How Fat is Fat? The All American State of Denial and BMI

[Coach]

Those graphs and charts are strange, for sure. I remember sitting in my doctor's office for something I don't recall, and coming across a dial that you could use to put in your age, gender and height to get an idea of whether you were overweight. According to this dial, At 6' 1", 39 years old, around 213 pounds, I was significantly overweight. I didn't feel overweight, but looking at pictures of myself at that time, I certainly was.

 

However, the chart on that dial had my "optimal" weight at somewhere around 169 pounds. I ate like a rabbit, walked 6 miles on the treadmill daily for months. Then I went on a elk hunt. I was up at 3, hiking and hunting hard until hours after dark for 2 weeks, every day on end - only eating when my body told me it had to have food - and then I ate snickers bars, jerky, sugary foods to get short bursts of energy. My diet was super high protein and carbo breakfast at 3 Am, minimal snacking throughout the day, then a heavy carb, protein dinner at night.

 

And the lowest I got was around 178 pounds.

 

My own mother said I looked starved, my wife said I was too thin - it was showing in my cheeks.

 

So according to these charts, I was still 9 pounds above my "optimal" weight.

 

Looking back now, I realize that our body wants to stabilize at a certain point, and we have to train our body slowly to re-adjust to that point. Too much too soon puts a lot of strain on the body. We pick a small goal, get there, get comfortable, pick another and so-on.

 

One thing I'll put out there, for those of you trying to get in shape, and this is coming from someone who is NOT yet in good shape - OK but not good- My family loves to hunt and hike and fish, and we LOVE to go explore canyons in Utah - the slots, the narrows, the rappelling - some of the things we tackle really drive home that we are not in that great of shape, and to truly enjoy it, we want to come back next year a little leaner, a little stronger, a little more core strength, more rope training, and we will have more options to do more challenging things.

 

If you haven't done the Flagstaff Extreme Challenge, you really should. It starts out pretty easy but by the end of it, you know if you've got that balance, inner core strength, etc. I watched 20-somethings blow through it, but honestly at 42, by the time I finished the black course, all I could think about was how much pain I was in and it shouldn't be that hard. It was a very humbling experience for me.

[naturegirl]

You did really good It's 100% true all we do now gives us more time on the backend of life.

 

I agree with your doctor that the BMI is a great index for most body types, but not all. I've always had a muscular build and found out in the 6th grade when they did the first BMI test on me that I do not fit the charts. Of course, I didn't understand why in the 6th grade.

 

That being said BMI is important, but it is a guide. When you are happy with your body and feel you are at a good weight, then be happy and maintain it.

[GreyGhost85]

yeah i have to strongly disagree with BMI chart. i am 6'5" 230 lbs, probably 8-10% body fat, weight train 5 days a week, hiking on the weekends, and that chart says i am overweight? i agree with what nature girl has to say. find a good weight where you feel and look good and stick with it. if everyone went by the BMI we would all look like a bunch of ethiopians

[CouesWhitetail]

Thanks for the post Mark and sharing about your experience with coming to the realization that you needed to lose weight and actually making that happen! So many of us come to that same conclusion but then fail to do anything about it. Hopefully our Monday check-in or other events will help motivate some people to reach their goals for being leaner.

 

I don't think the main point of Mark's post is to defend the BMI, but instead to point out that as a nation we seem to have changed what we think is overweight or fat. If you go back and look at photos of people from the 1950s you can see that as a whole they are much skinnier than we are as a nation now. I have even noticed that when I look at old wildlife technical reports where they show photos of biologists collecting data or releasing game. They are almost always thin. Anyway, I think Mark makes a good point that as a nation we have gotten fatter and that there is some level of denial about it.

[Str8Shot]

 

BMI graphs are nice and all but far from accurate... there are many , many people who are in outstanding physical shape and have below 13% Body fat Which is the high side for athletes, but if you go by BMI they are all obese. Look at Body fat percentages to gauge in contrast to BMI and you may fall somewhere in between

 

Essential body fat for men is 2 -5% .... Being a Wrestler in high school I can tell you I seen first hand how lacking a body can be under 5% and know some guys as low as 3% who had no essential fat protecting organs.

Athletic percentages are in 6 - 14% range This is the range that most pro athletes fit in ... I DID SAY MOST

A fit Man , the gym guy on average falls between 14 - 17 %

Average healthy Male 18 - 24%

Anything over 25% +'s OBESE

 

 

I am 5' 11" and know that at 185 I was measured at 13.5% body fat and would still be considered Overweight by this chart... I can tell you starting at my highest on this Jan 1 of 310 lbs I know what feeling the extra weight does and the difference physically between that amount and the mid 230's I am at Now ...

 

I am just saying BMI charts are not always the best indicator and do not factor in many things.

 

Please note - I did say that the Doc provided for big frames and lots of muscle as a way out of BMI top end calculations. He just challenged that most people use that as an excuse when in fact they need to lose more weight. As I stated, he said come back at 180 ripped and hard and he'd call for an exception.

 

 

I understood all you wrote, and am not bashing the use of BMI. I am saying it is a good starting point and visual for people to see where they may fall, but a person should also know what their body fat percentage is. BMI charts can not differentiate the difference of muscle weight(weighs more) and Fat weight, or water weight for that matter... It is just weight! Know your body, work hard to find a place where you feel great, can do all the things you want to do and are happy with your self looking in the mirror. Those who say that there are a few narrow exceptions would be completely wrong, there is a large percentage of people who do not fit under the definitions the chart provides. If you follow the BMI numbers 50 - 65% of all professional athletes are over weight.

 

Like I said BMI is a good starting point to talk about where you are and your goals, but in no way is accurate for most people who strength train to build muscle.

[bigorange]

I can't deny it...I'm fat, overweight, obese. I got down within 15 lbs of my normal BMI range a few years ago and still wasn't "skinny." I had a gut and love handles then. Got a long way to go, and yes I think America needs a wake up call as to lifestyle, portion size, etc.

[Hyperwrx]

10 years ago at 37 I could eat anything and shed weight without even trying. Now at 47, I pack on pounds even when I think I'm careful. Getting old sucks. It's almost manditory that you excersize and eat like a little bird once you reach 40.

[scoutm]

I discussed my BMI doubts with my Dr. and he explained it a in bit different way. He said people get hung up on the fat/skinny factor of the BMI chart when in actuality we should be viewing it as risk factor indicator.

 

He stated that what it really shows is that relative to your BMI what your increased risk for developing weight related diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and etc are...as we all know skinny people can develop these diseases and some heavier people never do but as you weight increases relative to you height your risk for developing these diseases increases.

 

So, don't view the chart as am I skinny or am I fat view it as am I increasing my risk for developing weight related diseases or not.

[bigorange]

Spot on scoutm...another eye-opener is calculating your body age (like they do on Biggest Loser...yeah I watch that show sometimes ) We have a scale that also measures body fat/muscle % and will calculate BMI and body age. Pretty scary. Like I said I'm trying to turn a corner, but have a long way to go. But I also know the direction I don't want to go...

[loco4coues]

Your doctor is right scoutm. The American College of Sports Medicine does use BMI as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. They also use the ** sign to leave this decision up to the physician on a case by case basis. Using the people on biggest loser for example: after 2 months on the ranch they are a lot more fit than when they started. Most of the time their blood pressure is within normal limits, their diabetes are gone or close to it, they are off most all of their other meds and their health issues have been largely resolved. But their BMI is still off the charts and they still have lots of weight to lose. There is study after study that indicate cardiovascular risk factors are a product of low fitness levels (not exercising) and not to how much a person weighs. Like has been said, it depends what your goals are and what you want to accomplish. On the show Extreme Weightloss the clients want to get to 50% of their original body weight by the 9 month mark so they can qualify for skin removal surgery not because they still aren't in shape yet.

Also as far as opinions go I agree that as a society we the definition of "overweight" or "obese" have changed. There is science behind it all but it's not that complicated. Eat better, eat less and move more then good things will happen.

[billrquimby]

At 78, I've reached the age when I am surprising myself by living longer than some of my seemingly healthier and fitter friends.

 

A case in point, someone I'd known for more than fifty years suddenly died last month after one of his daily two-mile jogs. This guy was a health freak, and skinny as a rail. He ate only healthy foods and had never smoked. He took an aspirin each day, drank only an occasional glass of red wine, visited his doctors for regular checkups, and should have lived to 100, instead of dying at just 71.

 

His family has no idea what killed him. His heart, lungs and arteries were in good shape, no cancer was present, and despite an autopsy, no cause of death was determined.

 

It is a downright shame that he had to die from nothing at such an early age.

 

Bill Quimby

[DesertBull]

In 1900 the life expectancy of an American male was less than 50 years. They had no fast food, 54 oz sodas etc. They were also poor as dirt for the most part and probably ate much less than they should have because of it.

[trphyhntr]

that's why I don't workout for "health." you never know whats going to happen in life. the people who eat the healthiest are always the maddest when they find out they got cancer and their fat friend is still going strong. I workout to help with picking up younger hotter chicks.

[Healy Arms]

A report finds that 80% of cops are overweight -

 

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/08/14/fbi-80-percent-of-police-officers-are-overweight/

 

Shocker! Nearly 70% of the country is overweight or obese and a segment of our public service community is 80% overweight. Okay - I'm not shocked.

 

 

Here is a glimpse of the American mindset that's allowed this to get out of control:

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/what-me-fat-most-americans-dont-think-so-poll-finds-n128406

 

Despite 2/3rds of the country being too heavy:

 

"Gallup found that 21 percent of women said they were overweight and trying to lose weight, compared with 15 percent of men who said the same. Meanwhile, 10 percent of women said they were trying to lose weight even though they didn't consider themselves overweight, compared with 6 percent of men who said the same."

 

I'm surprised they could even answer the questions with their heads that far under the sand.

 

Whether it's a BMI chart, a cloth tape around your gut, or a hydrostatic dunk, getting your mind wrapped around the idea that you've gotten too fat and sedentary is step one. From this Gallup poll it appears that’s not easy. At my 245lb peak I had spiraled way out of control long before I called for a personal timeout and got my mind right. I still have a long way to go, but at least it's going in the right direction now.

 

As hunters we're acutely aware when we're too heavy and out of shape. Americans that don't hump packs and elk quarters uphill every year are easily fooled.

[tjhunt2]

Thanks Mark for sharing this chart and most of all congratulations on your weight loss. I just turned 63 and in the worse shape of my life. At 5'5" and weighing in at 245lbs I know I have no one to blame but myself. If only cwt could burn calories I'd be skinny.

It's always tomorrow for me or right after I drink this last beer but tomorrow just seems to come and go and my will power poops out by the end of the day.

 

Ok, tomorrow is the day!

 

TJ