BMI- is it bollocks?

[Brightonia]

After watching embarassing fat bodies last night on Channel 4 I decided to check my BMI, now I'm no slim jim but I'm a fairly rotund fella, anyways I'm 6ft 1 and 15 and a half stone and after inputting this info in on the embarassing bodies website it says I'm obese!! And that my ideal weight should be 11 stone!!! I'm naturally big boned and canst believe that I would ever get to this weight! Is it me or is the BMI just a bit far fetched?

 

[SeagullSongs]

It's not bollocks, it just doesn't account for the difference between muscle and fat. Mine's at the top end of the 'Normal' scale, but I don't think of myself as having a normal body

 

[teaboy]

Yes it is, but as you say - you're no slim Jim....

BMI is a simple calculation that covers a population. It's a fairly good indication in general, but on an individual basis takes no account for muscle mass or bone density. You could probably be 13 stone without much problem though.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

It's mostly bollocks, body fat % is a better measurement as BMI doesn't account for muscle mass.

 

[MJsGhost]

It's quite a crude measure as it doesn't take into account muscle mass. Very fit, but muscular people (rugby players etc) can be labelled obese simply because they weigh more than their weight suggests they should.

That's an extreme example though, so generally speaking, if it tells you you're obese, you should steer clear of Piglet's Pantry!

At 6'1", you should be somewhere between about 11 and a half (ish) and 13 and a half (ish) stone (according to the BMI scale). Unless you're built like a brick outhouse, 15 and a half is on the tubby side...

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Of course it's bollocks, and there are many articles explaining why.

The fatal flaw is that it only uses height as a measure of size, rather than an actual skeletal analysis taking into account shoulder span, skull size etc.

Also if you have a lot of muscle you will have a higher BMI than if you are all fat.

 

[Brightonia]

It's quite a crude measure as it doesn't take into account muscle mass. Very fit, but muscular people (rugby players etc) can be labelled obese simply because they weigh more than their weight suggests they should.

That's an extreme example though, so generally speaking, if it tells you you're obese, you should steer clear of Piglet's Pantry!

At 6'1", you should be somewhere between about 11 and a half (ish) and 13 and a half (ish) stone (according to the BMI scale). Unless you're built like a brick outhouse, 15 and a half is on the tubby side...

I agree I've got a bit of a belly, nothing to suggest I'm a massive fatty boom boom though, no bigger than say the actor Vince Vaughn! And I do alot of gym work on my arms so have alright guns! Guess I need to swap the weights for the treadmill lol

 

[albion534]

Yeah it's crap

I'm 5 11, weigh 15.6 stone as of this morning, although it may be lower as I have just taken an epic shit

But I hit the weights and jog alot!! BMI. Can go f*** itself

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Your better off measuring your body fat % rather than BMI for an overall view of your fitness. The normal acceptable is about 18-25% fat for males with athletes being closer to 12%.

 

[Brightonia]

Yeah it's crap

I'm 5 11, weigh 15.6 stone as of this morning, although it may be lower as I have just taken an epic shit

But I hit the weights and jog alot!! BMI. Can go f*** itself

Ha ha this made me laugh! Yeah get f***ed BMI!!!

 

[shaolinpunk]

It's a vaguely useful gauge for the average sedentary member of society, but as soon as you use it on someone who does a half decent amount of exercise it becomes a bit shaky.

 

[gazingdown]

It is, and always has been a bit blunt due to it's simplicity. That said, it's a "reasonable" guide but not to be taken too literally, especially if you are particularly muscular.

Many well built chaps are overweight (according to BMI) but if you're in the obese range then you probably need to lose some weight, especially if you're not a bodybuilder!!

No matter your build, the less weight you are carrying, the less "work"/stress you are putting on your heart, joints, bones, ligaments etc.

I would go for Normal BMI if you're an average build and not particularly sporty. If you are "well built" and exercise a lot, then being "just" in the overweight category is probably OK. Being in the obese section, not matter your build (Arnie lookalikes excepted ) then you need to lose some weight. According to the BMI you should be under 13 1/2 stone.

 

[Brightonia]

So in a nutshell I am a fat bastard?? Lol

Think Barber should replace the pies with Slimfast then! Happy days!

 

[StonehamPark]

It's bollocks for a number of reasons, the two main ones are:

BMI doesn't take body type into account (Ecto-Meso-Endo).
BMI doesn't take muscle weight into account.

The only good thing you can take from BMI is you can figure out your 'ideal' weight.

 

[coagulantwolf]

BMI is a cheap, easy and quick way to get a very rough idea of the health of a large population. Which is why, it's massively flawed. If you want a more indivudual and personal analysis of your body then you have to do more tests (body fat ie skinfold tests). I myself am at the border of which would put me overweight, yet technically after my month off through injury in the gym my BMI improved (I lost weight). I did however also increase my body fat %. So to the Government or whoever would record the BMI they'd think I'm slightly healthier, when in reality I've gained fat but lost more muscle.

Take BMI with a massive pinch of salt.

 

[brightn'ove]

Yeah it's crap

I'm 5 11, weigh 15.6 stone as of this morning, although it may be lower as I have just taken an epic shit

But I hit the weights and jog alot!! BMI. Can go f*** itself

This

I regularly fluctuate between 'normal' weight and overweight depending on whether or not I have dropped a massive one in the morning.

 

[Mellotron]

Take BMI with a massive pinch of salt.

You'd then have to take it again.

 

[soistes]

I think your bollocks would have to be exceedingly large/heavy in order for them to be the main reason to put you in the "obese" BMI category. Having said that, if you're worried about it, there is a tried and tested route for reducing the weight of your bollocks.

 

[MJsGhost]

I think your bollocks would have to be exceedingly large/heavy in order for them to be the main reason to put you in the "obese" BMI category. Having said that, if you're worried about it, there is a tried and tested route for reducing the weight of your bollocks.

What exactly is this teste you recommend?

 

[boik]

Take BMI with a massive pinch of salt.

But then that would be bad for your blood pressure!