BMI calculators

  • Does anyone know of a BMI calculator that takes into account your build instead of just height and weight? One time when at the Doctor's for x rays the the doc commented that I had very large, dense bones, he said I probably wouldn't have to ever worry about a broken bone! lol When I asked about weight he said that with my build I wouldn't want to drop below 160...but regular BMI calculators say that 160 for my height is still overweight.

    I'm just curious and I've done lots of searches on the internet, but none of them ask the question "what is your build".
  • BMI is independent of build, and that's one of the reasons that it's only a rough guideline for weight.

    You can look up tools that take into account your frame (small, medium, large)--but sometimes these do not take into account your age. So the "normal" weights are often low.

    Body fat percentage is the best indicator of whether one is carrying too much weight (that is, fat). Gyms often have machines that test this--you can't really calculate it.

    Perhaps some of the other members will be able to give more information!

    Jay
  • http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm is by far the best I've found - it gives you results for differnet frame sizes based on different formulas.
  • I actually like that calculator. It says I could be at 130. that is one of my goals. I'd like to see 125 but figure I'd be pretty happy if I can get to 130. Even though I have very small fingers (I can wear a size 4.5 ring and very small wrist, I still figure I am a medium boned person because of my height).
  • improbable, I tried that one but it told me I could eat more calories than I can actually eat to lose weight. It also told me I ought to weigh a lot less than I think is possible!

    So... I stick with my FitDay numbers since that's working.

    Jay
  • That seemed to be a good a good one. The cals are about what I eat and my "healthy weight" is about what my goal weight is.
  • These things always seriously depress me. They always say I should be weighing in the 130's. There's no way I can go that low. Below 140 I start to look pretty frightening. I once had a doctor who stuck so firmly to the BMI that he reduced me to tears telling me I should weigh 120 or I could die. I now know that's a bunch of bunk, but at the time it was pretty scary.
  • I have this scale, which calculates your body fat percentage:

    Health-O-Meter Professional Body Fat Monitor Scale
    http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B00064NKCK

    It's excellent and well worth $40. I've found it to be very consistent. You can't use it if you have a pacemaker, though.

    It maintains two profiles, with age, gender, weight, etc. and takes that into account in calculating your Body Fat Percentage.