At one time the Medical Profession blamed everything on smoking, now because most people have stopped smoking the blame you for being fat, even if you are not fat, there are a lot of happy fat people, and a lot of miserable sticks, if your happy thats the main thing, half the people in the world are starving and the other half are on a diet.
BMI Scales?
- Thread starter FrenchieBoy
- Start date
My weight is fine but I am worried about my height according to the chart I should be seven foot nine.inches
Sonicdmb73
Well-Known Member
What a crock. My BMI is allegedly 30.5. I should weigh between 9.5 and 12 stone.
Seriously they must think nobody does physical work that involves muscle mass. If I only ate the calories they suggested I would not last the day.
I admit that I carry a bit more fat than I would like. But the BMI idea is bull
Seriously they must think nobody does physical work that involves muscle mass. If I only ate the calories they suggested I would not last the day.
I admit that I carry a bit more fat than I would like. But the BMI idea is bull
My BMI scale is the most accurate available, ................... It's called a belt!
Sonicdmb73
Well-Known Member
I wear a 36” waist. But I need a belt to keep them up. When I played rugby I and many others in the club worn shorts with a 40” or larger waist. Not because we’d got massive guts. But because they would fit our legs.
Let’s face it clothing sizing BMI and various other things that relate to build size and weight. Are not fit for purpose.
Let’s face it clothing sizing BMI and various other things that relate to build size and weight. Are not fit for purpose.
Always have a chuckle whenever the subject of BMI calculations come up, usually because the original question is raised by someone who has been told their BMI is a smidgen higher than ideal....
Up here in Krankie's kingdom we have a universal approach to using the BMI chart...
All admissions should have weight and height done so a BMI measurement can be taken, this is handy as you can identify if someone may need dietetic advice if too high or too low. A high BMI signifies a higher risk of health problems (diabetes/cardiovascular/high BP/stroke etc....) and lately an increased risk of severe illness due to Covid 19. A low BMI may be indicative of poor diet, underlying illness (such as anorexia/drug use/heavy smoking/cancer /colitis etc....), there's also an increased risk of bed sores/poor skin integrity.
However, it is just one part of a general assessment and shouldn't be used on its own to categorise a patient/client, after all muscle is denser than fat - hence the stories of rugby players/sportsmen being classed as obese - always look at the person and get an idea of the history. And yes, there are far too many Health service staff who fit into the range of obese/morbidly obese and could never be accused of being "sporty" (ahem) - more a case of do as I say not as I do......
Don't get hung up on BMI without getting an overall picture of health and excess body fat, but if your GP, practice nurse, Consultant, Healthcare professional is giving you a gentle nudge towards knocking off a few pies and pints, don't take it personally!
Up here in Krankie's kingdom we have a universal approach to using the BMI chart...
All admissions should have weight and height done so a BMI measurement can be taken, this is handy as you can identify if someone may need dietetic advice if too high or too low. A high BMI signifies a higher risk of health problems (diabetes/cardiovascular/high BP/stroke etc....) and lately an increased risk of severe illness due to Covid 19. A low BMI may be indicative of poor diet, underlying illness (such as anorexia/drug use/heavy smoking/cancer /colitis etc....), there's also an increased risk of bed sores/poor skin integrity.
However, it is just one part of a general assessment and shouldn't be used on its own to categorise a patient/client, after all muscle is denser than fat - hence the stories of rugby players/sportsmen being classed as obese - always look at the person and get an idea of the history. And yes, there are far too many Health service staff who fit into the range of obese/morbidly obese and could never be accused of being "sporty" (ahem) - more a case of do as I say not as I do......
Don't get hung up on BMI without getting an overall picture of health and excess body fat, but if your GP, practice nurse, Consultant, Healthcare professional is giving you a gentle nudge towards knocking off a few pies and pints, don't take it personally!
I wouldn't worry too much about BMI, as it's just a number and just about everybody is classed as obese. I have been getting offshore medicals for over 20 years and have always been told that my BMI is too high. Eventually it will all catch up with you though and you'll know yourself when it's time to lose some weight and get in shape. I ended up pre-type 2 diabetic in my early 50's with high blood pressure and was getting out of breath when doing walked up shoots and beating. I got a fitbit for Xmas a couple of years ago and started on a low-carb keto diet to try and do something about it. I cut out just about all carbs and stuck to just salads/veg and fish, meat and nuts. I am now 20kg lighter and can walk 10 miles whilst out shooting and stalking with ease. We all have choices put in front of us; it just depends on which ones we choose to take. I can still have a fry up, but I don't eat bread or cakes or rice or pasta or potatoes as they break down too quickly and give you insulin/glucose peaks and troughs which make you sleepy and constantly hungry. 
shooter
Well-Known Member
Dear all,
Some good points, some not too accurate points made.
Some against and a few not so against the current healthcare system and condition.
Here are a few of points. You may agree or disagree but here goes:
BMI- calculating it has nothing to do with age. One can argue it goes up/down with age but the calculation itself has no/zero/zilch/nada/ nothing to do with age. Yes risk factors, etc vary with age.
BMI replaced the old style 'height-weight' charts. Yes its not 100% accurate estimation of ones fitness but it is more accurate than the 'height-weight' charts. At the moment we have no better screening tool to monitor cardiovascular risk etc. By definition a screening tool is not supposed to be accurate but cheap, easy to do and false negatives should be low. It may have higher false positives.
Arnold schwarznegger (excuse spelling), michael jordan, harrison ford all have high BMIs, most bodybuilders, weightlifters do. But remember the definition, screening tools may have more false positives.
As for GP surgeries/clinics, the way CQC inspects, they expect every patient to have BMI documented irrespective of why you are visiting the clinic. Its a big headache for the clinic staff too and as it has to be done for everybody, they will try to make it cost effective by having a healthcare assistant/nursing student/ medical student etc do it.
Body fat percent is notoriously difficult and expensive to measure. Yes google will tell you to buy calipres, measure the skinfold on the back of arm/over tricep or tummy or whatever then there will be a table too measure the percentage. But these tables are just like the 'height-weight' tables- not accurate at all.
To have an accurate reading, either submerge a person naked in a bath or for better accuracy a full body scan in a millian dollar machine.
BMI beats all that.
Also please bear in mind its not just about the cardio vascular risk, also remember back ache, chronic pain, joint pain etc. increased BMI increases the risk of the above- even in arnold and jordan irrespective of the fitness.
The reason is simple. more weight, more the stress on the joints. The surface area of joints is based on cm2 (radius squared) weight is a cube so mathematically speaking, a big/tall giant will have weaker joints irrespective of BMI so lowering the BMI wont hurt. Same true for non giant people.
Again, since it is a screening tool, any half decent health professional will look at all positives and then eliminate the false positives and focus on the true positives.
Hope this clarifies things a bit.
Some good points, some not too accurate points made.
Some against and a few not so against the current healthcare system and condition.
Here are a few of points. You may agree or disagree but here goes:
BMI- calculating it has nothing to do with age. One can argue it goes up/down with age but the calculation itself has no/zero/zilch/nada/ nothing to do with age. Yes risk factors, etc vary with age.
BMI replaced the old style 'height-weight' charts. Yes its not 100% accurate estimation of ones fitness but it is more accurate than the 'height-weight' charts. At the moment we have no better screening tool to monitor cardiovascular risk etc. By definition a screening tool is not supposed to be accurate but cheap, easy to do and false negatives should be low. It may have higher false positives.
Arnold schwarznegger (excuse spelling), michael jordan, harrison ford all have high BMIs, most bodybuilders, weightlifters do. But remember the definition, screening tools may have more false positives.
As for GP surgeries/clinics, the way CQC inspects, they expect every patient to have BMI documented irrespective of why you are visiting the clinic. Its a big headache for the clinic staff too and as it has to be done for everybody, they will try to make it cost effective by having a healthcare assistant/nursing student/ medical student etc do it.
Body fat percent is notoriously difficult and expensive to measure. Yes google will tell you to buy calipres, measure the skinfold on the back of arm/over tricep or tummy or whatever then there will be a table too measure the percentage. But these tables are just like the 'height-weight' tables- not accurate at all.
To have an accurate reading, either submerge a person naked in a bath or for better accuracy a full body scan in a millian dollar machine.
BMI beats all that.
Also please bear in mind its not just about the cardio vascular risk, also remember back ache, chronic pain, joint pain etc. increased BMI increases the risk of the above- even in arnold and jordan irrespective of the fitness.
The reason is simple. more weight, more the stress on the joints. The surface area of joints is based on cm2 (radius squared) weight is a cube so mathematically speaking, a big/tall giant will have weaker joints irrespective of BMI so lowering the BMI wont hurt. Same true for non giant people.
Again, since it is a screening tool, any half decent health professional will look at all positives and then eliminate the false positives and focus on the true positives.
Hope this clarifies things a bit.
Just over the last year the dieticians at Wishaw General have been given new scales.
These measure weight, body fat, muscle, and free water in the body. Also it gives a reading as to how these are dispersed/distributed throughout the body.
This gives a much better indication of a person‘s condition.
From what has happened to me, you basically stand on the scales with socks off and hold a steel bar, one in each hand. An electrical current is passed through for about 20-30 seconds and you get your readings printed out.
As far as I know they were substantially more expensive than their normal scales but a lot cheaper a couple of thousand pounds.
shooter
Well-Known Member
yes you are right; however these are not as accurate as a scan but much more cheaper.
the cut off for healthcare is, how much to spend for how much accuracy.
not much different to other things in life including rifle accuracy.
FrenchieBoy
Well-Known Member
Tried that and it tells me is that I'm a fat old fart that is way too short for his height!
A PhD in biology then?
Theirs are some very good points re BMI as a tool. What is sure is there are increased health risks with increased BMI. You as an individual either except the evidence or not. It your decision, the NHS will pick up. Only problem is the nhs is going to have mega waiting times. If you look after yourself reduce your risks of diabetes, heart disease, reduces joint paints etc it just might be a good idea.
We know smoking increases health risks, but people still do it. Health professionals are there to give advice and education, so patients can make informed chose . A screen tool is just there to help. What you do is key, it’s your life.
We know smoking increases health risks, but people still do it. Health professionals are there to give advice and education, so patients can make informed chose . A screen tool is just there to help. What you do is key, it’s your life.
fineyoungbuck
Active Member
I’d forget all about BMI and set activity based goals whether it’s steps , miles, KM’s, laps along with some form dietary measurement. You can do something with this data.
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