Weight (BMI) Poll

[Pat Barry]

According to CDC there are 4 categories for us: Underweight, Normal, Overweight, and Obese and it all depends on this calculation of body mass index. I punched in my weight and height and was surprised at the result (obese). So, I'm curious, and thought it would be interesting to poll the folks on this forum.
Here's the plan, go to this link to the CDC BMI Calculator (http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html), enter your height and weight and select the poll category this calculator says you are. Simple and anonymous.

[Pat Barry]

OK. Moderators please review and confirm this is anonymous poll so folks aren't inhibited to select their proper CDC selection. Thank you

[Mike Henderson]

I'm right on the cusp of a BMI of 25 (just a bit under). The problem I see with these kind of charts is that one pound (even half a pound) can move you between "normal" and "overweight".

Mike

[Pat Barry]

Mine came in at a surprising 30.3. Time for a diet I guess. I know my Doc will read me the riot act next week.

[Jim Koepke]

My calculation came in right on the edge of obese/overweight.

I am down over 30 pounds from my high range. If I got down another 30 it would still have me at overweight. I would be skin and bones at that weight.

jtk

[Bruce Page]

I came out of the Army in '71 @ 6'3" and a lean mean 210 lbs. According to the calculator I was overweight. I'll never see 210 again. :rolleyes:

[Erik Loza]

According to the BMI scale, I'm "overweight": 6'1", 195lbs. And I teach fitness classes at a local gym. The issue is that the scale doesn't factor in people who are muscular.

Erik

[Bruce Wrenn]

I need to be an inch taller. I used to be 6-0, but now am 5-11. That inch of shrinkage changes my classification. But when I weighed 184 (upper end of normal scale, I wore one size smaller pants and shirts.

[Greg R Bradley]

Obese is the new "normal", exactly the conversation I had with two friends at lunch - at a Farmer Boys in Southern California where 80%+ were obese.

At 63 my BMI according to the calculator is 22.6. I would have been horrified to be that high at 40.

I would say the chart need to take age and extremely muscular body types into the calculation.

[Tom M King]

It's not right. I'm 5'7" and 173, but I lift weights-have for 52 years, and have a resting heart rate 12 bpm below my age in years. I wear a 43 short coat, and size 32 waist pants. I don't believe I'm overweight.

[James Baker SD]

I win the prize for first underweight (BMI 15.9), although not exactly happy about it. I struggle every day to force down food I don't want to barely get enough calories to survive. Yes, I am one of the toughest cases my GI specialist has among his patients. Also, if tough on my wife who struggles with the opposite problem, how do you cook a single meal that is good for both of us?

[Brian W Smith]

Not gonna even check mine.It'll say obese when at 5-10 ,210#.....need to be at 215.

35 waist 48 chest.60 y.o.,with almost 6 pack abs from well over 40 years of hard labor.Have been a competitive traditional archer(hopped up recurves) for almost that long.

Down a few pounds,and it shows up at the end of day with fatigue.Whatever?

[daryl moses]

I'm 66 years old, 5'5" and weigh 130 lbs. I'm in the "normal" category even though I eat like a horse.
Must be all the exercise I get working here on my tree farm.

[Pat Barry]

Thanks for the responses as I just didn't think the calculation is correct at all. Sure I could stand to lose a couple pounds and I'd agree that I'm overweight, but as many others have pointed out, there's just too many variables in real people. Like someone else mentioned though, if I were to be back to my playing weight (post college when I was very active and in great shape) this stupid calculator would still call me overweight. The bad thing to me is that I'm convinced that stupid calculations like this BMI thing are actually used by insurance companies and eventually our rates will be defined by measures such as this.

[Curt Harms]

According to the BMI scale, I'm "overweight": 6'1", 195lbs. And I teach fitness classes at a local gym. The issue is that the scale doesn't factor in people who are muscular.

Erik

That's exactly right, those 'one size fits all' charts make no allowance for build. Two guys, both 6'1. One guy is a string bean that weighs 170 lbs. The other guy is an NFL lineman that weighs 290 and can bench 400 lbs. But he's obese by that chart. Ooookkayyyy........

[Charles Wiggins]

Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Obese - Problems with Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculations (http://Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Obese - Problems with Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculations)

[Bill Orbine]

I'm not normal............

Hey........ BMI doesn't have none of the above!

[Daniel O'Neill]

Yeah, when dealing with thousands &/or millions of people some generalizations have to be made. I'm overweight and have begun to feel it. 6'1" @ 200-210 depending on how good I am with my diet. I've noticed things like alcohol (mmmm dark beer :-) really push me into 210+ pretty quick. I used to run all the time. I'd run for hours when I worked part time and never got below 183 but everyone wanted to be "skinny like Daniel" so I don't know if there are muscle/bone density factors that can't be taken into account even in normal body weight & body fat percentage calculations. I don't suppose that most people now a days would be worse off loosing a few pounds. I'd like to sit at 200 lean which is still "overweight" but in a good way.

[Erik Loza]

I understand why someone invented the whole BMI-thing: There must have been a need to quantify body weight for some statistical purpose or whatever. That being said, like we are seeing here, it's not really an accurate indicator of health, which is my problem with it. For example, you could have someone of "ideal" weight who smokes and drinks every day. Of course, that person is not going to be healthy. Then, you have those of us who are "overweight" due to added muscle mass. I'm "overweight" but my blood pressure is typically around 120/60 and my resting heart rate is somewhere in the low 50's BPM. In my opinion, people confuse body image or more importantly, "body shape", with actual health or fitness level and those are two totally unrelated things in the real world. For example, I've got members in my cycling classes that don't look at all like athletes: Stocky build and maybe a little spare tire around the middle, but put out a solid 45 minutes on the bike several times a week and are cardio machines. They're in better shape than probably 90% of the rest of the US population but would likewise be considered overweight on the BMI scale. I ignore BMI and focus on your blood pressure, resting heart rate, and blood chemistry. Those are much more telling indicators, IMHO.

Erik

[Frank Drew]

BMI is certainly flawed as the final word on health and fitness, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater: We are a fat country and it's primarily because we overeat (and exercise/do physical labor too little). It's as if we've created a new race of people in the past three decades or so; when I grew up a very fat person was an absolute rarity, now a lean fit person, particularly a woman, it seems, is the rare sight. Park outside any store and just watch the people walking in front of you; fat, fat, fat, normal, fat, normal-ish, fat, fat, somewhat fat.....


Obese is the new "normal", exactly the conversation I had with two friends at lunch - at a Farmer Boys in Southern California where 80%+ were obese.

Too many calories, inescapably available 24/7. We confuse more on the plate with higher value=desirable.

[Pat Barry]

Come on folks -- 404 views and only 29 willing to add to the dataset? This is an anonymous poll. No worries! Please?

[Shawn Pixley]

As Eric said, BMI is but one measure. Add resting heart rate, blood pressure, blood chemistry (glucose, chloresterol, etc.), and percentage of body fat. One can find athletes with high BMI (typically body builders and football players at non-speed positions) but as a general rule a lower BMI with an appropriate percentage of body fat (too low is also not good) is best. Mass does not equal strength. One can be slight but very strong depending upon the percentage of fast twitch vs slow twitch muscle and training (train for strength not bulk). Speed, agility, endurance all typically improve at more "normal" BMI ratios. It is also kinder to your joints and ligaments.

We should not be fat shaming and stigmatizing others, but encouraging them to be as healthy as they can be - whatever their body type.

[Bruce Page]

Come on folks -- 404 views and only 29 willing to add to the dataset? This is an anonymous poll. No worries! Please?

Pat, probably 2/3 of the views are people returning to read new replies.

[Pat Barry]

Pat, probably 2/3 of the views are people returning to read new replies.
Oh yeah, well thanks Bruce, that makes sense. Also thanks to all those responding to the poll.

[Mike Ontko]

Overweight :/ though this comes as no surprise. Based on the over-simplistic BMI index, I've lived right on the border of normal-overweight since my hockey-playing and refereeing days. I've since hung up my skates (my knee gave out before I did), and though I've kept fairly active since then--hiking and bicycling, running on my NordicTrak, etc., time...and certain dietary choices seem to be getting the better of me (but especially since our trip to Germany and Austria last year).

Facing reality...I come from a long line of folks with heart and pancreatic problems (diabetes), so I'm acutely aware that if I want to continue working in my shop long enough to build furniture for my grandkids, I'm going to have to retool my lifestyle a bit.

[Mike Ontko]

According to the BMI scale, I'm "overweight": 6'1", 195lbs. And I teach fitness classes at a local gym. The issue is that the scale doesn't factor in people who are muscular.Erik

Precisely! Muscle is more dense than fat and hence, you'll show up higher on the BMI scale. In my "prime" (up until my mid 40's), when I was skating and working out 4-6 days a week, I was 185 @ 6'0" which is still pushing the BMI.

[James Baker SD]

I will concur that the weight versus height calculation is definitely flawed. In trying to fight my inability to gain weight, a doctor once sent me to a lab to do a BMI. This procedure was more complicated and measured "muscle mass" independently from "fat storage" mass. It was the ratio of the two measurements that produced your BMI. So obviously a trained athlete could weight more at a given height without being considered overweight.

Today I have heard some doctor offices have scales that calculate BMI as you stand on them barefoot. They apply a small voltage to you and measure the current, fat and muscle having different conductivity pound for pound gives the result. Again it is not only weight and height used in the calculation, but the ratio of fat to muscle.

[mike holden]

Interesting thing here, a few years back I had some serious health issues and lost 78 pounds. Finally hit what was the "normal" weight. However, I was also diagnosed as malnourished and the doctor accepted that I needed to gain some weight, and that for me, "normal" was too low (grin). I am now where my doctor wants, and according to the charts am obese. All these things are based on norms, or the bell curve, some will obviously fall outside the norm. So, that's me - AB Normal! (grin)

[Tom Stenzel]

At 6' 2" and 140 lbs, I just barely made the underweight category. So if I'm so close to normal why do I feel so lousy?

Maybe it has something to do with a major amputation and being in a wheelchair. I dunno if this normal business has much going for it.


"Normal is a setting on a washing machine"
- Harry Strasil -

Tom

[Wade Lippman]

Overweight, but... I went to see an orthopedist last year. He said it was a delight to see someone in such good shape. Go figure.

[Chris Damm]

BMI is a crock as it has no provision for body shape. My Grandson when he was playing football was 6' 8" and 345# and was classified obese. His measured body fat was below 5%. Since he quit playing football he is down about 75# and still almost obese. He is solid as a rock!

[Bill McNiel]

First time anyone, organization or poll has called/classified me as "normal". Not sure about celebrating this moment, but what the heck, YIPPEE?

[Dennis Peacock]

I am classified as obese. It says that my ideal weight is 122-164. Ha!!!! I haven't weighed anywhere close to that since junior high. Played basketball, football, tennis, baseball, varsity ball, weight lifted, and pumped iron like there was no tomorrow. I benched a max of 575 and a clean snatch of 280. Now, at 56, I look like I might could bench a pillow and snatch a pack of crackers off the middle shelf. :D

[Curt Harms]

BMI is a crock as it has no provision for body shape. My Grandson when he was playing football was 6' 8" and 345# and was classified obese. His measured body fat was below 5%. Since he quit playing football he is down about 75# and still almost obese. He is solid as a rock!

I'm sort of thinking that BMI as a measure of health is like megapixels when comparing camera quality. One data point but hardly the only one or (arguably) the most important. But in the minute media they only have time for one number :rolleyes:.

[Matt Day]

If BMI is such a crock, don't you think physicians and the CDC wouldn't use it at all? It's a quick and easy screening to get an idea of where you're at - yes there are exceptions but for most people it works.

For those that mentioned linemen and such - just because they're big and strong doesn't mean it's healthy. A lot (all?) ex-nfl linemen have serious joint issues from their bones carrying around all that weight and slamming into other giant men.

Interesting poll results so far - almost 1/3 of us are overweight and 1/3 obese.

[Pat Barry]

Interesting poll results so far - almost 1/3 of us are overweight and 1/3 obese.
I agree. It almost makes we wonder if this BMI index has been around since the 50's and no one has bothered to validate it. I feel much better knowing that I'm in the same boat as so many fine folks on this forum.:cool:

[Wayne Lomman]

Guys, do a web search and use one of the calculators that goes on wrist or elbow size. This method is much more accurate. The BMI seems to be designed to make us feel guilty about nothing. Mine came in at 21.6 and normal - ha ha

[Erik Loza]

My personal feeling is that the trend of obesity in the US (and by that, I mean being overweight to the point that it causes health issues rather than just a cosmetic spare tire or love handles) is a result of inactivity and a diet of highly processed foods. A number fo the Italians have told me, for example, that they immediately start putting on weight if they spend any amount of time here in the states. Unlike Europe, you aren't able to really walk anywhere unless you happen to be in a major city and also, the options for quality foods are really limited. Every territory rep I know, for example, has a big belly. Why? Because most of their time is spent on a plane or in a car and also, when you roll into town at the odd hours that you do, what are your options? Fast food, more than likely. I'm not saying that you can't make the decision to exercise according to your lifestyle but on the other hand, I empathize with those guys because it's an uphill battle to stay physcially active and have access to quality food when you travel a lot or when you don't live near a grocery store.

What I see from the professional fitness side of things is that the "gym culture" often drives people away from staying fit, which is the other end of the spectrum. Gyms push this "all in" type of mentality, where that in order to be fit, you need to be working out six days a week, starving yourself, be some crossfit maniac, etc. And for the person who is not in great shape or who is self-conscious, who wants to do that? You need to find the middle ground and make it do-able. Just getting up and walking every day makes a huge difference. Some regular physical activity every day. Get up and walk at lunch, walk before work, walk after, that sort of thing. Go up and down some stairs if you can. My wife has a Fit Bit and tracks her steps. Stuff like that.

Erik

[Dennis Peacock]

By wrist and elbow size.....my ideal weight is 171, which is what I weighed in the 10th grade. Is everybody supposed to be super skinny? I know a few people that meet these specifications and they look anorexic.

[Mike Null]

I don't need BMI to know that I'm overweight. When I want to feel good about it I go to Cracker Barrel where most of their customers are obese.

[Roger Feeley]

I remember reading that George Foreman at his most fit would have come in obese. The point here is that there are many factors other than just height and weight. A prime factor is visceral fat versus the fat you see. The visceral fat is the stuff between your organs on the inside. You can look really skinny and be in danger from visceral fat. The only way to cut down on that stuff is to exercise. The only way to detect that stuff is with a scan.

[Chris Padilla]

According to the BMI scale, I'm "overweight": 6'1", 195lbs. And I teach fitness classes at a local gym. The issue is that the scale doesn't factor in people who are muscular.

Erik


Same issue here. BMI doesn't work well for folks with a bit of muscle and it doesn't even take much to tip it high.

[Erik Loza]

Same issue here. BMI doesn't work well for folks with a bit of muscle and it doesn't even take much to tip it high.

My upper body is not very muscular at all. Fit, but not muscular. All my mass is in my thighs and glutes, from cycling. I wear cargo shorts most of the time, so I look like I probably weight 20 lbs. less than I actually do. if I quite riding, I'd probably drop back down to 175lbs., but would be in nowhere near as good physical condition. The whole body image thing is really its own worst enemy.

Erik

[julian abram]

My doctors says I'm a little "Height Challenged". Oh well everyone seems to have some "Challenge" these days.

[Curt Harms]

I don't need BMI to know that I'm overweight. When I want to feel good about it I go to Cracker Barrel where most of their customers are obese.


Walmart works for me and they're easier to find :). I know about the stereotypes but around here at least there seems to be some basis for that stereotype.

[Roy Harding]

In the later '80s I was a member of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, we had our "fat bodies", but the vast majority of us were very fit. The Canadian Forces brought in the BMI as a fitness indicator, the idea being that those whose BMI was over 25 would be forced to do remedial PT. 75% of the Regiment had BMIs over 25. It eventually became apparent to the "Chairborne Commandos" of National Defence Headquarters that something was wrong (with the BMI, NOT the soldiers of the Airborne Regiment!) The problem is that muscle is denser than fat, and therefore weighs more per cubic inch. A very fit individual of the same height and general appearance as an unfit individual will weigh more, and thus have a higher BMI. The BMI was eventually dropped in the Canadian Forces as a fitness indicator.

The BMI remains a somewhat useful indication of POSSIBLE weight problems, but it's not an accurate diagnostic tool.

[Don Morris]

I'm overweight by one pound. I'll accept that.

[John K Jordan]

I'm right on the cusp of a BMI of 25 (just a bit under). The problem I see with these kind of charts is that one pound (even half a pound) can move you between "normal" and "overweight".

Me too, right near 25. Another thing that is not considered by the calculator - we all shrink in height as we get older, I've lost about an inch. Does that mean you might go from "normal" to "overweight" as you age simply because your height decreases? I don't think so!

JKJ

[John K Jordan]

when I grew up a very fat person was an absolute rarity, now a lean fit person, particularly a woman, it seems, is the rare sight.

I just came back from a couple of weeks in northern Italy. I don't think I saw one overweight person, certainly no obesity. People think nothing of walking a mile to work or school, riding a bike for long distances. I didn't see a fast junk food place except for one McDonalds in Venice for the tourists - everyone buys fresh food at the market, cooks for every meal, and eats well. The friends we spent time with took long walks instead of TV time - they didn't even have a TV in the house.

On my street I've seen people get in the car just to go to the mailbox 100 ft from the door. I know of kids who are raised almost entirely on fast food with an occasional "home cooked" meal of hamburger helper or a box of mac and cheese.

JKJ

[paul cottingham]

The interesting thing about those charts is that they don't take build into account. I am structurally very large. According to the charts I'm obese (260lbs) but my doctor just laughs at that. My heart rate is 55. I swim 5 miles aweek (a mile takes me a little less than 35 minutes, broken into sets.) I'm pretty fit for a 54 year old with all my physical limitations. So be careful about those charts.