Weigh in - week of Nov. 6

[Veronica]

Thanks Denise! That calculator puts me in the overweight category.

V.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Thanks Denise! That calculator puts me in the overweight category.

V.

Oops! Sorry...

The two calculators come up with the same BMI for me - but one says normal, and one says underweight. Based on the weight range for my height and weight, both should say normal.

And as said elsewhere in this discussion, BMI is just one factor of many - I don't think that you can go by this as the sole indicator of weight "status". Certainly having body fat measured by a reputable and trained individual is a better indicator anyway.

[Veronica]

The first says 25 is normal. The second says 25 is overweight. I don't worry about BMI. I have lots of muscle. It does drive me nuts when I go for my yearly physical and the doctor doesn't really look at me and suggests I need to lose weight just from my chart. That's usually when I kick them.

V.

[jobob]

Ah, not to worry, V. From the website Denise provided:

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How reliable is BMI as an indicator of body fatness?
The correlation between the BMI number and body fatness is fairly strong; however the correlation varies by sex, race, and age. These variations include the following examples:

• At the same BMI, women tend to have more body fat than men.
• At the same BMI, older people, on average, tend to have more body fat than younger adults.
• Highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness

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so there


(body "fatness"? m'kay.)

[btchance]

Oh, those BMI and weight charts drive me nuts. The ideal body weight for me ranges from where I'm at right now, down to 20lbs less. Yikes, I look extremely scary and anorexic at that weight - that's where I used to be at when I danced alot. Right now, I would like to lose about 10lbs and see if I can maintain the same amount of strength I have right now. If I feel like I'm losing it, believe me I'll put back on a few pounds. Because of this, I'm adding weights back to my routine, and am looking to lose 10lbs by the end of March, only 2lbs per month. We'll see if it works.

[HipGnosis6]

The charts are all.... hm. I guess for some folks the ranges on all the charts and BMI listings etc etc are OK, but they're a really bad indicator for me. I used to box and got my body fat percentage down to 20%. I had TONS of muscle but still had a nice healthy amount of body fat - I still had boobs, and wasn't showing a six-pack. I weighed 189 pounds, which according to those BMI calculators, made me overweight and not far from obese.

They all say they're "guidelines", but the charts aren't very good guidelines for most of us. Even body fat percentage can lead us astray. I guess what I'm getting at is that we shouldn't let ourselves get too bound up on what some chart is telling us. Set your weight goals on what will make you comfortable.

I'm fat and admit it. I've gained back every ounce of the weight I lost in training and want to get some of my fitness back. I weighed myself for the first time in weeks today. I'm not shy about my weight - I weighed in today at 254 lbs. So what to do? I made a list of resolutions:

I will select the light option when one is available. (Read as: The salad bar isn't a healthy choice if you ladle on the blue chesse dressing!)
One slice of pizza at the work cafeteria is OK, two or three is not.
I cannot rely on the vending machines at work and school for healthy eating.
On any day I don't have both work and school I will find some time for excercise.
I will wear my pedometer daily.
If I find myself feeling hungry between meals I will drink a glass of water; if I still feel hungry 15 minutes later, then a REASONABLE snack is OK.
I will not substitute sodas or sugary juice drinks for water.
I will not abuse caffinated beverages - one or two cups of coffee in the morning is one thing, but drinking two 24 oz. cans of Rock Star daily is horrible even if it is the sugar free kind.
I will take a multivitamin (at very least) daily.

Wish me luck, girls....

[Bikingmomof3]

HipGnosis6,
You do not need luck, you have a very reasonable plan and a very healthy body image. You are ahead of a lot of people! I will wish you luck though, since you did ask.