BMI isn't only wrong for athletes.

hanadr

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I am struggling to lose weight and doing so very slowly. I'm almost exactly atBMI 30 at the moment.
However, I do have a HUGE bust [36K/38H ]. I estimate that if I were a more average size, say 36D/38C?
I would weigh at least half a stone less. However, no allowance is given for my overabundance in that department and I'm classed as "obese". I am 5 feet 7, so well above average height.
 

Patch

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Never thought I'd read the words HUGE BUST on a diabetes forum... :shock:
 

hanadr

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Not bragging, for those of us overendowed by Mother Nature, it's a problem, not an asset. It's difficult to find clothes that fit, without revealing too much.
Hana
 

Useless Pretty Boy

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Now, I am not a woman, however, I am fairly sure that as most women lose weight, their bust size goes down, yes? Should your mammary tissue alone measure 38H, you would be correct, however I think I am right in saying that almost all women put on significat amounts of fat on their chest when they carry around too much extra weight.

So in certain cases, you would probably have a point of issue. However would your premise be valid for all women?
 

jopar

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UPB

Hmmm, to a certain extent you are right, weight gain and weight loss to a certain extent can effect the bra size, but in gneral not to that great of a difference... A lot of it will be determined by what mother nature has gifted you or not as the case will be!

There is some allowance incorparated within the BMI to allow for the female, but to what extent I don't know.. But it is the reason why there is one scale for females and another for males..

But with everything though, the BMI is only an guideline so should be treated with caution and some common sense when interpretating it...

The only real way of getting an accurate BMI, is a visit to a clinic where they can take several different kinds of measurments by verious means, then number crunch the data collected via a computer...

I have a set of digital scales, that works out your BMI and fat ratio's etc... Stange thing is, they the BMI part says that I'm verging on being underwieght (which is true as I am skinny as a rake) but the Fat calulator actually tells me that I carrying to much fat!!!! Work that one out... Would like to know where this excess Fat is stashed too, because I sure can't work it out...
 

phoenix

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When I lose weight, the first noticeable loss seems to be breast tissue. When I was down in the low fifities before diagnosis I was almost flat. It was also the first area to get back to normal. So in my case my change in size was fully reflected in my change in BMI.

Breast tissue is mainly fat. Percentage fat tables do take into account the fact that women have more fat then men.
For a woman of my age a healthy fat percentage is beween 24and 36%, for a man of the same age it is 13-25%. My doctor records this measurement in addition to BMI at regular checkups.
 

Useless Pretty Boy

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phoenix said:
When I lose weight, the first noticeable loss seems to be breast tissue. When I was down in the low fifities before diagnosis I was almost flat. It was also the first area to get back to normal. So in my case my change in size was fully reflected in my change in BMI.

Breast tissue is mainly fat. Percentage fat tables do take into account the fact that women have more fat then men.
For a woman of my age a healthy fat percentage is beween 24and 36%, for a man of the same age it is 13-25%. My doctor records this measurement in addition to BMI at regular checkups.
That's a good point. Women can hold fat in a far healthier manner than men can. Men's fat goes around the internal organs ('apple shaped'), which is hugely dangerous, while I believe I'm right in saying that most women are 'pear shaped', meaning they put fat on the outside of their musculature.

Surely that extra allowance for fat would easily make up for the fact that men will tend to carry more muscle?
 

dragongirl

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Hana - 10 out of 10 for taking away my low mood this afternoon! Maybe we could do a deal? I have been very, er, invisible in that department since going skeletal with unwanted and unencouraged weight loss. But seriously, are you saying that maintaining the weight in that region is contributing significantly to you not being able to get your BGs even lower? The weight that matters is elsewhere, surely? And 5.1 is really decent. Not sure what the problem is therefore. But I agree with your main comment that BMI isn't entirely reliable.
DG
 

hanadr

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The perverse thing about weight loss is that you lose from the thinnest bit first. I have skinny legs and my wrists look like I'm starving. I would need to lose almost 4 stones more to get to where I was at 21, but even then I was overendowed. Clothes never fitted.and I could never keep a blouse buttoned. the only solution was to make everything myself and adapt patterns. It's not fun anymore doing that, but I still do for special occasions. I made a dress for my daughter's wedding 4 years ago and since I managed to lose about 3 stone, I have a beautiful silk chinese brocade dress hanging in my wardrobe, which I don't really want to part with, but which I can't wear.
Hana
 

banjo brunette

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Hi UPB
men are not necessarily apples while women are pears. Many women are apples - me included. Also many diabetics are apples - the visceral fat around the tummy being one of the signs they look out for. Isn't this why they say the hip/waist ratio is a better indicator for ill-health than the BMI per se?
Cheers, BB :D
 

98tillpresent

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Im not an expert by all means but might I suggest that you weigh your [boobs] and subtract that from the equation. It is possible to measure the weight of you bust with a fairly good degree of accuracy by filling up a large bowl with water, weighing it, placing each [boob] inside which will obviously displace some water and then measuring the difference.

ie: you got a bowl/ bucket with 10L of water at the rim weighing 10 Kilos, you insert one breast and 3 kilos are displaced. that's 3 for each making it 6 - you subtract 6kilos from your weight when you add it into your BMI equation and hopefully see a big difference.

hope this helps and you get the result you want :)
 

Katharine

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What is Jordan thinking of with her boobs? She actually paid for them!

I agree Hana, big boobs are a big nuisance, and they give you back pain too. If we could only afford the surgical attention of Drs Troy and McNamara!
 

hanadr

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Hi 98,
I just estimated how much butter or lard each bra cup would hold and go from there.
The Archimedes method would get an awful lot of water onto the floor :lol:
Hana