

BMI = 29.3, down from 44.4 a few years ago! :oops:
Still classed as obese but cycled (easily) 80.3 miles in under 6 hours today.
Stepson has a BMI of 23.4, managed 7 miles and rang his mother to come and pick him up.
Not got a lot of faith in BMI

Ditch Witch

BMI is the most useless way of measuring yourself. Please please please don't use it!

Thewaylander

recently i was about 22 or summat, and im majorly unfit at the moment, this index is rubbish, as muscle is heavier that fat.. and im mostly a tub of gut...

Stephen-Hawking

Quick guide

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5297790.stm