Is the BMI(body mass index) a joke?!


Question: because i could be a body builder with huge abs and strong wide shoulder and weight 250 pounds and be 6 foot 3 inches and a bmi would say I'm over weight but yet my percentage of fat could be 1.2.
Is the BMI a joke.

Answers: because i could be a body builder with huge abs and strong wide shoulder and weight 250 pounds and be 6 foot 3 inches and a bmi would say I'm over weight but yet my percentage of fat could be 1.2.
Is the BMI a joke.
It isn't a joke, but it is a very very bad measurement for what it is used for. BMI is basically supposed to tell you how healthy you are based on your ideal height and weight and that is basically it. I am someone who is not the thinnest thing on the earth. I play hockey so my legs are really developed from a lot of skating. I had done my BMI in the past and have been told that I was morbidly obese. Um ... no.

Muscle weights more than fat does so the mass of a leg that is pure muscle is going to be much more than a leg that is pure fat. This is something that cannot be disputed. Trouble is if you did a BMI on that same leg you are going to get a higher level with the muscular leg. Now imagine an entire body in this situation. You could easily be as you said a body builder and be ripped and be listed as morbidly obese by a BMI and end up being healthier and more well off than someone who is just listed as overweight by the BMI.

It is a very flawed system that assumes that the person taking the test has no muscle what so ever.

Personally I would look at the BMI as something of a scale. Use it see where you are, but then look at the results and compare them to you. Do you feel morbidly obese if the test says you are? I would hope not and plus if you need the test to break the news that you are morbidly obese and you actually are I would suggest a mirror. Does the test say your are morbidly obese, but you could lose a few pounds and be happy? That is probably more to the point. So go out and lose those few pound and well you feel better about yourself then look back on the test and realize it is only a bad measure that is used to generalize too much.
Just a little info:
Peyton Manning QB for the Indianapolis Colts
6'5" 230 lbs ...
BMI: 27.3
Overweight = 25-29.9

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bm...

enough said. Report It

Other Answers (5)

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  • horizon's Avatar by horizon
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    • it doesnt take in account of your fitness level, so yeah what you said above could very well be true. its just your height vs weight and it tells you your mass. the mass is always correct but whether or not you're really overweight is another question, which is why its best to ask this sorta thing to a doctor
    It's not a joke when you consider that most people are not body builders with masses of muscle. It's not perfect, but for Joe Average, it's a reasonably good indicator of whether you're overweight or obese and it's easy to apply.
    It's a flawed measure of fitness at best.
    Yeah, I wouldn't base much on it. I remember a story published in Mens Health magazine that showed how flawed this is since it doesn't take into account the fitness level of the individual. If we followed the BMI then "The Rock" would be considered obese, Most NFL Running Backs would be overweight, and most athletes would be near obesity!!!
    Yes, it's bladdy BS!

    BTW, according to that BS, I am overweight and borderline obese! You have to see me to know that it's not so!I am 57kg.

    It's better to stay within a weight-range that takes your age into consideration. Also the fat percentage would be a better indicator. Finally, take an honest mirror-check and feel how well your clothes suit you.

    So forget the BS! You are fine!


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