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BMI useless?

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Jamesy
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29 Mar 2020, 12:45 pm

Is BMI completely useless when it comes to assesing ones health and weight etc.....?



magz
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29 Mar 2020, 1:11 pm

BMI was developed for statistical research about obesity.
It's largely useless for individual evaluation of a roughly-healthy-weight person.


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questor
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14 Apr 2020, 6:06 pm

Yes, BMI is a useless way of measuring your health in regards to weight.

- The BMI measures overall weight and height, but doesn't take anything else into account, so it is always in error.
- It doesn't distinguish between fat weight and muscle weight. There is a difference in bodily effect between these two.
- The BMI doesn't distinguish between bodily types and bone types. Some people have heavier bones, and some people are finer boned. Some people have a more stocky, robust build, and others have a more wiry, or thin build, and yes, some people are overweight. This all makes a difference in overall health for the same weight and height.
- The BMI also doesn't take into account your metabolism or your activity levels, so again, there is no way this severly limited measurement scale can ever be truly accurate.

There are several other systems of calculating your body weight/health index out there that are far more accurate than the BMI, because they use more of the above points in making their calculations.

Please stop using the fraudulent BMI system, and insist that your docs use one of the other, more accurate systems instead.


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BTDT
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14 Apr 2020, 6:53 pm

https://www.insider.com/how-to-measure-health-2017-9

These 9 numbers tell you how healthy you are — and they have nothing to do with your weight.

I get a physical every year. Last time I went the doctor was pleased with all the test data. :D



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15 Apr 2020, 5:30 am

Just for grins I decided to see how strong I am and pulled my tape measure as tight as I could to get the smallest waistline measurement possible. 23 inches! Can you beat that?



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15 Apr 2020, 6:40 am

BMI is useful for large groups of people—not for individuals.


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xxZeromancerlovexx
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15 Apr 2020, 10:13 am

questor wrote:
Yes, BMI is a useless way of measuring your health in regards to weight.

- The BMI measures overall weight and height, but doesn't take anything else into account, so it is always in error.
- It doesn't distinguish between fat weight and muscle weight. There is a difference in bodily effect between these two.
- The BMI doesn't distinguish between bodily types and bone types. Some people have heavier bones, and some people are finer boned. Some people have a more stocky, robust build, and others have a more wiry, or thin build, and yes, some people are overweight. This all makes a difference in overall health for the same weight and height.
- The BMI also doesn't take into account your metabolism or your activity levels, so again, there is no way this severly limited measurement scale can ever be truly accurate.

There are several other systems of calculating your body weight/health index out there that are far more accurate than the BMI, because they use more of the above points in making their calculations.

Please stop using the fraudulent BMI system, and insist that your docs use one of the other, more accurate systems instead.


I agree with this. Genetics also play a huge role. I eat a predominately plant based diet and rarely eat meat. I have professional athlete blood pressure and good A1C. BMI only takes weight and height into consideration. Not bone structure or bloodwork and other measures of health.


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17 Apr 2020, 8:39 am

No, but you shouldn't take it too literally. The number for normal weight is between 19 and 24,9, but being little under or over those isn't automatically something to be worried about. However, if your BMI is above 30 for example, then something's definitely wrong unless it's very obvious that you have a lot of muscle. So keep an eye on your BMI, but if you're really sporty, take that in to account.



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17 Apr 2020, 5:11 pm

Fireblossom wrote:
No, but you shouldn't take it too literally. The number for normal weight is between 19 and 24,9, but being little under or over those isn't automatically something to be worried about. However, if your BMI is above 30 for example, then something's definitely wrong unless it's very obvious that you have a lot of muscle. So keep an eye on your BMI, but if you're really sporty, take that in to account.



I read up that weighing between 18.5-24.9 on the BMI chart your body looks it’s most aesthetic.

Do you thinks that’s true



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18 Apr 2020, 5:28 am

You have it backwards. If you have well defined abs it doesn't matter what your BMI is!

Just exercise until your abs look great!



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18 Apr 2020, 8:33 am

Jamesy wrote:
Fireblossom wrote:
No, but you shouldn't take it too literally. The number for normal weight is between 19 and 24,9, but being little under or over those isn't automatically something to be worried about. However, if your BMI is above 30 for example, then something's definitely wrong unless it's very obvious that you have a lot of muscle. So keep an eye on your BMI, but if you're really sporty, take that in to account.



I read up that weighing between 18.5-24.9 on the BMI chart your body looks it’s most aesthetic.

Do you thinks that’s true


I don't know. That's the BMI that's considered normal weight, so I suppose one's body is likelier to look good if they're inside that range than if it's outside of it, but there are probably exceptions. Plus, not everyone likes the same type of bodies.