Body mass indexes (indices???): What a load of.... well, you know!
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I've always thought that the common use of BMI for determining whether you're "normal" weight or not is a crock, but now I know it's true. In case you don't know, BMI "theory" states that if your height to weight BMI ratio is >=25 you're overweight, and if >= 30, you're obese. Today while reading an article on a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs (will it be this year for poor Leaf fans to rejoice??? :) ), I noticed they listed his height and weight (6'-4", 243 lbs). I decided to plug this into a BMI calculator. Guess what? this guy is borderline obese! :wtf: :omg: :confused: So a career athlete, whose fitness level allows him to play and practise a high-intensity sport like ice hockey to a professional level, is actually a very high health risk?? Really? NOTE: Please, no comments on the Leafs talent, or lack of; this isn't a hockey rant. I'll save that for another post after season starts next week! ;P Just thought I'd share. Let the debate begin! :-D -EM
BMI is meant for average people: athletes are not average. As a tool, the body-mass index shows a direct correlation to a number of health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardio-vascular disease and hypertension. You cannot dismiss the norm based on a few outlyers.
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I've always thought that the common use of BMI for determining whether you're "normal" weight or not is a crock, but now I know it's true. In case you don't know, BMI "theory" states that if your height to weight BMI ratio is >=25 you're overweight, and if >= 30, you're obese. Today while reading an article on a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs (will it be this year for poor Leaf fans to rejoice??? :) ), I noticed they listed his height and weight (6'-4", 243 lbs). I decided to plug this into a BMI calculator. Guess what? this guy is borderline obese! :wtf: :omg: :confused: So a career athlete, whose fitness level allows him to play and practise a high-intensity sport like ice hockey to a professional level, is actually a very high health risk?? Really? NOTE: Please, no comments on the Leafs talent, or lack of; this isn't a hockey rant. I'll save that for another post after season starts next week! ;P Just thought I'd share. Let the debate begin! :-D -EM
emartinho wrote:
So a career athlete, whose fitness level allows him to play and practise a high-intensity sport ...
Have you seen a sumo wrestler? :-D
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I've always thought that the common use of BMI for determining whether you're "normal" weight or not is a crock, but now I know it's true. In case you don't know, BMI "theory" states that if your height to weight BMI ratio is >=25 you're overweight, and if >= 30, you're obese. Today while reading an article on a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs (will it be this year for poor Leaf fans to rejoice??? :) ), I noticed they listed his height and weight (6'-4", 243 lbs). I decided to plug this into a BMI calculator. Guess what? this guy is borderline obese! :wtf: :omg: :confused: So a career athlete, whose fitness level allows him to play and practise a high-intensity sport like ice hockey to a professional level, is actually a very high health risk?? Really? NOTE: Please, no comments on the Leafs talent, or lack of; this isn't a hockey rant. I'll save that for another post after season starts next week! ;P Just thought I'd share. Let the debate begin! :-D -EM
Do not compare athletes with "regular" people when talking about "health" (and BMI).
Watched code never compiles.
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Do not compare athletes with "regular" people when talking about "health" (and BMI).
Watched code never compiles.
Yeah, especially when the athletes are in sumo or gymnastics.
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I've always thought that the common use of BMI for determining whether you're "normal" weight or not is a crock, but now I know it's true. In case you don't know, BMI "theory" states that if your height to weight BMI ratio is >=25 you're overweight, and if >= 30, you're obese. Today while reading an article on a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs (will it be this year for poor Leaf fans to rejoice??? :) ), I noticed they listed his height and weight (6'-4", 243 lbs). I decided to plug this into a BMI calculator. Guess what? this guy is borderline obese! :wtf: :omg: :confused: So a career athlete, whose fitness level allows him to play and practise a high-intensity sport like ice hockey to a professional level, is actually a very high health risk?? Really? NOTE: Please, no comments on the Leafs talent, or lack of; this isn't a hockey rant. I'll save that for another post after season starts next week! ;P Just thought I'd share. Let the debate begin! :-D -EM
What about NFL Lineman? I realize some guys are plain just fat, but there are many more who are big and strong dudes but would be considered "unhealthy" by BMI standards. I don't really remember the categories/numbers of BMI, but my first "UGH" at BMI was when I was in high school. I was having basketball practice for 2.5 hours every day. I was 6'1" and probably about 150-160 lbs...and I was considered overweight. I was fairly skinny too. I was seriously like "Ok, this BMI thing is stupid." LOL.
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What about NFL Lineman? I realize some guys are plain just fat, but there are many more who are big and strong dudes but would be considered "unhealthy" by BMI standards. I don't really remember the categories/numbers of BMI, but my first "UGH" at BMI was when I was in high school. I was having basketball practice for 2.5 hours every day. I was 6'1" and probably about 150-160 lbs...and I was considered overweight. I was fairly skinny too. I was seriously like "Ok, this BMI thing is stupid." LOL.
5'9" and 185 lbs. I do plenty of physical workout and I'm healthy. But the BMI and other nonsense calculating machine in our gym tells me that I'm obese. But like a few people pointed out here, this calculation does not apply well to athletes and physical fitness freaks. :) However, I think it's usually a fairly decent indicator of fat level to normal people.
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
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I've always thought that the common use of BMI for determining whether you're "normal" weight or not is a crock, but now I know it's true. In case you don't know, BMI "theory" states that if your height to weight BMI ratio is >=25 you're overweight, and if >= 30, you're obese. Today while reading an article on a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs (will it be this year for poor Leaf fans to rejoice??? :) ), I noticed they listed his height and weight (6'-4", 243 lbs). I decided to plug this into a BMI calculator. Guess what? this guy is borderline obese! :wtf: :omg: :confused: So a career athlete, whose fitness level allows him to play and practise a high-intensity sport like ice hockey to a professional level, is actually a very high health risk?? Really? NOTE: Please, no comments on the Leafs talent, or lack of; this isn't a hockey rant. I'll save that for another post after season starts next week! ;P Just thought I'd share. Let the debate begin! :-D -EM
I have done a bit of research into this and made a website for weight loss with an application in the process. BMI is useful but very limit as others have said it doesn't take into account enough information you need to know about fat %, muscle density, bone density etc. There is a reasonably easy formula to work out a "good" body fat % and it is used by the u.s. navy so it's got to be quite accurate! body fat calculator formula for man: 495/(1.0324-0.19077(LOG(waist-neck))+0.15456(LOG(height)))-450 body fat calculator formula for woman: 495/(1.29579-0.35004(LOG(waist+hip-neck))+0.22100(LOG(height)))-450 I have posted that for you for your information, also you need to take into account your BMR and ideal weight. This is not a plug I am just very interested in weight related problems, I have a close friend who is in a seriously bad state of health and needed the help so I made him a website and now I am letting others use it. www.caloriecounteruk.co.uk obviously look at it if you would like to use the calculators, it saves messing around with formulas like the above! Dan
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I have done a bit of research into this and made a website for weight loss with an application in the process. BMI is useful but very limit as others have said it doesn't take into account enough information you need to know about fat %, muscle density, bone density etc. There is a reasonably easy formula to work out a "good" body fat % and it is used by the u.s. navy so it's got to be quite accurate! body fat calculator formula for man: 495/(1.0324-0.19077(LOG(waist-neck))+0.15456(LOG(height)))-450 body fat calculator formula for woman: 495/(1.29579-0.35004(LOG(waist+hip-neck))+0.22100(LOG(height)))-450 I have posted that for you for your information, also you need to take into account your BMR and ideal weight. This is not a plug I am just very interested in weight related problems, I have a close friend who is in a seriously bad state of health and needed the help so I made him a website and now I am letting others use it. www.caloriecounteruk.co.uk obviously look at it if you would like to use the calculators, it saves messing around with formulas like the above! Dan
Interesting site. I'll be doing some reading there from home, over the weekend. Thanks. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. [Yogi Berra] posting about Crystal Reports here is like discussing gay marriage on a catholic church’s website.[Nishant Sivakumar]
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I've always thought that the common use of BMI for determining whether you're "normal" weight or not is a crock, but now I know it's true. In case you don't know, BMI "theory" states that if your height to weight BMI ratio is >=25 you're overweight, and if >= 30, you're obese. Today while reading an article on a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs (will it be this year for poor Leaf fans to rejoice??? :) ), I noticed they listed his height and weight (6'-4", 243 lbs). I decided to plug this into a BMI calculator. Guess what? this guy is borderline obese! :wtf: :omg: :confused: So a career athlete, whose fitness level allows him to play and practise a high-intensity sport like ice hockey to a professional level, is actually a very high health risk?? Really? NOTE: Please, no comments on the Leafs talent, or lack of; this isn't a hockey rant. I'll save that for another post after season starts next week! ;P Just thought I'd share. Let the debate begin! :-D -EM
BMI measures body mass, it's what it stands for. Despite common misconception it does not really measure fitness level. It measures how overweight you are, and as such it's a good indicator to predict a chance of various weight related deceases. Even if all that weight is in muscle, the heart still needs to work harder to pump blood through the system, so the person is at elevated risk. That's not to say there is no benefit to exercise, someone who weightlifts regularly and weighs 240# is in a better position than someone who is 240# and just fat, however an athletic person of a more reasonable weight, say 160-190# will have the least cardiovascular risk of all three. Furthermore, even if BMI is not a true measure of fitness, it can be used to predict fitness level of an average person. Extreme athletes and dystrophics are not the norm, they are outliers. The norm, or 90% of people do not exercise, so when they gain weight most of it goes into fat and not the muscle. So one can easily predict fitness level based on BMI with 90% success. So in spite of all the bad rep that BMI gets, it is a very good tool. You just need to understand its uses and limitations. P.S. I wanted to write more on the topic, but it won't win me any sympathy, so I'll just say I find it really sad, disturbing, and dangerous that being overweight is becoming more and more socially acceptable in the United States. IMO it should be shunned the same way as smoking cigarettes. Both are a huge risk to the health and a major contributor to health care costs.
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I've always thought that the common use of BMI for determining whether you're "normal" weight or not is a crock, but now I know it's true. In case you don't know, BMI "theory" states that if your height to weight BMI ratio is >=25 you're overweight, and if >= 30, you're obese. Today while reading an article on a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs (will it be this year for poor Leaf fans to rejoice??? :) ), I noticed they listed his height and weight (6'-4", 243 lbs). I decided to plug this into a BMI calculator. Guess what? this guy is borderline obese! :wtf: :omg: :confused: So a career athlete, whose fitness level allows him to play and practise a high-intensity sport like ice hockey to a professional level, is actually a very high health risk?? Really? NOTE: Please, no comments on the Leafs talent, or lack of; this isn't a hockey rant. I'll save that for another post after season starts next week! ;P Just thought I'd share. Let the debate begin! :-D -EM
The folks that created the BMI have stated many times, thus it's no surprise, that it does not take several things into account such as body type and build. It's merely one tool out of many.
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous
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Interesting site. I'll be doing some reading there from home, over the weekend. Thanks. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. [Yogi Berra] posting about Crystal Reports here is like discussing gay marriage on a catholic church’s website.[Nishant Sivakumar]
Awsome :-), also any input you have would be much appreciated i have pretty much designed it myself so its all researched and built by me. A critical eye is always welcome!
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Albert Holguin wrote:
how the heck am I on the upper end of the scale?
That's because you're special Albert. :rolleyes: Embrace your specialness.
It was broke, so I fixed it.
:laugh:
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Awsome :-), also any input you have would be much appreciated i have pretty much designed it myself so its all researched and built by me. A critical eye is always welcome!
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BMI measures body mass, it's what it stands for. Despite common misconception it does not really measure fitness level. It measures how overweight you are, and as such it's a good indicator to predict a chance of various weight related deceases. Even if all that weight is in muscle, the heart still needs to work harder to pump blood through the system, so the person is at elevated risk. That's not to say there is no benefit to exercise, someone who weightlifts regularly and weighs 240# is in a better position than someone who is 240# and just fat, however an athletic person of a more reasonable weight, say 160-190# will have the least cardiovascular risk of all three. Furthermore, even if BMI is not a true measure of fitness, it can be used to predict fitness level of an average person. Extreme athletes and dystrophics are not the norm, they are outliers. The norm, or 90% of people do not exercise, so when they gain weight most of it goes into fat and not the muscle. So one can easily predict fitness level based on BMI with 90% success. So in spite of all the bad rep that BMI gets, it is a very good tool. You just need to understand its uses and limitations. P.S. I wanted to write more on the topic, but it won't win me any sympathy, so I'll just say I find it really sad, disturbing, and dangerous that being overweight is becoming more and more socially acceptable in the United States. IMO it should be shunned the same way as smoking cigarettes. Both are a huge risk to the health and a major contributor to health care costs.
daniilzol wrote:
BMI measures body mass, it's what it stands for. Despite common misconception it does not really measure fitness level. It measures how overweight you are, and as such it's a good indicator to predict a chance of various weight related deceases. Even if all that weight is in muscle, the heart still needs to work harder to pump blood through the system, so the person is at elevated risk. That's not to say there is no benefit to exercise, someone who weightlifts regularly and weighs 240# is in a better position than someone who is 240# and just fat, however an athletic person of a more reasonable weight, say 160-190# will have the least cardiovascular risk of all three.
Yup. There's a reason why ascetics on borderline starvation diets have the longest life expectancy of any otherwise healthy group. And once you cross the border between overweight and obese the fact that you're phyisically active and etc isn't able to counter the penalty from your body having to work harder than normal at every day tasks to move your excess mass.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
