<![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index - Jezebel Comments]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index - Jezebel Comments]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @fiatluxury:

Whenever I read that muscle weighs more than fat I think of a 15" bicep. A 15" bicep of fat is going to weigh fewer pounds than a 15" bicep of sculpted muscle. I don't think people are so stupid that they think a pound of fat weighs less than a pound of muscle.

DramaClub

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> god, women never tire of boring everyone with their fucking stats!! it is almost as tiresome as hearing someone talk about their "points" for the day.

fuck all this shit.

also, major kudos to the fat triathlete!!!!

All you fuckers that are like, ok sure maybe she is doing triathlons but she is still to blame somehow for hurting her body. what precisely do you advise her to do??? she is already training for triathlons.

the biggest fucking fallacy out there is that for a person to drop weight all they need to do is "eat less and move more." Doctors have known for decades that fat people's bodies adjust to prevent them from losing weight. and yet the blame is still on the fatties. i guess ignorance is bliss. of course the forever-losing-war keeps making money for drug companies and gyms and slim fast and on an on...

wurly

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I always think of Serena and Venus and how "obese" they must be.

Maulleigh

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @SarahMC: 5'2" and 140 - that's the vegetarian who works out 5 days a week with cardio and weights. To get to a BMI that's "healthy" I'd pretty much need to eat next to nothing and up my workout to two hours a day with even more weights. You know, be completely unhealthy and addicted to exercise. BMI can bite my ass. My doctor tells me to quit smoking, never ever to lose weight.

TinyK

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I think the BMI is boatloads of shit. It doesn't take plenty of important things into account, namely the weight of muscle, and frame size.

@so5minutesago: Most athletes do - muscle weighs a lot more than fat. My mom and I technically weigh the same but I'm about 3 sizes smaller than her and look like I'm in much better shape.
@voneyeva: The extremes I agree with, but go back and take a look at the girls whose pictures looked normal -- most of them were BMI'd a lot worse than I'd give them credit for. Anyone with muscles will weigh more, so some women in kickass shape are technically obese because they've got loads of heavy muscle.

FourInchHeels

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Of course the BMI is inaccurate, all it is is weight divided by height! So it's saying you have to be a certain weight at a certain height. The muscle vs. fat is hardly the largest problem with the BMI. Obviously two woman can be the same height and have different body builds/weight and both be healthy.

Like another commenter said, old news...

Straight out of Wikipedia-

"The BMI is meant to broadly categorize populations for purely statistical purposes. As noted, its accuracy in relation to actual levels of body fat is easily distorted by such factors as fitness level, muscle mass, bone structure, gender, and ethnicity."

Also-

"It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet."

Hardly the most modern of fitness measurements... :P

JRae

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @jewess: That's how you know girls are body obsessed from the cradle-- I haven't touched a SVH book in almost two decades, yet I will always remember the Wakefields were a "perfect sized six", not just a size six, mind you.

I am 5'11" and 155. I always feel chubby and totally have love handles and cellulite, but I'm overall pretty thin and execrise daily. The BMI calendar said I could weigh 178 and not be overweight. If I weighed 178, I would feel like a totally different, overweight person.

sabbaticalplease

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @groupie: I have the same problem I'm 4"11 also and if I don't keep my weight between 110 and 115 my doc has a canary. ( He recommends between 95 and 105) I have a REALLY small frame. I would love to be able to eat real food again but being over 30 that seem like a boat that has long since sailed far far away.

jenalynn

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I check the BMI calculator every once in a while just for the hell of it, but definitely doubt its accuracy in predicting health (especially since I don't own a scale and don't really know how much I weigh -- but, heck, my clothes fit, and that's all I really care about.)
I've heard (from Dr. Mehmet Oz, health guru on Oprah and in Esquire) waist measurement is a really accurate predictor of the health risks associated with being too fat -- more so than just weight or BMI. Women with waist measurements higher than 32" are way more likely to have the health problems associated with being overweight (like heart disease, diabetes, etc.) than women whose waists are 32" or under. (And sucking in when making the waist measurement is apparently OK!) The reason being partly that excess fat carried around the middle is more dangerous than fat in the hips, thighs, boobs, arms, etc., since it kind of surrounds your organs, messes up your metabolism, and is just generally unhealthy, so that's where you really want to keep the chub in check.

RosePetalPlace

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Every time I hear people talking about BMI I want to plug my ears and scream. People who have an unhealthful amount of fat are OVERFAT, not OVERWEIGHT. The only number we should be concerned about is our body fat percentage. BMI tells you nothing about that.

Gazelle

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> When I was 22 during my yearly physical the doctor walked in and did the usual looking at his chart and not the patient and told me to lose 10 pounds. Then he looked up and his jaw kinda dropped and he told me to gain 10 pounds. (This was when my family thought I was anorexic, and occassionally followed me to the bathroom to see if I was yarking.)
I haven't taken the BMI seriously since.


Itsjustcatnip

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Supposedly someone who's 5'8" can weigh (healthfully) between 117 and 160. Paris Hilton supposedly weighs 115 and I can't imagine her gaining 45 pounds and looking healthy; she's got a naturally trim build. I, on the other hand, have a muscular build and couldn't possibly weigh 117 without probably dying. So I think the chart is sort of supposed to reflect that idea, but doesn't. And it makes me feel bad about myself. Blech.

sequined

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Argh! I give up! I'm NEVER going to be healthy according to these BMI people, because I have the ghetto booty and chicken dinner thighs of my ancestresses, and NO ONE wants to be around me if I tried to get down to 130 pounds with my frame!

Haagen Dazs Cinnamon Dulce de Leche, here I come!

thatblackgirl

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I am just barely squeezing in at "normal" (.5 and I'm a fatty) and I'm 5'8, 160 and really and truly 'big boned', as awful as that phrase is. Not particularly thin, but I'm really really muscular so that's gotta account for something. I'd go run at the gym after this but according to scientists that ain't gonna help me lose weight, so yeah...I will remain 'large framed' forevermore anything below 155 gets me a lot of 'damn, girl, you eatin?' sort of questions.

hamburgerhotdog

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @hirotalksalot: Hahaha, I will tell my father this. He routinely tells me he is bordering on morbidly obese (not true) and also notes that he has an XL hate size. This should alleviate some of his stress!

Catty Is Cumbersome

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @Shelwood: Congrats on losing the weight! I would just like to add that though obesity is not a certain indicator of diseases common in overweight people, it is a likely indicator. Smoking isn't certain to cause cancer, but why risk it?

Also, carrying extra weight for a few years is not the same as carrying all of one's life. I have been overweight for a few years and my blood tests are fine, but as I age that could easily change. How many obese 80+ year olds are out there? Not many.

Catty Is Cumbersome

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @Mollyboo: I think we talk about it because society has had us obsessing about it from such young ages onward. The way our parents and other family members treated us or commented on our appearance, remarks our s.o.'s have made, the way the beauty industry has warped our sense of "normal" & "attractive." It's only natural that we'd all have a whole lot of shit bottled up.

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @wigglepuppy:
im 6' so i totally understand the struggle. they have a "junior section" read- normal modern clothing. some of the "adult" stuff is ..matronly. give it a try :)


pink_orchid_martini

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @hirotalksalot: omg ha ha! Mine is kind of big, too. My stylist also pointed out that I have a very prominent occipital lobe. Which is nice talk for, "wow, what the hell is that huge lump on your head? don't ever lose your hair."

My bf and I joke that our children will be unbirthable. He has a big of a melon, too.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @thegreatladies: Aaah yes. I have quite a collection of camisoles & tees for under shirts & sweaters.

Yeah - super low rise jeans are awful on me. I need more than a 2 inch zipper, thank you very much.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Um, I totally agree with VONEYEVA. Those pics for the most part completely match up with the BMI ratings. As for BMIs not working with every body, it's long been known that it doesn't 'work' for very athletic people or perhaps even for other ethnicities than *gasp* white.
Not sure exactly where the story is here...

gigi-jade

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @pink_orchid: thanks for the tip--i must admit, i refused to give the place a try because of the scary name...maybe i will give it a try--i could really use some dress slacks that arent 4 inches too short :)

wigglepuppy

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I've actually had a doctor refuse to treat me because of my BMI. I'm not saying my weight, but my height is 4'11" so basically anything over 120 pounds is considered overweight. And I haven't been 120 in years.

groupie

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Did't Jezebel declare a moratorium on posting/obsessing over height/weight? I was going to pretend I lived in a world where most women didn't even weight themselves...

HeatherNumber1

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @petuniacat: Ahh, you too! Yes, you know the pain of having to wear a long shirt under sweaters in the winter.

And jeans? Fuhgitaboutit. Really low rise? Sure, if you want to see my pubic bone.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @mightymite: you are totally right about derek jeter--my bf is 6' and about 190lbs of pure muscle. he almost wasnt accepted into the fire service b/c he is 'borderline overwieght' according to BMI, and he is the fittest person i know with hardly any fat!

wigglepuppy

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @BiscuitDoughJones:

I wish I was like six foot nine
So I could get with Meioshee
Cause she don't know me
But yo she's really fine.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @NOLAgirl: Well, let me just say I am so sorry that you experienced the years of 12 through 15 being rather, um, gangly. I remember my grandmother remarking about my "long neck" when I was younger. Course, I love it now.

Oh, and can we swap stories about how your stomach always shows in the winter because no normal combo of shirt and pants will keep your middle covered.

@lolly71: You too. For the gangly thing.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @thanksluckystars: Uhhh... yeah. that was me lol. I totally woke up one day and realized I had gained 20 pounds. I was 133 at 5'10" and now I'm 153. Nobody but me and my bf even notice the weight gain....but a bartender friend of mine was like 'Did you get a boob job?' It was such a nice compliment lol....I was just like Ummm nooo....just gained a bunch of weight, that's all.

Naturally, I'm beating myself up about trying to get back to my skinny, in the best shape of my life body.....but I will sincerely miss the boobs if/when I do lose the weight.

frecklefacefreak

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> just an uptight pet peeve here, folks: muscle does not "weigh more" than fat. a pound of fat is the SAME a as a pound of muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat and so, say a cubic inch of muscle does weigh more than a cubic inch of fat. Sorry. That's just one of those loosely used terms that makes me want to rub shards of broken glass into my own tongue.

fiatluxury

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @pink_orchid:
and to clarify im early 20s for what its worth in opinions of clothes :)


pink_orchid_martini

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> A trainer once told me that a better guide for women is this: 100 lbs minimum at 5' then add 5 lbs for every ince over 5 feet. That means at 5'2", 110 lbs is ideal. She also said that +/- 10 lbs is normal depending on frame size (which you calculate by some measurements of your wrist and elbow)

ElDub

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @wigglepuppy:
*blush* i buy jeans, pant suits and dress pants there ... but in the last 2 years the buyers are waaayy better. i have a few pairs of parasucos now.

i hate the name as well. must be like going ot the big & tall for men. just makes me feel like i should stand at the door moo-ing.


pink_orchid_martini

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @notaclevername: Well I looked like I lost about 20 -- but yeah, only a pound a tit. Swears.

I hear it's the same thing as if you get lipo -- your actual weight doesn't go down very much; you just look thinner.

GingerVitis

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> All this talk about BMI's not taking big boobs into account has forced me to reveal my secret: I have an enormous head. Like, it's Oprah-big. So, if it's true that the human head weighs 8 lbs (like I learned from the kid in Jerry McGuire), I figure mine weighs at least 10-12, meaning I can subtract between 2 and 4 lbs from my total weight and reduce my BMI. I knew this giant dome was good for something.

Hiro

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @GingerVitis: You only lost 2 lbs getting a reduction? I lost 5 getting a haircut (I'm not kidding. I have A LOT of hair).

not.a.clever.name

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> This is Laurie Ruettimann, Kate Harding's friend. I would hardly consider myself overweight and have made great strides to eat healthy and exercise in my life. It's amazing to see Kate's project because it challenges my own personal assumptions about weight, body size & personal ability. I could never participate in a triathlon, which should tell you right off the bat that the BMI scale is flawed. I really applaud Kate & other like-minded writers for asking us to stop buying into the "obesity crisis" and to start applying some critical thinking to weight and body size.

laurieruettimann

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @mallie: I didn't cry when I finally got down to the normal range on the BMI. But the joy I felt was, I imagine, akin to winning the lottery or receiving a marriage proposal.

Sev

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I KNEW this would be highly commented on.

What is it with us womens and talking about our weight?? I'm not pointing fingers (being the biggest culprit of this myself.) Just curious.

Mollyboo

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @jeccat: I did my first tri this summer! And thanks for the info.

jordan_baker

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @pferde_schwanz: Wow: "these people are enormous fat-asses, I'm sorry."

Well at least you apologize for being such a cunt turd ;)

jewess

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I looked at the pictures and I totally agree with the ratings. I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Seems like the BMI is right!

Valerie12345

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> All of these 'one size fits all' (ha!!) body measures are stupid. For instance, using the 'waist-to-hip-ratio' one, I'm obese, but according to my BMI, I'm underweight.

Lilytox

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I'm late to the conversation, so someone's probably already said this, but BMI doesn't take muscle vs. fat into consideration. Derek Jeter would probably be considered "overweight" just using BMI as a measure because he's all muscle. Me? I'm 5'2", flat chested, and tiny-boned. BMI says I'm way underweight, but my ass says otherwise. (sigh).

mightymite

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> The BMI scale was developed to analyze populations, not individuals. So being in the "overweight" statistical category increases your risk of certain diseases somewhat; being in the "obese" category increases it more. It doesn't mean anything specific about YOU, just that if 1,000 people of your height and weight were tracked long term, a predictable percentage would be expected to develop heart disease, or breast cancer. It's a RISK FACTOR, not a diagnosis.

Also, @ Jordan_Baker and Lolainblackglasses: both of you have NORMAL BMIs. Normal is 18.5 to 24.9; your BMI is 24.3. The BMI index doesn't state that lower BMI is better; ANYTHING between 18.5 and 24.9 is hunky dory. You do not have to lose 20 lbs to be considered statistically healthy; any doctor should smile when looking at your height/weight stats.

In the interest of full disclosure, my BMI is generally about 25.0 (5'6" and 155 lbs), which means that a pound in either direction puts me firmly in either "normal" or "overwight." That's why I never weigh myself :-). However, I did like seeing the picture of the person in the slide show with my stats (Chiara)-- I thought she looked hot! I may be in the overweight category, but I eat right and exercise (I am also a triathlete), so I think I will probably be one of the overweight ones who doesn't have to deal with the complications of having 5 extra lbs.

jeccat

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Our Pants are too long, and too tight. Just saying.

Love, the short people.

ClassicTidy

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @wigglepuppy: My little brother grew nine inches in one year, and that was the year his school went to uniforms. My stepmom had to find 32 inch waist khaki pants with no insignia for 6'4" boy who was all leg. Finally she just gave up and bought whatever the hell fit, insignia or not and told the school to kiss her ass.

lolly71

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> BMI is just a generalization. Most doctors should be using more than just BMI to tell people what they should do regarding their weight. Hydrostatic weighing has already been mentioned. Body fat is more accurate than BMI. It truly doesn't matter how you "look." Everyone keeps talking about what all the pictures "look" like, but looks are no indication of health.

By BMI, I'm underweight. But that's only skin deep. I'm wildly out of shape and have no endurance. So if I just went on BMI, I'd be in trouble, because I'd think everything was fine.

funnyface

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @Leiakat: Oooh, I'm sorry. It's probably just because I'm built like a damn Amazon. My mom's nickname for me in high school was "Moose." No, this caused no body size issues at all, nope, none at all. *cough*

lolly71

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @catastrophe: I hear you. I'm 5'2 and "dieted" my way down to 108 a few years back. According to the BMI chart, that's a "normal" weight for someone of my height, but I don't think it's normal for a 27 year old woman not to menstruate. Only later would my friends tell me how scary I looked in a halter top, because they could count every. single. rib.

Here's a tip: Never get so thin you don't bleed. 'Cause when you put on enough weight to make your period start again, the red tide comes back with a vengeance.

TheJerseyDevil

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @mycatsnores: I don't know about that ... I had a reduction from a DD to a C, and it was only a pound of flesh per tit.

I'd say a big rack is probably no more than 7 pounds, tops ... I mean, it is just fat, which weighs less than pretty much anything else.

GingerVitis

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @mycatsnores: Well that explains part of my "problem". How much extra do a set of DD's add?

Sharli

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> BMI and weight standards are bunk. I figured this out recently when a friend and I realized that we both wore a size 8 when we got pregnant, we both are 5'5" and have often swapped clothes. Little did I know that when we were both an 8 she weighed 128 lbs. and I weighed 140 lbs. Nothing wrong with either of us and the only thing we could figure out is that I have more muscle mass than she. So what does that mean now that we both have had kids and are wearing sizes 10 and 12 and I am considered overweight at 167? Is it muscle on me and not her? Who is unhealthy, who needs to lose weight? It seems that I am constantly 10 lbs. heavier when she and I are wearing the same size. Does that mean I need to lose 10 lbs. more than she does? My shape looks leaner than hers but my BMI is the unhealthier of the two. Whatever.

Sharli

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @mycatsnores: Really, I gave my DDs a ten pound joint weight. Whoo-hoo, just lost some weight!

@lolly71: I have had back problems from mine - consider yourself very blessed.

Leiakat

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @lolly71: I spent some time trying to find the scientific article I found this in, but am at work, can't spend too much time on it. For real. If it weren't for the breastices, I'd be underweight.

mycatsnores

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @Meaux: /i don't know if being fat is necessarily "kick ass". I think it's great when heavier people get involved with athletics, but sorry, just because you can run a race doesn't mean you are healthy. I'm hoping that individual is on her way to a more healthy weight, in which case her efforts are kick ass.

blueberrypancake

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @lolly71: 7th grade was the worst!!! i grew 6 and 1/2" in less than one year! i metamorphasized from average to amazon, and was so gangly and clumsy! i had to buy special-order men's jeans from the gap--size 26 waist, 34 inseam! i still cant find pants that fit right and are long enough. i was once refered to a store in orange county called 'tall girl'. i would rather look like i'm preparing for a flood than buy my pants from a store called 'tall girl'

wigglepuppy

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> i'm 5'6" and if i weigh under 125 pounds i look like a skeleton and start losing hair. i'm sure that would be in the middle of normal on the bmi for most people.

longdayatwork

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @pferde_schwanz: "if you are 325 lbs you cannot possibly be a triathlete. no damn way." Riiiiiiight. Except at least one person (Sarah) is a triathlete, so therefore it is possible. It's not typical or common, but it is indeed possible. And it is totally kick ass.

Meaux

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @mycatsnores: Good lord, really? No wonder people ask if I have back problems. I thought they were just being jackholes.

lolly71

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> BMI is garbage and it's sad that doctors don't know that. You want to know what you "should" weigh? Look at your self and subtract the 2007 lifestyle. Then, look at your mom, your aunts, and your grandmothers and subtract war, famine, housewifery, etc. You should discover that you're in the 'right' weight range given genetics, history, and environmental factors.

kami2000

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Yea...The BMI is crap. My weight fluctuates between 130-140 depending on stress, travel, health etc. at any given time, and my body usually doesn't look noticeably different. However, if I gain any weight on the BMI I'm close over weight. I'm a naturally muscular person, my leg muscles are huge. If I work out at all I bulk up faster than the hulk. BMI doesn't account for that shit at all!

I'm pretty content staying in this range. It's healthy and my body looks proportionate...If I lose weight, my boobs disappear but my "epic ass" (ex's words, not mine) stays. I'm ok with my tummy having fatty fat, I find a lot of men actually think it's attractive (which always throws me for a loop but whateva, crunches suck).

popularheresy

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> BMI is easier to calculate than fitness I guess. Can you walk for 30 minutes without running out of breath? Can you take stairs without panting? Crunching numbers is so much more convenient.

faire-la-moue

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @pferde_schwanz:

You can be 325 lbs and be a triathlete, but you'd be doing enormous and irreparable damage to your joints.

descend

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @pferde_schwanz: *blink*
All of the "overweight" women are enormous fat asses, eh?


SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> 5foot2, 122 pounds, BMI 22.3
What bugs me is that the BMI doesn't really take into account the fact that I'm a natural D-cup. A pair of d-cups weighs between sixteen and twenty-two pounds.

mycatsnores

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> i love how everyone is so happy the BMI is imperfect, but i'm sorry, did anybody actually look at those pictures? if you are 5-6 and 280 lbs you are most assuredly MORBIDLY OBESE. if you are 325 lbs you cannot possibly be a triathlete. no damn way.

these people are enormous fat-asses, i'm sorry.

pferde_schwanz

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @SarahMC: Nope, it actually is more common then you think. Weight is not determined just by fat.

It is funny because my mother is two inches shorter, very round, is three sizes bigger, and weights less.

Leiakat

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @magic1: Sahweet! It's funny, I was just thinking the other day that when i used to read Sweet Vally High as a kid, they would always mention that the twins were blond with green eyes and both size 6's (ps wtf was up with authors mentioning that in every single SVH book).

So i always assumed size 6 was perfect. Now some people would be upset to be any larger than a size 2-4
(ps- some people are my mother, haha)


jewess

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I don't understand the BMI or my bathroom scale, for that matter. I made a huge effort to lose weight this year and went from a size 12 to a 6. With some clothes I can wear a 4. Yet, my weight seems to be increasing on the scale and I'm pretty sure I'm in the obese range. Yet, I wear 4-6 (okay, mostly 6, but still)!!!

I really hope that's just muscle, but come on! BMI should not be what's used to determine a healthy body. Because otherwise I'm just plain confused!

Tulipsaki

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @Leiakat: You better get checked out for a bowling-ball sized tumor.

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @janesmith: Spouse has the same stats and looks vey similar. Spouse is small, but mighty.

raoul j raoul

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @SarahMC: @harperpitt: HA! I remember when I was in 7th grade, that's the year I lived with my dad and my stepmom and she was always on my case about me wanting to wear my jeans too short. She never seemed to realized that I didn't want them that way, I had no choice!! She's 5'4" so it's easy for her to find jeans that scrape the ground. Meanwhile, I grew like 4 inches that year, well, 8 if you include all the boobage I sprouted. 7th grade SUCKED.

lolly71

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> According to the BMI calculator, I have to lose 42 more lbs to be considered "Normal" weight. Fuck it all! I was doing so good on my diet, too. Nothing like a big, fat letdown to make you want a Big Mac.

MrsJ

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @merci:

You can't tell from a picture whether someone is healthy or not, but I think the point is you also can't tell from bare-bones height/weight readings how healthy people are.

collegecallgirl

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @Mollyboo: me too! i'm 5'10" and medium framed. i got seriously depressed last year, stopped eating, and dropped down to 135 and everyone kept telling me that i was too thin--you could see the ribs in my back and the outline of my hipbones, yet this is still well within the 'normal' range. i am now up to 145-150--still within normal, but much, much healthier looking for my frame.

wigglepuppy

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> When I started college, I weighed about 30 pounds less than I do right now and was grossly underweight (no eating disorder, just got the stomach flu for, like, two weeks). I was in the "normal" range.

Last night, I looked in the mirror and thought, hmm...I need to hit the gym, I'm getting a little chunky. But I'm still in the "normal" range.

I don't know what that shows, but I just thought I'd throw that out there. But I'm short, so a 15 pounds on either side is dramatic. We're talking several pants sizes.

not.a.clever.name

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @magic1:

OH MY GOD, is that true? It never occured to me that loose skin could be adding to my total number. I've had mom belly ever since the weight loss.

collegecallgirl

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Don't forget about the newest studies that have come out, that found that some skinny people have fat deposits on their organs. They appear perfectly healthy, but because they live a non-active life and ingest a lot of starches and fats, that fat has to go somewhere.

Scary to think of, but also comforting for us fat ladies. At least we can SEE when we're making progress and getting healthier.

alicetheowl

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @fiatluxury: At my adult skinniest, and I mean bones showing and flat abs, I was still in the obese category. Then again I have had doctor check their scales after weighing me, because they don't believe my weight is that high. I don't know if it is a thick muscle layer, the big boobs, or 'heavy bones', but according to BMI I should be collapsed under my dangerous health. In reality I am the healthest of all my friends and family, the only medical issue I have had in the last five years was my teeth.

Leiakat

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @jewess: I used to work with someone whose roommate worked in the fashion industry and she told me that Tyra Banks (when she was actually modelling for Victoria's Secret) wore a size 12. Very happy day for me!

@collegecallgirl: me too, on the massive weight gain/loss. I don't have a *lot* of loose skin (I've seen worse) but even that loose skin can add 10-15 lbs to your total and there's nothing you can do about it except surgery.

magic1

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Showing my age a bit, but before the BMI, there were insurance industry tables for height and weight that did take into account gender and frame. When they switched over to BMI, suddenly there was a huge upsurge in the number of overweight and obese people. No kidding, when they use the same standard for a 5'7" man as a 5'7" woman with a B cup as a 5'7" woman with a DD cup. All BMI measures is the proportion of your weight to your height. It's ridiculously simplistic.

And being overweight or obese is not a certain guarantee of bad health anymore than being very thin. My weight topped out at 265 when I was on high doses of prednisone (RA), and my blood pressure, blood sugar, all that crap was fine. Diabetes and heart disease don't run in my family (unlike r. arthritis and crohns). I did eventually lose the weight, but the only reason it makes me happy is because it makes it easier to find clothes in my size.

Shelwood

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @PantyWaist: It's possible to have a huge spare tire at 135 lbs. when you're 5'2".

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @gra:

I agree. The BMI is only outrageous when you assign normative values to overweight, obese, etc. I don't think the picture that Dodai linked to as "morbidly obese" says much about the value of the BMI or lack thereof; yes, the woman is not disgusting or whatever people seem to expect when they look at someone morbidly obese. But she is someone whose weight will most likely cause her long-term health problems, and that's what's meant by morbidly obese.

descend

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @lolly71: No, it doesn't help! j/k
But seriously, as a short fat girl, all MY pants are two feet too long.


SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @Mollyboo: gah, me too. did i drink water today? did i eat dinner last night? +/- 5 lbs, any day.

@drhouse: hydrostatic testing doesn't cost thousands of dollars in chicago - the uic sports performance lab does it for like $150. and you don't have to be a student. in case you care.

i'm 5'8", 185, and athletic. i could clearly lose about 10-15, but i never have. i think bmi says i'm obese. fuck you, bmi.

fiatluxury

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I'm 5'8" and weigh 135 (which is close to my lifetime high), with a BMI of 20.5. It's reassuring to know that I'm at a normal weight, because going from my early/mid 20s weight of 120 (with more muscle than I have now) was kind of traumatic.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @collegecallgirl: I totally agree! There is this girl at work who's body i COVET and I found out we both wear a 12, VERY exciting day for me.

jewess

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> The BMI can be inaccurate because, obviously, there are exceptions to every rule. However, I think its designed to serve as an indicator of healthy weight, not an absolute truth.

Also, the woman who is a triathlete and morbidly obese looks very unhealthy to me.

gra

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> 5'4" and 125, which puts me at 21.5. My sophomore year of college, I pretty much stopped eating, and dropped down to 110. On the BMI, that's just above normal--but still normal.

My ribs, shoulderblades, and spine were clearly visible, and my family was terrified for me. And yet, for me to have been truly underweight according to the BMI, I would have had to be 107 or under.

THAT, for me, is well below healthy.

Oh, and @kielbasasausage -- a (female) nurse practitioner told my (underweight) sister, when she was about 14, that she needed to drop a few lbs. Not exactly something you tell someone who has ANOREXIA written on her chart. Our family switched docs faster than you can say "tactless moron".

catastrophe

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @treecut: I agree, and that's why I haven't seen my weight on a scale since I was a sophomore in high school -- I'm a classic mesomorph who puts on muscle just by breathing, and the numbers always seemed out of whack.

I turn the other way at the doctor's office, don't look at my chart when they write it down, etc., etc. -- and every single nurse who's ever weighed me tells me what a great idea it is not to know.

On the other hand, I just spent 20 minutes staring at all those pictures and wondering what I must weigh, so I guess one gets one's body-issue-freak on no matter what one does ...

GingerVitis

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @BiscuitDoughJones: Skeelo! Word.

Skinny Bone Jones

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> i'm sure there's someone on here who knows more about this than i do, but... my understanding is that the BMI measurement was developed to do statistical analyses of populations, and that it's not terribly useful in assessing an individual's health. can anyone confirm?

lolkate

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @jordan_baker:

that's where i am too, 155 and just under 5'7". I checked BMI and thought, okay, need to lose at least 20 lbs. I wear a size 6-8 though, and I try to go by that more than weight. I have a kangaroo pouch and my bum IS a little bigger than normal but I am Hispanic, my ribs would take center stage if I lost enough weight to shrink my ass to a small size. I'm afraid my internal organs have to be more important than my bum. But it has taken me a long time to get to that point.

Rebecca, in China

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @thegreatladies: I also have the long torso & neck - I'm 5'8", and being relatively tall + having a long torso means that ordinary shirts turn into belly-baring shirts, and tunics hit at the widest part of my hips, rather than lower down, where they'd actually be flattering.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @lolly71: Oh my God, me too. Whenever I sit down next to my "short" friends, I'm suddenly perfectly at eye level with them. And of course, I got all the height at around age 12, so I have vivid memories of my mom and I pulling at opposite ends of my blue jeans, trying to stretch them out just a half-inch longer...

harperpitt

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> The frame thing is important. I'm very tall and have medium-frame so even at 135 I can appear underweight.

This BMI calculator is interesting [www.halls.md]

Mollyboo

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @lolly71: It sucks on both ends, don't it? Reminds me of Skeelo:
"I wish I was a little bit taller,
I wish I was a baller,
I wish I had a girl who looked good
I would call her.."

BiscuitDoughJones

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> It's great that you guys have addressed the ridiculousness of the BMI calculator. I saw some of those overweight pictures and had to laugh. Mind you, I am in the overweight category, but believe I belong there. At the same time, if these girls are overweight then I am obese. As for the morbidly obese, I have to disagree. Being a triathlete, but carrying that much extra fat, is still detrimental to your health. Nonetheless, she is awesome. All that the category suggests is that it's going to affect you down the road healthwise. I'm not a doctor, but I am pretty sure the human heart isn't equipped to pump that much extra blood.

Oh, and to the curvy girls, subtract some extra pounds for the breasts and thighs!

Catty Is Cumbersome

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I'm currently 5'7'', 143 pounds with a BMI of 22.4%

Sad but true- the first time my BMI was within "normal" range, I cried. My new obsession became trying to get down to 18.5% BMI. Oh, body issues.

mallie

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> According to BMI I am currently underweight, but I've never been healthier in my life. I'm just a small framed person. Though at 5'3, I freak out if my weight goes close to 110. I like being below 105.

crazy_minky

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Apologies if this was already mentioned, but it is pretty commonly known that BMI does not really work as a measurement for certain groups of people (like athletes or the elderly).

Anyway, who pays attention to their weight anymore? Obsessing over measured body fat is where it's at, ladies.

bobbiewickham

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @thegreatladies: I'm the other way - I have the upper body of a 5'6" woman and the legs of a 5'11" woman. I'm like a walking exquisite corpse.

lolly71

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> BMI is just an estimate and manages to make most people feel like shit. If you really want an body fat percentage reading, you'd have to pay thousands of dollars for hydrostatic weighing (where they dunk you in a tank of water.)

drhouse

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @lolly71: Another 5'10"er and I agree... my weight goes a little up and down constantly, and I don't even notice half the time.

It's nice sometimes, but then I wonder if I'll be one of those people who just wake up with an extra 20 pounds and don't know what happened.

thanksluckystars

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I can't say that I agree with the original post. For one, the judgment that she is doling out is based entirely on whether these women look to her like they are going to "drop dead." That's unfair because she's not a doctor, and because a lot of the dangers of being unhealthily overweight stem from the added stress on your body. Your bones are stressed from the literal weight, your heart is stressed and possibly covered in dangerous fat deposits. You may be ingesting too much sugar rather than proper nutrients and slowly creating a diabetic emergency in your bloodstream.

Frankly, you just can't tell from a picture whether someone is healthy or not, and especially since a lot of people ARE overweight we are getting much more loose with our approximations of what 'normal' is. That is as much as fallacy as assuming a very thin person is healthier than a plumper person, simply based on what they look like.

merci

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @thegreatladies: We have the same body.

NOLA girl

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> The obsession with weight itself is stupid for the exact same reasons. I can be in great shape, with a lot of muscle, and weigh 5 pounds more than when I am weak, flabby, with an extra roll of fat.

treecut...will cut a beech

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @lolly71: I think it's not just height but the way you're put together, too.

I'm 5'7", and weight fluctuation that is really just part of the normal ebb and flow of water, etc., in a woman's body takes me from "Rowrr" to "are you swollen?" to "wasting away" in the blink of an eye.

I feel your pain on pants but I guess in the other direction. All of mine are hella long until I wear like 4" heels. I think it's because my legs are kind of normal to short and my torso and neck belong on a giraffe.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @lolly71: Tis True. I am also 5'10" and I swear my weight fluctuates 3-4 lb's in any given day.

Mollyboo

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Yes, yes. Bingo girls, you've nailed it: that chart does not account for height, nor body frame. I'm 5'6 but very small framed, like it's me and the 5' gals in the size 6 shoe section, with me towering over them like some freak. I cannot support weight gain due to my frame being small. My BMI is right in the middle of the healthy range, but common sense should prevail.

brassinpocket

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @BiscuitDoughJones: I know right! I am 4'11" and 112 lbs I wear a size 5 but if I even smell a chocolate cake I'll be in that omg I'm fat stage.

jenalynn

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @serreca: Why yes, yes he was. My mother didn't understand my absolute refusal to ever go back to his office again. Poor choice of words on his part in front of a 14 y/o girl w/ body issues.

kielbasasausage

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @PantyWaist:

Did you really just say you would KILL YOURSELF if you weighed 280 lbs?

collegecallgirl

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I've lost over 100 lbs in my life and probably have a smidge of body dysmorphia, but I can't tell you how comforting it is to me when I see a picture of a girl with a similar height and weight to me that looks JUST FINE.

collegecallgirl

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I am 5'5" and 155 lb. My BMI puts me just barely into the overweight category, and I agree. I could stand to lose 5 pounds. I just lost 15 and feel great but I really can't argue with my BMI, and I don't think I could be happy at 280 pounds. Frankly, I would probably kill myself. Let's be honest-- it is not fun to have a huge spare tire around your middle.@HeatherNumber1:

PantyWaist

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I have only once since I was 12 been in the "Normal" category, and during that time (18-20), I had to see a multitude of doctors b/c I refused to eat.

moonagirl

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @BiscuitDoughJones: I have friends who are 5'0" to 5'4" and it took me the longest time to figure out why they'd worry about 3 or 4 pounds. I'm 5'10" and can be a little slow. If it helps any, all of my damn pants are too short.

lolly71

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I am 5'5" and 155 lb. My BMI puts me just barely into the overweight category, and I agree. I could stand to lose 5 pounds. I just lost 15 and feel great but I really can't argue with my BMI, and I don't think I could be happy at 280 pounds. Frankly, I would probably kill myself. Let's be honest-- it is not fun to have a huge spare tire around your middle.

PantyWaist

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @petuniacat: Agree.

Which is why I am always telling people how much I weigh (155, 5-7) because I am sick of everyone thinking that a non-overweight girl "weighs, like 120." I have heard that come out of so many people's mouths.

If I dropped 20 pounds to meet my BMI ideal, I would seriously be dead. I hate, hate the BMI AND the fake weights that you read in magazines that just perpetuate this stuff.

jordan_baker

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Man, I totally didn't even KNOW how BMI was calculated or why I should give a damn until my GF explained it to me a few weeks ago. Bad math!

Skinny Bone Jones

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I'm pretty tall and I've only once been even close to the "normal" weight I sould be and I was till a couple pounds into the "overweight" realm. I looked like the walking dead. I came home from school and my mom started to cry. BMI is a load of horse shit.

lumenatrix

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> The BMI also doesn't take into account, oh, the entire Inuit population.

HeatherNumber1

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Ohh, and I just fucking puked because of that picture....

cde

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> One problem I have with her posting is that she doesn't mention that although the picture of Mindy at 125lbs falls within the "normal" range, at 5'8", Mindy could gain FORTY POUNDS and still be "normal" (5'8", 164lbs = BMI of 24.9).

Also @SarahMC: 5'2", 135 is "normal", too (BMI 24.7).

wednesdaywolf

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> P.S. I thought ole Sarah was actually Nicole Ritchie. She doesn't look too buff to me. Tiny, yes. Super althelete toned? Meh, that's a stretch for me.

And did she exercise her boobies into bolivian?

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> At 6'0" and 125~130 pounds, I am not even on the BMI. :( (Women hate me for my weight. I hate myself for not being able to gain weight)

cde

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> This shite is whack. Newsflash: you can be "normal" and still completely unhealthy.

Heart disease isn't born solely from extra weight. You can be a stick and still have a ticker that won't carry you into your golden era.

I'll go by actual health, thanks.

Boo on BMI.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @SarahMC: You probably have more muscle than me. I can't gain muscle no matter what I do. Probably has to do with Crohn's..

BiscuitDoughJones

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> According to the BMI, I'm four pounds away from being overweight.
FOUR


thanksluckystars

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @BiscuitDoughJones: Yeah, I'm the same height, and my friends can never understand why i wail and moan so much about gaining 5 pounds.

katastic

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I'm sorry to put a damper on things but there is totes NO WAY pumpkin girl is 130'lbs at 5'0". If she is truly five feet tall she is 110 max.

janesmith

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @howdybeep: Yup. I went from obese to "severely overweight" after losing 50 lbs. I thought (as did my husband, friends, coworkers) that I'd gone from chubby to hot mama! Apparently not?

SinisterRouge

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @BiscuitDoughJones: Well now I feel like a fucking cow because I'm 5'2" and weigh 135. Time to purge...

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> The BMI doesn't take into account the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. I think it's long been assumed that it's not accurate for many people.

Kinda old new if you ask me...

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @kielbasasausage: Did your doctor actually use the word "perfect"? Is that doctor a man? I'm just curious.

serreca

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> I will never forget the day when, after dropping sixty pounds, I calculated the BMI and found I went from morbidly obese to -- obese. It took another ten pounds before I was just "overweight."

"Overweight" on me is "Good God, are you dying?"

howdybeep (runs with monkey wrenches)

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Wasn't there some news story a few years ago about Shaq having a BMI in the obese category?

so5minutesago

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> @kielbasasausage: Those are my current stats and I feel enormous pressure to lose weight. If I gain even 3lbs, on my short-person frame, I'll go up 2 clothing sizes. Being short suuuuuuuucks.

BiscuitDoughJones

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> Any chart that has broad terms cannot be taken as truth. All they do is misdiagnois, and cause otherwise healthy people to have unhealthy views of their body.

Leiakat

]]> <![CDATA[Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index]]> When I was in H.S. I was 5'2", 110 lbs (give or take)...My family physician told me if I could maintain that weight I would be "perfect" and that if I gained weight (even 10 lbs!) according to the BMI I would be unhealthy. So I spent a good deal of time focusing on/obsessing over maintaining my "healthy" weight...

I don't blame the BMI for a bad body complex but I agree the system is WHACK.

kielbasasausage

]]>