WTF? I'm overweight!

Samtheman1k · 31 Aug 2006 at 11:45

I'm 5 foot 11 inches and weigh 82kg (12.9 stone), thus my Body Mass Index is 25.03. I am also very skinny! I have a 32inch waist and an often called a stick insect by my mates and hate getting my top off on the beach as I look weedy.

BUT, as my BMI is >25, I am overweight???? WTF is all that about? I am skinny ffs, I want to put on weight if I could (particularly muscle), but yet I am already 'overweight'. My doctor even tells me I should put on weight as I'm skinnier than the average person! If I lost weight, I would look anorexic ffs!

I don't get it :confused:

Samtheman1k · 31 Aug 2006 at 11:47

Morba said:
BMI is a joke for the non average person. ignore it imo

It would seem so, but if they deny women IVF etc. based on this flawed measurement...seems a little unfair to me...

Samtheman1k · 31 Aug 2006 at 11:50

Shoseki said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Mass_Index

It was supposed to be a classification table for inactive people only. Don't take it too much to heart.

I don't care about it TBH, it just worries me that theoretically I could be denied treatment on the NHS because of my BMI, yet I have very fit and healthy! Seems absurb to me...

Samtheman1k · 31 Aug 2006 at 11:53

Morba said:
stop being so overly dramatic.

Hehe, ok, fair point

Samtheman1k · 31 Aug 2006 at 11:58

VeNT said:
tbh, I think your right, from what I've heard on the news/read in the papers, the quaks are going to be able to use your BMI to denigh you LOADS of treatments (ie joint replacements, IVF (sorry dude, no babys for you!) etc), this may actualy have less to do with if they think it is a risk and more to do with meeting targets assigned to them by the government!

That's what is odd. I can understand the mentality behind it, about denying certain treatment to certain people, but using the BMI scale as justification is really off...

Samtheman1k · 31 Aug 2006 at 13:07

Linoge said:
Sam you must have heavy bones to be 12stone9 and still have a 32inch waist especially from your description of yourself being skinny.

I think that it is because I have a really low fat %, so virtually all of my [little] bulk is muscle which is denser than fat. I also have really skinny chicken legs, hence the small waist.