BMI says i should see a doctor...

[tricky69]

I don't get what BMI (body mass index) is suppose to do ? I never really keep an eye on my weight but weighed myself recently and was about 15stone and i am 5''11 which means i am obese and should see a doctor !! I am in good shape, do weights and cycle a lot... my resting heart rate is 56bpm and recovery from exercise down to regular heart rate is just over 2 min.... so basically i am in good shape with little fat on me, so why should i see a doctor ? Is the BMI only relevent to skinny people ?

[vallers]

worst 'I'm a really big strong fit bloke' thread ever

[kambites]

BMI is only relevant to people with normal amounts of muscle. If you're particularly muscular, it's useless.

[RobM77]

kambites said:

BMI is only relevant to people with normal amounts of muscle. If you're particularly muscular, it's useless.

spot on. BMI is a guide for average people only. If you do much sport or weights then just ignore it. In answer to the OP, it doesn't work for skinny people either. My housemate at Uni has a BMI of 17, yet his mother was a nutritionalist and said he was fine and healthy, which he was.

I'm in the same boat as the OP - my BMI is 22 (5'10" and over 11 stone) yet I'm only 7% fat, my ribs are visible and I wear 14" collar shirts! Before I put the muscle on my BMI was about 19 I think. So it's a useless measure really.

My advice would be to take a look in the mirror and see how you feel, rather than staring at the scales.

Edited by RobM77 on Wednesday 20th August 08:36

[kambites]

I suspect that they work on the (probably valid) assumption that anyone with enough muscle to skew the figure to the point of uselessness knows enough about their own fitness that they don't need the guide.

[rhinochopig]

Quick see a doctor. With those stats you're clearly fatter than a deep fried pork scratching. I'm amazed you managed to raise the strength to type your post.

[Dakkon]

Why does an airline want you to see a doctor?

[Hyperion]

tricky69 said:

I don't get what BMI (body mass index) is suppose to do ? I never really keep an eye on my weight but weighed myself recently and was about 15stone and i am 5''11 which means i am obese and should see a doctor !! I am in good shape, do weights and cycle a lot... my resting heart rate is 56bpm and recovery from exercise down to regular heart rate is just over 2 min.... so basically i am in good shape with little fat on me, so why should i see a doctor ? Is the BMI only relevent to skinny people ?

So what is your BMI then?

As a guide (for Men):
Essential Fat 3-5%
Athletes 5-13%
Fitness 12-18%
Potential Risk 19-24%
Clinical Obesity 25-28%
Fat bd 28%+

Mine is 22.6% which is about right IMO - better than being a lanky skinny weakling

Edited by Hyperion on Wednesday 20th August 09:14

[ChristianZS]

RobM77 said:

kambites said:

BMI is only relevant to people with normal amounts of muscle. If you're particularly muscular, it's useless.

spot on. BMI is a guide for average people only. If you do much sport or weights then just ignore it. In answer to the OP, it doesn't work for skinny people either. My housemate at Uni has a BMI of 17, yet his mother was a nutritionalist and said he was fine and healthy, which he was.

I'm in the same boat as the OP - my BMI is 22 (5'10" and over 11 stone) yet I'm only 7% fat, my ribs are visible and I wear 14" collar shirts! Before I put the muscle on my BMI was about 19 I think. So it's a useless measure really.

My advice would be to take a look in the mirror and see how you feel, rather than staring at the scales.

Edited by RobM77 on Wednesday 20th August 08:36

14" collar with muscle? God.. I think my moggy has more muscle!

[NDA]

Dakkon said:

Why does an airline want you to see a doctor?

That's why I clicked on it!

D'oh!

[Zod]

My BMI is 25.1. I'm not particularly fit at the moment, but my resting heart rate is 60 and my body fat is 9-11%. I'm not a tower of muscle. I'm just a (formerly) athletic 6'2" bloke.


BMI is a very blunt measure.

[LeeME3]

It is a blunt measure, but if you're so confident you're in good shape surely you've nothing to fear from popping along to the quacks? Don't forget it is possible to have high level of fitness, low resting heart-rate and still, for example, have high blood pressure.

[walm]

How does one measure body fat?

[bazking69]

I have never bothered with my BMI as I used to play rugby for years and have huge legs which totally messes up the theory for me...

[snorkel sucker]

it is pretty useless. my brother has recently bought a wii fit, which measures your BMI.

im in the upper end of the "OK" scale but i would say if i lost a stone to get it down a notch, id look daft! The irony being that I would much rather bulk/tone up a little, which would then increase my BMI!

Currently have a cold so im not the epitome of health, but feel fine so that will do me.

id be more worried about the doc finding out what my alcohol consumption is!

[Heskey]

Hyperion said:

So what is your BMI then?

As a guide (for Men):
Essential Fat 3-5%
Athletes 5-13%
Fitness 12-18%
Potential Risk 19-24%
Clinical Obesity 25-28%
Fat bd 28%+

Mine is 22.6% which is about right IMO - better than being a lanky skinny weakling

Bit much to head each band as you have done; 25-29 is 'average' yet by your banding, you're a potential risk?

I'm 32.2 myself, and that is rapidly going down with my diet/gym combination. And I'm by no means a "fat bd", nor am I particularly muscled.

[Dale19]

If you train, BMI can be cast asside. I`m 5`7, 15stone, which brings my BMI out at around 33, but my resting heart rate is low, i`m not carrying a lot of fat, i`m very flexible, above average strength, and I keep an eye on my macro split, so theres nothing to worry about.


If your bothered, get your bodyfat tested, by calipers or in one of those pods, the lower the %, the better, until you get really low, like sub 5% which will start to be unhealthy.

[RobM77]

ChristianZS said:

RobM77 said:

kambites said:

BMI is only relevant to people with normal amounts of muscle. If you're particularly muscular, it's useless.

spot on. BMI is a guide for average people only. If you do much sport or weights then just ignore it. In answer to the OP, it doesn't work for skinny people either. My housemate at Uni has a BMI of 17, yet his mother was a nutritionalist and said he was fine and healthy, which he was.

I'm in the same boat as the OP - my BMI is 22 (5'10" and over 11 stone) yet I'm only 7% fat, my ribs are visible and I wear 14" collar shirts! Before I put the muscle on my BMI was about 19 I think. So it's a useless measure really.

My advice would be to take a look in the mirror and see how you feel, rather than staring at the scales.

Edited by RobM77 on Wednesday 20th August 08:36

14" collar with muscle? God.. I think my moggy has more muscle!

Working out my neck muscles has never been much of a priority

[ashes]

Great article


http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/artic...

[Ross_]

BMI is a nonsense mate , simple as that

if your into any sort of sport / rugby / lift weights its just nonsense - and 50 years outdated.

i am 17 stone and 6ft 1 officially i am obese , but far from it and play football 4 times a week and the gym 3 days a week.

i wouldnt read to much into BMI if i was you

R