A physio I used to see had a BMI that made him technically morbidly obese. In fact he was solid muscle was running ultramarathons. He had so little fat he couldn’t float in the pool.
in a lot of today’s (sedentary) population, it can be used as part of a health assessment. if you’re fit and active, it can go out the window.
it should never be the only tool used to decide if someone is healthy or not, that’s just wrong. it needs to be used in conjunction with other indicators.
case in point: atm my BMI tells me i am in the normal range, but my body fat % is actually quite high. i need to gain muscle and lose fat… which will push my BMI up. c’est la vie! :o)
It’s a bit of a torment for anyone doing Weight Watchers, since they use your BMI as a reference for setting your target weight. (It has to be under the “overweight” threshold.)
Kris – I didn’t know about the WW thing. Thanks for pointing that out, it’s now lowered my opinion of them a bit – although they are still one of the better schemes for those looking for a support network for weight loss.
I wonder how the other big weight loss organisations set their target weights, I bet it’s the same thing. I know you’ve done WW and I was just wondering if you found it to be a good way to lose weight. I seem to remember you mentioning something about “working” the counting the calories but so you could go out etc. Did it significantly change your diet to a more healthy one or was it more of a support network for you to lose a specific amount of weight, and then revert to the “bad old days”… I’ll be looking at losing some weight in the new year so tips would be good. I have never dieted properly before so could do with some advice. How did the Fatbet thing go?
I have mixed feelings about WW. On one hand I got to my goal weight. I was successful on it. I really responded well to the accountability of having a group. At the same time though, I never fully changed my eating habits. It was like a game to me, and I played it pretty well. When I was most successful, it was like I was OBSESSED with food. I tracked every single Point. I weighed my portions. It was almost like an eating disorder.
I just don’t think I’m in their target demographic. They spend a lot of effort convincing overworked mothers to spend a little time one themselves, to finally put themselves first for once. Me, I don’t have that pressure. I’m usually first. I exercise a lot. My problem is that I’m just hungry, I come from a family and a culture that eats a lot, and food makes me feel good. I never really dealt with that. I’ve gained back 2/3 of the weight I lost. I know that I could lose it again with their method, but I don’t want to do it again. I don’t want to spend the mental energy it would take to get obsessed about my eating again.
That FatBet is actually still going. (We extended it.) Most of the participants seem to have dropped out though. Still, Venks and I have been encouraging each other. I might start up a new one later, so stay tuned…
M-H
August 2, 2009 — 3:39 pm
A physio I used to see had a BMI that made him technically morbidly obese. In fact he was solid muscle was running ultramarathons. He had so little fat he couldn’t float in the pool.
red
August 2, 2009 — 6:07 pm
it’s a tricky one.
in a lot of today’s (sedentary) population, it can be used as part of a health assessment. if you’re fit and active, it can go out the window.
it should never be the only tool used to decide if someone is healthy or not, that’s just wrong. it needs to be used in conjunction with other indicators.
case in point: atm my BMI tells me i am in the normal range, but my body fat % is actually quite high. i need to gain muscle and lose fat… which will push my BMI up. c’est la vie! :o)
Kris
August 2, 2009 — 6:39 pm
It’s a bit of a torment for anyone doing Weight Watchers, since they use your BMI as a reference for setting your target weight. (It has to be under the “overweight” threshold.)
red
August 3, 2009 — 10:06 am
Kris – I didn’t know about the WW thing. Thanks for pointing that out, it’s now lowered my opinion of them a bit – although they are still one of the better schemes for those looking for a support network for weight loss.
Rachel
August 3, 2009 — 8:26 pm
I wonder how the other big weight loss organisations set their target weights, I bet it’s the same thing. I know you’ve done WW and I was just wondering if you found it to be a good way to lose weight. I seem to remember you mentioning something about “working” the counting the calories but so you could go out etc. Did it significantly change your diet to a more healthy one or was it more of a support network for you to lose a specific amount of weight, and then revert to the “bad old days”… I’ll be looking at losing some weight in the new year so tips would be good. I have never dieted properly before so could do with some advice. How did the Fatbet thing go?
Kris
August 4, 2009 — 8:15 am
I have mixed feelings about WW. On one hand I got to my goal weight. I was successful on it. I really responded well to the accountability of having a group. At the same time though, I never fully changed my eating habits. It was like a game to me, and I played it pretty well. When I was most successful, it was like I was OBSESSED with food. I tracked every single Point. I weighed my portions. It was almost like an eating disorder.
I just don’t think I’m in their target demographic. They spend a lot of effort convincing overworked mothers to spend a little time one themselves, to finally put themselves first for once. Me, I don’t have that pressure. I’m usually first. I exercise a lot. My problem is that I’m just hungry, I come from a family and a culture that eats a lot, and food makes me feel good. I never really dealt with that. I’ve gained back 2/3 of the weight I lost. I know that I could lose it again with their method, but I don’t want to do it again. I don’t want to spend the mental energy it would take to get obsessed about my eating again.
That FatBet is actually still going. (We extended it.) Most of the participants seem to have dropped out though. Still, Venks and I have been encouraging each other. I might start up a new one later, so stay tuned…
rachel
August 4, 2009 — 12:42 pm
Being one of the drop outs, I apologise. Would definitely be up for something in the new year if you’re still interested by then.