Comments on: BMI – “Body Myth Influencer”

By: julie stephenson

julie stephenson — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:05:53 +0000

i AM A REGISTERED NURSE AND NEED TO CALCULATE THE bmi OF A LADY WHO IS A BILATERAL AMPUTEE CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW TO DO THIS PLEASE.

By: JD

JD — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:19:40 +0000

I’ve been casual bodybuilding for many years. I am 46 and very lean. I have an incredibly large frame genetically (size 13 EEEE feet and huge hands!). My neck is 19 inches and my waste is 36 with no fat around the middle. I’m built like a house and stay in shape–with plenty or aeorbics and lots of yoga. But the insurance companies call me morbidly obese even though I have a six pack. I can’t get insurance because of this. The BMI should not a determinate for insurance companies.

By: angelique

angelique — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:42:39 +0000

Mike: Thanks for the info…

DG: Bollocks, indeed!

By: DG

DG — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:18:01 +0000

I detest BMI. I had a DEXA test done on me which is far more accurate because it actually measures your bone density and muscle mass. The healthy weight it said for me? 155. If I put 155 into a BMI calculator, it tells me that I am 25.4 and therefore, overweight.

Bollocks to it.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 02:11:22 +0000

BMI is a means of evaluating the “fatness” of a population, and as such serves as an accurate indicator the “fatness” of a large group. BMI is not necissarily accurate for the individual person, because it does not account for things such as muscularity, etc. For example if a person who is
fit, and relatively muscular has a BMI of 26 or 27, he may be in the normal range. However if a person has a BMI of 30, then he is mostly likely overweight to obese. Now someone may state that there are pro bodybuilders out there with BMIs in the low 30s; however, BMI is meant to calculate the “fatness” of the general person (95% of the population). Also if one has a BMI of 18 then they are underweight, now exceptions may exist for this as well (i.e. an amputee). A useful BMI calculator can be found on

http://www.fitnessgrove.com/bmicalculator.htm

Recent medical research has shown that ones waist size is the most predictable measure of risk of heart attack