Is the bmi chart accurate?

Question

Ok so I am 21yrs old and am 5'10 190-194lbs. I used to be 354 lbs so the talk about weight really bothers me. I went to the dr today and he said I have a 28BMI which is borderline obesity and I should try to live a more healthy lifestyle. I go to the gym during the week and do 40 min of cardio plus weight training, mostly to tone and on the Omron body fat handheld machine I have a 18-19 body fat percentage.

Is the BMI and omron accurate? I'm feeling pretty bad now

glamourgirl95 · Accepted Answer

BMI is acurate in the sence of your weight to height ratio, however it does have a healthy RANGE which does pretty accurately account for muscle mass, different body types, etc.I would say if your bmi is borderline OBESITY then maybe you should continue making healthier LIFESTYLE(not diet) choices such as choosing to walk rather than drive your car to nearby places, making sure to drink 8 cups of water a day, maybe ditch soda for water or skim milk, cut back on processed/packeged foods such as potato chips and cookies and replace it with whole grains, low fat/plain yogurt, fresh fruit/vegtables, etc IN ADDITION to your cardio workouts. Don't worry too much about loosing much more weight, and your body fat percentage doesn't seem remarkably high. Bottome line, BMI is great for getting a ball-park persoective on your fitness, you can always improve your health and make small changes to really see and feel a difference. Hope this helps.

sourpatchchik2 · Accepted Answer

No, don't get down about it.  BMI doesn't take into consideration different body types and muscle mass.  When I do the little online ones it tells me I'm really underweight, but I have a really small frame which probably means I'm not underweight at all really.  Good for you for working out weekly.  Keep at it.(:

sketchy · Accepted Answer

BMI is useful when applied to populations as a whole (eg. comparing the average BMI of people in different US states), but it was never intended to be used as a way to assess the health individuals, as it can be misleading, depending on height and muscularity. Having said that, for someone of average height, who's not particularly muscular, it's not a bad indicator (judging by your profile pics, I'd say that's probably the case here).

To be honest, when you look in a mirror, it's pretty obvious if you need to lose weight...

martyfellow · Accepted Answer

BMI is purely mathematical and a statement of your height and weight ration, really. It's useful as a general guide, but doesn' towrk for people with unusual builds, or extremely mesomorphic types who carry a lot of muscle weight.

I'm not sure the MD is taking your body fat % into account; you're in good shape based on that reading.

All that beingsaid, unless you're really muscular, you could lose a few pounds and be healtieir.

Probably no more than 10 or 15 and you'd be at an ideal weight.

kheserthorpe · Answer

BMI doesn't consider muscle mass. So you may be fine.

Omron are not that accurate. So you may not be fine.

Calipers would be a better test. How strong are you? I suspect you're not obese, whether you're overweight to a small or significant amount depends on how much muscle you're carrying.

Belgie · Answer

BMI ranges are pretty accurate for most people. 194lbs is a lot for someone who's only 5'10"

You're 18-19 percent body fat - that's borderline for overweight. (Obese is 25% fat)

Between the two of those readings, I'd say yeah, you could lose some more fat, to get down to a really healthy weight and body fat percentage.

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Distant · Answer

'BMI' is nonsense. I know a guy who is considered morbidly obese and he's in amazing shape. I'm bordering on obese and I look like a ninja turtle. It's an arbitrary way of trying to define how obese your are based on weight:height ratio but does not factor in muscle even the slightest.

Prof_Don · Answer

The BMI chart doesn't account for muscle mass at all...so imo it's garbage.

I consider the BMI chart as a lazy shortcut. Bodyfat % is a WAY better indication of overall health, but it takes a lot more time and resources to do than just measuring height and weight.

Anonymous · Answer

First off, how was your body fat measured?

18-19% body fat for a male (if accurate) is considered average/ almost fitness level, which is good and definitely not obese.. The BMI scale is an OK guideline but leaves out factors such as bone mass and muscle mass, which can make it very misleading, I honestly don't think it should be solely used to measure how healthy you are based on scale weight.

various · Answer

BMI is only a scientific/medical method. You need to get a professional (a personal trainer) to measure you and take your body fat percentage to get an accurate feedback.

madmisskelly · Answer

The BMI doesn't account for muscle mass, nor does it account for bone structure.  It isn't what I would go by personally. I would go more by body fat percentage and measurements.

melmel12345 · Answer

BMI is technically not that accurate because of bone density and muscle mass.  For instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered obese because of his muscle. Going by body fat is much more accurate.

Anonymous · Answer

Evander Holyfield in his heyday was considered obese according to BMI.

oshkosh · Answer

I'm techincally obese and let me tell you, I'm a fit college athlete. The BMI scale dosnt take muscle into account. Don't worry Congrats on the weight loss!

Moloch · Answer

It is unless you're very muscular.

Is the bmi chart accurate?

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