Ditching the BMI?

[Totenkindly]

Time to Say Goodbye to the B.M.I.?

The body mass index has long been criticized as a flawed indicator of health. A replacement has been gaining support: the body roundness index.

www.nytimes.com

Basically people with a wide variety of shapes and health can share a BMI number. There's talk of moving to a BRI (body roundness index) better describing the weight carried on the midsection.

 

[SD45T-2]

BMI has always struck me as being extremely crude, so this might be progress. For instance, you can have two guys who are 6 feet tall and 200 lbs. One has 30% body fat and the other has 15% body fat. Going by BMI alone, those guys are exactly the same, even though their physiques and health metrics would be drastically different.

 

[ceecee]

Time to Say Goodbye to the B.M.I.?

The body mass index has long been criticized as a flawed indicator of health. A replacement has been gaining support: the body roundness index.

www.nytimes.com

Basically people with a wide variety of shapes and health can share a BMI number. There's talk of moving to a BRI (body roundness index) better describing the weight carried on the midsection.

It's so pointless since it only measures weight to height. My husband is 6'4, 270. He does weights two times a week and cardio two times a week. His BMI is still 28-29 which is nearly obese.

 

[Maou]

Good, because It has always made me sound morbidly obese, but I am no where near as large as other people of the same BMI. I may be overweight, but I am not obese. I can even touch my toes, and am fully able bodied. I do cardio all day at work too.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

I’m like 6’ and hover around 195 lbs. People describe me as a stringbean and yet I am somehow borderline obese. Yet I barely touch processed junk food and avoid sugary drinks altogether. Much of my fat weight has been replaced by muscle through gradual body recomposition. Other than some stubborn middle aged love handles, I’m in pretty great shape and look the best I have in years

It’s a stupid metric and it doesn’t really provide true body fat numbers.