Posted on 09/17/2020 8:59:38 AM PDT by Red Badger
My rule of thumb is that anyone who lifts weights is “obese”. You don’t have to look like Schwarzenegger. But muscle is heavier than fat and if you bulk up even slightly, you will weigh more than they want you to weigh. Thanks for exercising: You are now obese.
There are a lot of exceptions to the BMI so I wouldn’t put too much stock in it. It works for some and not others.
I’m 5’ 9” and 185 pounds soaking wet and it says I’m overweight..........
I’m 5’ 9” and 185 pounds soaking wet and it says I’m overweight..........
—
Dry off and you’ll be fine
Me too. And I am in shape. Round is a shape, right?
In my youth I was very athletic and was a nationally ranked regional champion cyclist. When I was first hired by the fire department that I was employed by for 25 years my body fat and mass was measured hydrostatically (under water). It indicated that I was 3% fat which is considered very lean. Yet because I had a lot of muscle mass at the that time, my BMI indicated that I was a fatty.
BMI is used because it’s really easy to calculate. If you are muscular, it is not particularly helpful. How many people honestly wonder if they are fat or muscular? Honestly.
If you lose muscle mass and gain fat, it improves your BMI. If you add muscle and lose fat, your BMI will get worse. Not a good metric in and of itself.
Body composition is more useful, but a lot more difficult to measure.
That’s exactly what has happened to me, I lift weights 2-3x per week, nothing crazy but am now in the best shape of my life. Thanks for confirming what I’ve suspected.
spot on
Utterly useless. It first came out during the era of phrenology when “science” in England had gotten really into proving that poor people just suck on the genetic level and there’s nothing that can be done. It’s crap science from the get go.
I am 6’1” and 198 pounds, wear 34” waist. The BMI considers me obese
The BMI is only useful if one knows his/her body type. There are three body types...
IIRC, Usain Bolt was borderline obese under BMI standards while he was competing and setting all those world records. Imagine how fast he could have gone if he wasn’t a fatso?
Useful ... for what?
For determininig the risk of a life threatening medical issue or long term cronic condition in the next 10 years ... I would assert “marginally”
For determining next months actual weight .... “probably”
My college age son—a very tall and thin distance runner—has a BMI of 15. He had that same BMI when younger as well; he’s been tall and thin all his life, even though he always eats well. An idiot PA in college “reported” him to his team and accused him of having an eating disorder and required him to get a bone density test (of course his bones were fine), and his pediatrician had to write a note to his coach verifying his BMI was normal for him, and had always been 15 (or even lower).
BMI is not one size fits all. Some people are just thin—and especially so if a distance runner.
That is ridiculous.
According to the BMI standards, I could weigh 130 lbs and still be normal.
That's concentration camp thin. The only people who are that thin are ill.
A better measure is your waist to height ratio. Measure your waist at your belly button. It should be less than 0.5.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.