There is a chart hanging on our university gym’s wall that lets you compute your Body Mass Index, or BMI.
“This should be fun,” I thought. So, at my height of 5’9", and my weight of 170lbs, my BMI was something like 35 or 36.
I looked down at the scale. It says “Obese: 30 and above.”
I was like, wtf? I have around 8 or 9%bf and a 31" waist. Somehow I don’t think I’m obese.
I’m not “big” by any weight lifting standards. I mean, I’m bigger than Bruce Lee, but come on now. Who the hell was this “BMI” created for?
Because seriously now… in order for me to be in my “target BMI” or something, I’d have to be at like 140lbs. Sorry, 5’9" and 140 is skinny, especially at my bodyfat levels.
Maybe it was a girl’s chart and I just didn’t see the “girl” part or something.
Anyone know if there’s a different one for guys than for girls?
Nope…BMI chart is what it is. Taking no consideration for bone structure, body fat, activity levels, caloric requirements for sprt training, anything of the sort, the medical profession and the government have devised this little chart of garbage.
No matter if you are a man or a woman, a competitive weight lifter or a competitive eating champion, the onlt that matter on a BMI chart is height and weight.
At 5’10" and 200 lbs, recently measured at 13% BF, I’m dangerously obese! Looks liek it’s time to get on my expensive, medically supervised 800 calorie a day liquid diet cause some doctor who doesn’t know me from Adam made a chart.
Iron, all of those “standardise” measurements are complete rubbish.
I’ve done 3 or 4 different ones, from charts to electronic height/weight measuring devices, and at 5’11" 175lbs and 7-8% bf they all told me I was overweight by somewhere between 10-15lbs. They are simply designed for the average couch potatoe body composition
lol. im overweight as well apparently, but only just. im about 170lbs, im 5’10, i got a 30 inch waist and about 13% bf. my bmi was 25.15. check it out:
Neurotic, actually at 63kg=138lbs and 184cm=6’2" you are quite a bit underweight by any standards, athletic or traditional.
If you are not a teen (growing in height) then you might have a metabolish-enhancing problem (like an overactive tyroid I believe), or you simply should eat more given what you burn.
I was 65 kg @ 179cm when I stopped growing in height (age 19), and I trained daily in MA, and at that weight I was skinny (as in I has some muscle and no fat but overall very bony). You are 3 inches taller than that, and weight 5lbs less!
THAT TEST IS THE FIRST THAT WORKED (for me)! Great stuff. It estimated my BF at 9%, and it’s normally at 7-8% but I am a little over at the moment so I’d say 9-10% is spot on! Then it estimated my ideal weight at 177 and I feel at a great size/agility balance currently, at 175!
Good stuff, I look forward to seeign other people test results to see if mine was just a math fluke or it works across the board
Your Recommended Blocks
Your weight is: 150 pounds
Your sex is: Male
Your Body Fat percentage is: 11
Your Lean Body Mass is: 134 pounds
Your ‘Ideal’ weight is: 154 pounds
Your activity factor is: 1
Your recommend blocks per day are: 18 (135 grams of protein)
not bad at 11%, but i am 4lbs underweight from my ideal
Your Recommended Blocks
Your weight is: 132 pounds
Your sex is: Male
Your Body Fat percentage is: 8
Your Lean Body Mass is: 121 pounds
Your ‘Ideal’ weight is: 140 pounds
Your activity factor is: 0.76
Your recommend blocks per day are: 12 (90 grams of protein)
Last time I checked the BMI, I was good, yet I feel so skinny. 132 lbs. and 6’ 6" at 15.
Your Recommended Blocks
Your weight is: 171 pounds
Your sex is: Male
Your Body Fat percentage is: 9
Your Lean Body Mass is: 156 pounds
Your ‘Ideal’ weight is: 179 pounds
Your activity factor is: 0.83
Your recommend blocks per day are: 17 (127 grams of protein)
what does it mean by “blocks” mine says 17, 17 blocks of what?
Originally posted by wall
[B]Neurotic, actually at 63kg=138lbs and 184cm=6’2" you are quite a bit underweight by any standards, athletic or traditional.
Get lifting and eating BIG
[/B]
Wall -
Thanks for your concern but I assure you, I am in perfect health.
Yes, I have a fast metabolism, but I have never had a doctor ever be of concern that I was underweight, or had a thyroid problem.
(One of my closest friend graduates from med school this year, and she has never had a concern)
In all seriousness, I eat like a horse… we have a running joke I get hungry every 3 hours. Its not too far off… sometimes its 2½ :rolleyes:
That and I’m 6’ not 6’2 - Things get mucky with all these coversions and roundings.
Trust me - wish I could put on some weight.. starting to look into things to start doing that - got some fitness trainer friends, see what they have to say.
As someone who works in pharmaceuticals (RPh technician), I feel the need to defend the BMI. Without a ridiculous measure like the BMI, we couldn’t make consumers feel insecure about their weight. So then how else are we going to sell diet pills that don’t actually work?
the preceeding message was brought to you by sarcasm
The BMI is really screwed up. It doesn’t really fit anybody. I’m 6’0" and at one point (when I hadn’t trained in two years) I was 230 lbs. My BF had to be like 20% and it only ranked me as slightly overweight. Meanwhile, a friend of mine who was 5’10" and 210 lbs of pure muscle was ranked as obese.
