So I recently went to the doctor's the other day for a normal ol' check up (AKA "Hey, why don't you just step on that scale for me.") I started going to a new doctor due to the passing of my old one, so all I kept thinking in my head was "What the **** is he going to say now..."
We chit chatted for a little bit and then I asked him the question about plateaus and weight, discussing the fact that my bmi chart says I'm obese. He looked at me, looked at the chart, looked at me again and goes "The government is a bunch of idiots." Apparently, according to him, I'm only overweight (not obese like the gov't says) and that my goal weight should honestly be 155/160 for my body type, not 135 like I thought.
I know it sounds horrible because I'm like "YES, LESS POUNDS TO LOSE!" but honestly, if that's the healthy weight I need, then I'll do it.
I'll be honest with you, one of my frustrations with the BMI is that it does not take into consideration body type/frame type. Just height, weight & age. There's more to it than that, I'm sure. I knew a girl in high school who was my height, but a bitty, petite little thing. I mean, her frame was. She couldn't have been more than 95-100 lbs, while in HS I hung around 118. Even then, I've seen pictures of myself from back in the day, around that weight, and at times I think I almost looked too skinny.
The military even has different guidelines than the plain old BMI, that are more generous than the BMI. Those guidelines do ask what your frame is.
That's great! I'm the same way. Those crazy charts say I should be 145 or so and my doctors always said that with how big I'm shaped, I should be 155-160, no less than 150...The charts are based on a small to medium frame and blah blah blah.
Funny that the military thing is brought up. You can be considered overweight by the charts as long as your body fat percentage is in a certain range and you can still do your PFT (physical fitness test) like you should. There are guys my husband works with that have to have uniforms cut and altered to fit over biceps and stuff, they look like football players they're so big, but they're still okay.
Last edited by TracyFAdams; 09-05-2008 at 10:44 AM.
Well, that's a nice change of pace! LOL! I drew an unlucky short card, so my BMI is off the charts. But even though I'm 235 or there abouts, I look about 190-200. When I tell my friends how much I weight, they think I'm exaggerating for sympathy. It annoys me when doctors don't take body frame and bone density and chest size into account when they are telling you how unhealthy you are. My goal weight is 170 which at 4'11 is still high, but I really don't want to be any smaller.
I don't like the BMI chart, I just use it as a guideline to set my goals and then I can adjust based on how I look or feel once I get closer to where I want to be. I think body fat percentage is a much more accurate portrayal of overall health risks and things like that...which is essentially what your BMI is supposed to do. Maybe you should get a body fat test done as you get closer to goal...
My personal theory is that every individual has a weight range they feel best, and are healthiest at. For some people that range may be very small, for another person, the range may be wider, and some people may be able to carry a little more body fat and still be quite fit and healthy.
How much extra is too much extra? I don't think even doctors can tell us that, right now. Sometimes it's obvious. I am morbidly obese, and experiencing or at risk of experiencing many health issues. I need to lose about 200 lbs yet. However, as I get closer to my goal, should it be 130, 140, 150, 160? I don't know that yet.
For me, I'm confident that at 160, I will be much healthier than I am now. But, is there going to be a big difference between 150 and 160? Or even 140 and 160? I'm guessing not so much, but I'll decide where I have to stop when I get a lot closer to those numbers.
For now, I only have to know that I'm not there yet. And I think that's not a bad way for anyone to look at it "don't know when, but not yet."
I wish I had a doctor that nice. The last doctor I saw told me to stop having seconds. Push the food awaaay! He even made pushing motions with his hands. Yeah. *******.
Anyway, I'm confident that I can weigh more than the BMI lists because my stature is quite broad. I'm not sure where my ultimate goal is going to lie, but I feel like 180 is a great pivot point.
haha at my last doctors visit - which was for the excruciating back pain that i've had off and on since i was a child - the doctor told me to treat it with GASTRIC BYPASS! it was really hard not to tell her to shove it.
i do agree with kaplods- i think everyone needs to look at it at an individual basis. I'm five foot two- the BMI says it would be safe for me to weight less then 100 lbs. I am NOT okay with that. I like being curvy anyway. I'm not sure what my eventual goal is as far as a number goes, i'm looking for for a feeling of healthy and being able to buy normal clothes. anything beyond that is just extras!
i havent been to the doctors for almost a year....
last time i went i was over 180 and the doctor sed i carried the weight well....
id like to see what they say now im 136 (as of this am)....
My doctor told me that the BMI is just a chart and body fat percentage is more important. She's pleased to see my weight going down. Her original goal for me is 175 which I was very close to on my last appointment. (of course she's looking for 175 on the doctor scale which is usually after lunch and always fully dressed )
UGH that BMI chart is ridiculous. For me it says I should be 145 at the very very top of my weight and 120 at the lowest. I'd look ridiculous with my frame at that size! My mom is 120 or under and looks too thin and she is small framed! I am 5'4 and my mom is 5'5. I guess mine isn't too far off, at the higher end. 145 would be ok, but 120 would be ridiculous for me.
My DH is 6'8 and it says he should weigh 220? He'd look totally weird at that weight! My cousin is 6'4 and 250 and he is considered "Obese" ??? He looks fine to me! It says he should be 204 at the top end, he'd look like he was starving or something at that weight! He is also large framed, like I am. I was 170 in HS and I thought I looked pretty good, not wonderful, but pretty good. My goal back then and now is 150 and that is considered Overweight? I found the BMI calculator at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Site: BMI Calculator
It is strange but hard when we have done all this work to ignore the charts. I feel a bit like I am cheating if I ignore it. I know the last time I was down at 130/35 people worried that I was too skinny at 5'4" . I think I will take it day by day. It may be a matter to of what weight can I live with my skin at. I am already feeling really self confident and feel like I look really good at this weight and I fit 14/16. So it is hard to imagine losing 60 lbs more. I am very fit as well- so I keep thinking what I should do is get a fat analysis done once I get down further and use that as my healthy goal- just not sure where I would get this done. (in Canada)
haha at my last doctors visit - which was for the excruciating back pain that i've had off and on since i was a child - the doctor told me to treat it with GASTRIC BYPASS! it was really hard not to tell her to shove it.
i do agree with kaplods- i think everyone needs to look at it at an individual basis. I'm five foot two- the BMI says it would be safe for me to weight less then 100 lbs. I am NOT okay with that. I like being curvy anyway. I'm not sure what my eventual goal is as far as a number goes, i'm looking for for a feeling of healthy and being able to buy normal clothes. anything beyond that is just extras!
My mom, who is overweight, was told by her doctor to get liposuction!!!! Needless to say she left her and now sees my doctor. What kind of advice is that as a first time suggestion. How about offering a healthy eating plan or directing her to a nutritionist! I was so angry!
Last edited by i am still trying; 09-06-2008 at 08:58 AM.
Oh, and you know Personal Trainer to the stars Harley Pasternak, well according to the scale and BMI chart he is clinically obese. hmmm, I think that tells us something.
Here is a picture of him in case. I hope it worked.
"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."
I use this site to keep check of myself. I don't trust BMI much. It takes more than just BMI to be considered fat/obese. But at least, it gives me a "base" idea, if it makes sense to you
Wait...The doctor said what?!
I found the BMI calculator at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Site: 
