That's my BMI. 28.6. And I was generous, giving my honestly 6-foot 2-inch/2.5 inch height an additional inch or half inch of height. I used this morning's 229 weight. Even assuming that was high, 225 pounds at 6'3 gets me 28.1.
I'm not the first to rail against BMI, nor is this even my first time. But let's put that in perspective...
BMI Categories:
Underweight = less than 18.5
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
To get to 24.9 I have to get down to 199 pounds. Now, I'm not particularly athletic. I keep in shape and workout. Yes, I lift some weights and do pushups, and I follow a program designed to get me lean. What I don't do is extreme weight lifting. I do push ups and just recently started using weights in one or two of my exercised. And I don't participate in any type of sport. So I'm not sure I fall into this site's "overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build." I wouldn't ordinarily describe myself as muscular. Frankly, if I'm muscular, I'd hate to think what the alternative is. Though, based on convos with siblings, I guess maybe I have a distorted view. Now, luckily, the site also includes a helpful "waist measurement" component. So let's look there, shall we? Athletes and "the muscular" should have thin waists and thus offset this whole problem, right?
Hmmm.... a waist greater than 40 inches with the same BMI is at a "high" risk.
Good thing: I've been keeping my waist measurements over the last year.
Bad thing:
- 41.5 in August '08,
- 39.75 in December '08
- 41.25 in April '09
- 40.75 in May '09
So, in the last year, AT BEST, I've been at an "increased" risk for diease, and then only by a quarter inch, easily within the margin of measuring error or happenstance of having been slightly dehyrdated. The rest of the time I've been in the "high" risk category. WTF?
And let's look at weight during that same period....
- 223.5 lbs on August 1, 2008
- 216.5 on Dec. 31 (exact date of the waist measurement)
- ? in April 09
- 226-229 in May/June '09.
So. My weight is up 6 or so pounds from August, 15 from December. My waist is currently right in the middle of the measurements from those two months (though lower than August and higher than December).
So, since August 2008 I've gained 6 pounds, lost .75 inches off my waist, and stayed pretty solidly in the "overweight" BMI category. A mere 10 pounds (240 total lbs) and I'm "obese." That's not an "overestimate," that's ridiculous.
I gorge too much at times. Guilty.
I carry the tiniest bit of weight in my belly. Guilty.
But frankly, to get down to 199, the very max I can weigh, or even to eliminate that belly, I'd have to have a six pack or be anorexically thin. To get to a perfectly respectible 20.6 BMI I'd have to weigh 165 pounds.
It's just not feasible. So I guess I'm athletic or muscular. I guess I have to be. Not sure what that means for real weight lifters or guys who are actually athletes. But it seems to me that if an average, in shape guy can throw the system that badly, its probably not much of a system.
BMI Prime, which tries to calculate for the overally tall, since they skew the scale (since when has 6'2 been abnormally tall? Tall, yes. But, abnormally?) puts my upper acceptable weight at .... 199.25. The same as BMI.
I know we've had this discussion before, and I want to smack you for making me type it out.
ReplyDeleteBMI doesn't work well for people who are of abnormal broadness. YOU fit into that category. You have a large bone structure which makes you heavier and gives you a wider girth for your height. That is why looking at your BMI and realizing it's off, you really need to have a fat poke test done (The one where they take pinchers and measure your excess fat).
The reason BMI is used as a guideline is that most people of normal ratios (aka, your siblings) can then use the numbers as a realistic slot to fit into. MOST people fit into this category and it's alot easier to give to people for an idea of how overweight they are.
Telling people to check out their fat pinchers to calculate their obesity level just wouldn't work. No one likes to pinch their fat.
Most dietitians (notice I didn't say nutritionists) recognize the flaw of the BMI system and would look at someone like you and say "Nope, not overweight." The moral of the story is? BMI doesn't work for you. Let it go :P
Also, if it'll make you feel better, can you imagine what Wolverine's BMI would be? And you gotta admit he's fit...
That's all well and good except... I occasionally hear about how insurance premiums (either life or health) could one day be based on BMI. Or the government might tax overweight people based on BMI. Or other ways in which BMI would be the determining factor in some form of behavior modification.
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