[Losing It 2010]

Not sure if this is the right forum to post in and if not would appreciate moving to right category, also if this link is not allowed, please let me know or correct

Can neck measure indicate body fat better than BMI?

[jendiet]

hey i like this. Since every tool always puts me in obese range, but i definitely don't look like I'm mostly fat. Even at higher weights. My neck is alot bigger than what I care for...and that is one thing I have been really watching. When I started packing on lbs--my neck looked bullish.

But here is another website. With very good information. The tool seems to be confused about me.

Body Mass Index: 31.6 kg/m2
Waist-to-Height ratio: 0.47
Percent Body Fat: 27.3%
Lean Body Mass: 133.7 lb

Your BMI is greater than normal, but your waist-to-height ratio is normal.
You may be overweight or have unusual mass distribution.
Your diet should contain at least 72 grams of protein per day.


What do the numbers mean?
•Body Mass Index (BMI) - The BMI is the ratio of your weight to the square of your height. The number is proportional to your body shape. Generally, the number is small for thin people and large for fat people. People with a BMI 25 or greater are considered overweight, unless they have a very muscular body. The BMI does not consider the fat/muscle ratio, and a healthy, muscular individual with a low percentage of body fat may be classified obese using the BMI formula. This is a well-known deficiency of the BMI formula. If your BMI is 25 or greater, and your Waist-to-Height ratio is less than 0.5 and your Percent Body Fat is in the "athlete" or "fitness" category, you are probably muscular and not fat.

[paris81]

Interesting, although I don't think this works well for me. I have a very slim neck for my weight (I just measured it, it's not quite at 13 inches--maybe 12.9, which is well under what the article said for 18 year old women, and I'm 28 now). But I clearly need to lose weight.

I have wondered though if people just see a picture of my face, if they'd be able to tell that I'm really in the obese category, because my neck is so slim. I never get a real double chin until I hit 250 lbs. (I've always been so thankful for that!)

It is nice to know that I may be slightly less at risk because of my neck though!

[chnkymonkey]

Paris81 - I too, have a very small neck, mine was just over 12", but not quite 12.25".

I carry my body fat from my hips down. Even at my highest weight you can see my collar bones. But they say that those who carry their weight in their hips/thighs are less prone to cardiac and diabetic problems. The fat that accumulates in the upper body tends to also accumulate around the heart and cause greater heart risks. And those people would also tend to have larger neck sizes.