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Your views on BMI

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Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Diet only
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It is my opinion that BMI is a rather arbitrary calculation (those pesky statistics again). However, I have no evidence apart from the anecdotal to back this up. I was just interested to hear your views, folks.
 
I've always assumed I'm just too short for my weight!
 
When my dn gave me the diagnosis of T2 she also gave me a raft of numbers including my BMI which she said was healthy but could I lose half a stone. Later that day I looked it up and the calculator said a healthy figure for my height was between 8 stone 6lbs and 11 stone 6lbs. Now, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but the disparity between those figures is quite wide. And what irked me was that on saying my weight was fine she then asked me to lose some. I understand about visceral fat but BMI is no indicator on that at all.
 
My husband is 6' 6" tall and muscular. He is technically obese, but there isnt a shred of fat on him!!!

one of my daughters runs marathons. Again, she is technically obese. its all muscle.

I think BMI is a tool which can be valuable, but, like sat nav, common sense when using it is advisable.
 
I agree - the range is massive! My BMI has recently been climbing a little while my clothes have been getting slightly looser thanks to adding some weight training to my exercise regime and some muscly bulk to my bottom (among other parts).

As a slight aside, I have to say that since I have got a pump, got a Libre, reduced my carb intake and started seriously exercising and through all of this FINALLY harnessing some self-confidence for the first time in my life (I am now 42 and a half so I'd been waiting for a while for some confidence), my relative stability in BMI (compared to swinging ups and downs over a number of years) has coincided with me really not giving even a half a d**n about it any more...............

 
My husband too. Although as he's aging there is now a few shreds of fat
NoCrbs4Me said:
I know when I'm too fat (or not) without calculating my BMI.
Click to expand...
ditto that
Rachox said:
I've always assumed I'm just too short for my weight!
Click to expand...
hilarious!!!
 
Personally I prefer waist to height. That is much more scary than BMI which says I am about right though I know I am not.

But it is just a measure and good enough to track progress down. A mirror is also good as are clothes that are getting looser or tighter. I do not see much harm in it.

There are the exceptions but in my opinion if you are built like Mohamed Ali you probably are not going to check your BMI every two weeks.
 
DMI works well when you are comparing results between large groups of people, but when you look at one person waist measurement is a better predictor of risks.
 
Views on BMI? Personally it is flawed ( I wanted to put bull** it)
Over the years I have been " clinically obese" Yet still able to row 2 km on a rowing machine in a sub 7 min time.
I'm still obese, but know I can wipe the floor with many non diabetic, in range BMI, younger guys in any gym in the country.
BMI is a pointer, but it doesn't give a direction. It works for the majority. I'm type 1 , I'm not in the majority.
I get really pi**ed off when a GP tells me I need to lose weight and achieve an acceptable BMI.
 
My surgery now does the waist to height thing, saying over and over that we have to be careful measuring waist as it isn't where you think it is. Problem is, I keep forgetting where it is. My nurse says the waist should be half your height, in inches.
 
BMI is outdated. Mine is 27.6 yet I have between 13 and 15 % body fat depending on the scales used and 7.5% visceral fat. The waist to height is significantly better as a predictor for metabolic health.
 
BMI gives a rough idea of relative fatness but, as people have said, it's not accurate for well-muscled people who can have an 'obese' BMI despite low levels of body fat.

There is a 'smart BMI' calculator which takes into account age and sex here:- http://www.smartbmicalculator.com/
 
I recently turned from "obese" to "overweight" (just) but I still think its a very vague measure.
 
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