Obesity needs a new definition

[Dogtrousers]

That sounds fishy...

Leave him abalone

 

[Drago]

what is you height / waist ratio ? (and no cheating by holding it in)

193cm to 36" waist (nice mix of units there) puts me about 46.

 

[Alex321]

The problem is that what I think people are after is a simple magic formula that has gives an output saying "no change needed" / "change X recommended" / "change Y needed". Something you can build into a simple web page with a couple of user inputs (like so many BMI test pages do)

But without a whole load of other info about the individual - build, age, ethnicity, medical history, sex, blah blah there is no such formula. However, BMI is nice and easy so it's here to stay.

I don't know but I'd guess that it has a role in screening, along with other info. "This person has a high BMI - check if they fall into one of these outlier categories. If not consider recommending weight loss". But that means extra thinking, not a magic formula.

I read one story of a female bodybuilder who was sent off to see a consultant due to her abnormal BMI. Cause of much stress for her, and waste of resources for everyone. That's not a problem with BMI per se, it's a problem with treating it as something that it isn't: a magic formula with unambiguous outputs.

Quite apart from fitness/muscle mass you also have body shape affecting it.

They just use height and sex, while somebody who is 5'9" with 29" inseam (me) will have a larger (longer) torso than somebody who is 5'9" with a 33" inseam. And since the bulk of your mass is in the torso, will therefore have a larger "acceptable" value for BMI.

 

[Alex321]

I know I should loose weight - but obese is an extreme word and it way over the top for someone at my level of fitness

You can be quite fit and still be obese.

I am generally pretty fit - I do an hour or two of Morris dancing every week, plus an average of close to 100 miles a week cycling at a reasonable speed, without feeling knackered afterwards. But most people looking at me would say I was significantly overweight, very possibly obese.

 

[Alex321]

‘If you can pinch an inch’.
A wise man told me that if your waist measurement was over half your height (yes, the same units - I know my audience), you’re too fat. Over 50’s get a 10% ‘bye’.

With the 10%, I am OK under that measurement - 36" waist, 69" height. Aged 66.

 

[bobzmyunkle]

A wise man told me that if your waist measurement was over half your height (yes, the same units - I know my audience), you’re too fat. Over 50’s get a 10% ‘bye’.

That bit surprises me. That's an extra 6 or 7 inches, is it not? I can manage the 50% but am definitely a bit lardy for my liking. 60%?
I'd have to move somewhere flatter.
Have I misunderstood this?

 

[Dogtrousers]

My lunchtime reading: https://www.npr.org/2009/07/04/106268439/top-10-reasons-why-the-bmi-is-bogus

 

[Alex321]

That bit surprises me. That's an extra 6 or 7 inches, is it not? I can manage the 50% but am definitely a bit lardy for my liking. 60%?
I'd have to move somewhere flatter.
Have I misunderstood this?

Yes.

It is an extra 10% on the waist measurement that is allowed, so for 70" height, the general requirement would be 35" or less waist, the 10" says 38.5" is the max. So it is an extra 3-4" for most people.

And waist 60% of height would be way too high.

 

[Drago]

My lunchtime reading: https://www.npr.org/2009/07/04/106268439/top-10-reasons-why-the-bmi-is-bogus

By Dr's Bill and Ted?

 

[bobzmyunkle]

Yes.

It is an extra 10% on the waist measurement that is allowed, so for 70" height, the general requirement would be 35" or less waist, the 10" says 38.5" is the max. So it is an extra 3-4" for most people.

And waist 60% of height would be way too high.

Sounds reasonable, but this is Wikipedia

Age-adjusted boundary values​

A 2013 study identified critical threshold values according to age, with consequent significant reduction in life expectancy if exceeded. These are: WHtR greater than 0.5 for people under 40 years of age, 0.5 to 0.6 for people aged 40–50, and greater than 0.6 for people over 50 years of age.[15]

 

[Profpointy]

Whilst there is some validity with the criticisms in that some built-like-brick-shithouse rugby players and such would in theory be deemed obese by the flowchart, as soon as the the doc saw someone's build they'd be able to distinguish at a glance between a muscled guy or lass and a lard-ass.

I would also wonder weather some of the genuine strongmen / weightlifters are actually a healthy build, even if very little of it is fat. This is a question rather than an opinion though

 

[Drago]

Whilst there is some validity with the criticisms in that some built-like-brick-shithouse rugby players and such would in theory be deemed obese by the flowchart, as soon as the the doc saw someone's build they'd be able to distinguish at a glance between a muscled guy or lass and a lard-ass.

You'd think so, but as a mesomorph who spent all of his adult life lifting weights only one doctor has ever made that adroit observation about me, and only then because she couldn't find a blood pressure cuff that would fit over my guns.

From my experience the clear majority are quite happy to recite BMI with little applicattion of intelligence beyond the raw numbers.

 

[CXRAndy]

The problem with the BMI index is that fat is less dence than mussel. Put many Olympic athletes statistics into the BMI calculator and they'd be classed as obese. Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. It's just relaxed mussel, honestly.

Whelk or limpet 😁

 

[CXRAndy]

Don't forget there are new lifetime drugs to control weight , nice money earner for big pharma, doctors kickback on all the patients they can get on these pills/injections.

Another statin con trick

 

[Rusty Nails]

Don't forget there are new lifetime drugs to control weight , nice money earner for big pharma, doctors kickback on all the patients they can get on these pills/injections.

Another statin con trick

What is the con?

Are you saying Ozempic/Wegovy/Mounjaro don't help reduce weight?