Health Issues The Tape Mesure and Obesity

[shyvas]

http://news.sky.com/story/1229894/tape-measure-better-for-weighing-up-obesity

"The current method of judging obesity is so complex it should be replaced by a simple tape measure, according to a leading specialist."

 

[Joe]

I have a spreadsheet to calculate BMI on my other computer. Perhaps I should upload a copy here. If someone constructs the spreadsheet for you, then all you have to do is plug in the numbers. I really think that the premise of the article (that BMI is so difficult to calculate) is wildly exaggerated.

Also, why not use BOTH BMI AND waist measurement? Why set the two methods at odds with one another?

I also think that BMI is better because it is easier to use it to set intermediate weight-loss goals that are meaningful.

 

[Blobbenstein]

yea...calculating BMI isn't really a complicated calculation....maybe understanding it is...

Hight-weight charts maybe more useful..

Don't some people have different weight distribution patterns? Like apple shape and pear shape..? Pear shaped people are going to have a much smaller waist size than an apple person, for the same weight.

 

[SummerRain]

I really think that the premise of the article (that BMI is so difficult to calculate) is wildly exaggerated.

I agree. I'd be surprised if anybody actually calculates their BMI. There's lots of websites where you can just put in height and weight (sometimes age and gender) and it'll be calculated for you. Or charts with height and weight, which show the regions of different BMIs.

There are problems with BMI, as it doesn't take into account muscle/body shape/etc. But I think it's a good starting point to give you an idea of whether your weight is healthy or not, if you're not an athlete/etc. It helps you pick a healthy target weight for your height.

Don't some people have different weight distribution patterns? Like apple shape and pear shape..? Pear shaped people are going to have a much smaller waist size than an apple person, for the same weight.

I think that's sort of the point. Because carrying weight on your hips/thighs is better for your heart than your waist/middle, so if there's two (overweight) people of the same weight but one with a bigger waist, the person with a bigger waist is at a higher risk of heart problems.

 

[ledboots]

^^^ Exactly what SummerRain said.

The computer medical charting I do at work automatically calculates bmi for each patient. It is an indicator, if someone's bmi is very high or very low, but there are real issues with it. I have perfectly healthy patients with bmis of 17, or 30. You have to look at the person.

We don't do waist measurements, but I think it's a good idea. Patients would hate it though, I bet.

 

[Mikkel]

I think both methods have their positive and negative sides, so the best could be a combination perhaps? It's different where you carry your weight, but for people that are really obese, they will "score" as obese both on the BMI and mesuring the waist. But I guess the mesurement can be better for people that are not that obese, but have a really high amount of belly fat (as men often have example).

The critic about the BMI scale is often that some people are "overweight" because of a lot of muscles. I've even heard obese people talking about that. But it isn't really a problem for those who are in the 40 and 50 range on the scale at all.

But I guess a lot of obese people had perhaps been angry if the doctors starts to mesure their waist too. Here it seems like doctors aren't allowed to tell people that they weight too much, or that most of their healthproblems is caused by their obesity...

 

[Joe]

Attached is an Excel spreadsheet showing how to calculate BMI, both using meters/kilograms and using pounds/inches. Nothing fancy. Just multiplication and division.

BMI is just a fraction with the person's weight in kilograms in the numerator and his/her height-in-meters squared in the denominator.

Alternatively, BMI is a fraction where the numerator is a person's weight in pounds times a multiplier of 703; the person's height-in-inches squared is the denominator.
I found the multiplier in some article on the internet, but now I cannot remember where I got this.

Take the case of "Mary," a woman described on line 9 who is five feet tall, weighs 170 pounds, has a BMI of 33.2, and is therefore obese.
I have "solved" for Mary's BMI index numbers on lines 16 thru 33. I think this presents in effect a very straightforward plan of weight loss goals if Mary could lower her BMI by one index number per month until she reaches her goal weight, i.e., losing 5.1 pounds per month.

P.S. I had to put the spreadsheet inside a .ZIP file since this board does not allow uploading of a file with an .XLS extension.

 

[Blobbenstein]

Alternatively, BMI is a fraction where the numerator is a person's weight in pounds times a multiplier of 703; the person's height-in-inches squared is the denominator.
I found the multiplier in some article on the internet, but now I cannot remember where I got this.

well, BMI=(mass in kg)/(height in meters)²

an inch is 0.0254 metres
a pound is 0.453592kg

so BMI=(mass in pounds*0.453592)/(height in inches*0.0254)²
which equals (mass in pounds)/(height in inches)² all multiplied by (0.453592)/(0.0254)² which roughly equals 703.

so 703 is the conversion factor.

 

[Clueless Git]

I would like to see the 'self basting' obesity test bought in for omni's, myself.

Place omni in a preheated oven at gas mark 6 and leave for an hour or so.

If they come out dry and crispy then they must have been thin.

If they come out nicely basted then they must have been fat.

 

[Joe]

well, BMI=(mass in kg)/(height in meters)²

an inch is 0.0254 metres
a pound is 0.453592kg

so BMI=(mass in pounds*0.453592)/(height in inches*0.0254)²
which equals (mass in pounds)/(height in inches)² all multiplied by (0.453592)/(0.0254)² which roughly equals 703.

so 703 is the conversion factor.

Ah, thanks for explaining this. This makes sense.