We were discussing BMI also known as the Quetelet Body Mass Index in class the other day. It is usually found on a chart. This was developed by a mathematician named Lambert Quetelet (1796-1874). I have to say that I have always hated this measurement, because I weigh 200lbs give or take a few and have a height of 5'7". So according to my the BMI measurement, 31.3 I am obese!
Well I need to loose a few pounds but obese I do not agree.
BMI Categories:
- Underweight = <18.5
- Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
- Overweight = 25-29.9
- Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
When I was younger at my yearly physical the doctor would tell me, after finding my BMI, that my weight was putting me in danger, that I was extremely overweight. My whole life this measurement has haunted me, am I really that big? I wonder how many other people out there are misclassified by this unfair method. But thankfully doctors and people in general are starting to realize that this method does not work for everyone. Yes it can give a general idea but BMI alone should not be the only thing used to decide if a person is at a healthy weight or not. You can have your BMI calculated for you at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Some reasons for BMI not always being an accurate measurement of body fat is that it does not take into account muscle mass. It also used the same equation for everyone, whether you are old, young, male, female, athletic, and everything else. Two interesting studies that have been done are one on college students and another on NFL players. Each of these found that for the majority of the participants BMI did not correctly represent their weight and fat ratio or body fat percentage. So do you think BMI is an accurate measurement, does it work for you?
Sources: Department of Health and Human Services
thepaleodiet.com
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/64577.php
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I totally agree. I do not think that the BMI is an accurate indicator of someones weight. It doesnt take into consideration of peoples different body types and how much muscle mass they may contain. I can see this being very unaccurate for many athletes who contain alot of muscle mass because muscles weight more then fat they are more likely to be heavier in a good way. I find it interesting the they still use this as a measurment when so many people dont fall into the right category. Great blog!
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