What's your BMI?

[Paddy]

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Mine's 26.  I should cut down on the beer.

[The Viking]

23.5.
Pretty good I guess. I need to start working out though, if only to get stronger.

[mtnbkr]

26.

I'm far from sedentary, but I still need to lose another 10lbs.

Chris

[Brad Johnson]

30.8 (down from 40.0)

Brad

[The Rabbi]

31.9 and who gives a flying leap?
Someone here (I forget who) mentioned he knew a lot about his ancestors and their weight and health.  Every one of them was obese, some morbidly so.  And yet all of them lived into their 80s and beyond.
So go figure.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

18.2

I'm built like a flagpole.

[mtnbkr]

31.9 and who gives a flying leap?
Someone here (I forget who) mentioned he knew a lot about his ancestors and their weight and health.  Every one of them was obese, some morbidly so.  And yet all of them lived into their 80s and beyond.
So go figure.

I care because I *feel* better having lost 30lbs in 2005 (and kept all but 5lbs off since then).  I'll feel even better when I lose another 10lbs so my 34W pants fit loose rather than snug.  I weighed in at 140lbs when I graduated HS.

HTG, you sound like my brother-in-law.  He's 6'6", 135lbs, and wears 28W x 34L pants (might be 36L, not sure).  He eats whatever he wants.  Yes, I hate him.

Chris

[Iain]

27.7 and I'm looking to gain another 10lbs or so.

BMI is a very crude measure when applied to the active, the inactive should not take much from that statement though.

[Brad Johnson]

BMI is a very crude measure when applied to the active, the inactive should not take much from that statement though.

Yep.  Just finished doing some reading on it and it seems to presume that muscle-to-height ratio remains the same for everyone.  This means a very active person and a sedentary person of the same height and weight will score exactly the same BMI even though they are different physiologically.  Though it seems to be a reasonable general guideline for the average person, it loses applicability when you move very far away from center.

Measurments of actual body fat would probably be a better indicator.

Brad

[CAnnoneer]

BMI is bullshit. By that calculation, Arnold was grossly obese in his champion years.

I am built like a minotaur - tall, wide, and meaty. I regularly pump iron, hike, train core, ride an exercise bike, and have no beerbelly/potbelly and drink no alcohol. These guys make me out at BMI of 35, which would put me in the obese category? Please. My blood pressure is normal and I can't remember the last time I was sick. That being said, I'll get a lot of definition if I shed about 20 lbs (which will still put me at about BMI=32, obese!).

Like I said, BMI is bullshit.

[Paddy]

BMI is a place to start, that's all.  It's not meant to be a conclusive measurement.  Some of us are ectomorphs, some endomorphs and some mezomorphs (excuse the speeelling). 

Muscle is generally heavier than fat.  I think that's why  CAnnoneer's BMI comes in high.

[mtnbkr]

BMI is probably spot on for me.  I historically had a slender build.  Even though I lift weights and bike frequently, I don't have enough muscle to claim my BMI is artificially inflated.

Chris

[mgdavis]

20

I was at 17.6 (6ft 130lbs) during high school. I managed to gain 20 pounds in Basic.

[cosine]

22.4

But I do have just a bit of a paunch, the result of too little exercise and too much sit. Result = flab instead of muscle.

[grampster]

Reb,
I'm 30.3.  6'1" @ 230#.   How 'bout we meet up for some burgers and beers? 

[InfidelSerf]

BMI is bull$#!%.

I concure.

Yeah I've got a few extra pounds, but I am by no means "obese" my cholesterol is in a healthy normal range as well as my ratio.
My brother and I were just discussing cholesterol,BMI etc. because we both recently took out insurance policies that required a basic exam.
His cholesterol level and ratio were just high enough to bump his monthly premium up a bit. While his BMI was just slightly over ideal.
My BMI is 31.1 yet all my other indicators are in the normal range.  Good blood pressure too.

So if there are any insurance professionals on the board, I'm interested in knowing just how much the BMI effects premiums.

[De Selby]

21.5-I use the 'don't want to stop wearing my favorite pants' diet.

[mtnbkr]

My BMI is 31.1 yet all my other indicators are in the normal range.  Good blood pressure too.

At his peak, my brother's BMI was about 64 (he was morbidly obese).  His BP, Cholesterol, blood sugar, etc were all excellent. 

Edit to add: I say *was* because my brother underwent gastric bypass and has shed roughly 200lbs.  It occurred to me that using *was* might indicate he's no longer with us.  T'ain't true, there's just less of him around.

Chris

[JonnyB]

Is that the same as body fat content? I had mine checked - some weird instrument (sonar?) - a couple weeks ago. I came in at 18.6; on the high end of normal for men. The 'normal' range is 12 to 20.

I'm 5-9, 170-172 pounds, 53 years young and in excellent health (except for the normal wear & tear and a few arthritic joints - probably from youthful indescretions).

jb

[280plus]

40.3 

I punched in 5'8" and 265 which is close enough. This body swam .9 miles nearly every day last summer and now rides the airdyne 15-20 minutes nearly every day. Yesterdays pulse rate was up to 160. I didn't do today's, I forgot, I was listening to Frank Zappa on Pandora. 

Next summer I plan to do like 20 min swim / 20 min airdyne...

[The Rabbi]

Reb,
I'm 30.3.  6'1" @ 230#.   How 'bout we meet up for some burgers and beers? 

Works for me.  Of course you're about 20 years older than me so that isnt much comfort.

[K Frame]

Ask me after I finish this poptart...

[Calumus]

It is an interesting scale, but like someone said before it doesn't seem to acknowledge the presence of any sort of muscle mass. According to this calculator when I was in peak condition in high school, being 5'10 and 175# (while benching 285 and being not too far from a 6-pack) I was just a bit overweight      now I'm at 29.4, I could definitely lose a few pounds; but damn. I have to wonder just how skinny the nhlbi wants us to be. If I dropped to 129# (their minimum healthy weight for someone 5'10)  you'd be seeing me in a Sally Struthers commercial.

[French G.]

BMI is is bull, mine is 27 but I've got a better one. The Navy determines max weight based on height and if you are over the max they do a neck to waist ratio measurement and compare the result to a table to get your body fat percentage. In six months between cycles I lost ten pounds, gained muscle, was much more fit but my bodyfat remained the same. Why? because I lost 1.5 inches of neck. So I know fatasses that have 20 in fat necks that make measurement and I know fatasses that never get measured because they are within height weight. They have small bones, no muscle, loose fat and poor fitness. But with no bone and muscle they make weight.

[S. Williamson]

39.6

6'3 and 317lbs.  A kinesiology prof was thrown off by this a couple years back, and after a few more tests regarding physical composition, came to the conclusion that my skeleton is actually denser than most.  I've done plenty of stupid S#!t in my life, but have never once broken a bone... I guess he might have something there.  My build is one that is best used for moving large objects, a curse near the end of school semesters.