Back from physical and morbidly obese...lol

[Bouncin-Tigger]

Hello all should I be depressed about this....I am a fireifghter paramedic and have a yearly physical, got on scale and he pulled out his BMI index charts. I am 5'11 and weighed 179 according to the charts where I have no idea where they get these numbers from I should weigh around 155. Little backround, I work out 6 days a week, recently ran the wdw marathon in Jan. and a half marathon locally this past saturday. I kinda same myself and lil thin but toned, I have defined and toned abs not like a big beer belly....lol I was in shock that he used the word morbidly. Honestly I am fine with the results I just found it funny that a Dr. and sadly most of society use these charts like they are truth and the gospel. My dw thinks it hilarious and some coworker who also saw this dr stated he sometimes comes off lil rough with bad bedside manner.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

There is no way that 179 at 5' 11" is "morbidly obese". Either your doctor looked at the wrong height or wrong weight on the chart.

That calculates to a BMI of 25.0, which is just barely overweight (medically speaking "normal" weight stops at a BMI of 24.9)

A BMI of 40 or above is considered "morbidity".

So, apparently you need a new doctor.

 

[candielips]

You're kidding right? It makes you wonder how some Dr's get their PHD's?
Here is a link the Wikipedia and you are def in the healthy range, but I am sure you already know that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index

You better be careful being "morbidly obese" you might not fit on some of the rides. (Note: I am by no means making fun of people who are morbidly obese and do not fit on rides, only laughing at the Dr)

 

[FlightlessDuck]

You better be careful being "morbidly obese" you might not fit on some of the rides.

Actually, you could still find on rides, depending on height. 271lbs at 5' 8" (BMI 41.2) for example, would still be able to fit on most rides.

 

[bwilcox]

If you're morbidly obese, then I'm in trouble!

 

[Disneychix]

I also ran into trouble with the BMI index except it was with my DS. Yes, they are doing this for 3yr olds now! My DS is in the 90% percentile for weight and 75% for height in his age group and he was one point away from "obese" according to the BMI. I literally left the Drs office in tears! I was told his weight could go either way at this point and just to keep an eye on what he's eating and how much activity he gets.

When we got home DS took a BIG #2! I chalked his BMI up to this!!

Also related, DS was a preemie (2lbs at birth) and just 3 years ago wasn't even on the charts for height and weight! I should be congratulating him for growing so big and strong and now I'm left crying about it!

 

[bridget]

My husband also fails miserably at the BMI scales. He is 6'4" and is very athletic (played college football). Runs 3-4 days a week and lifts weights the other days.

I'm surprised your doctor said anything to you. My daughter is always off the chart in height and in 75% in weight (has long arms and long legs) and not one ounce of fat on her. The doctor pulled out another scale he uses and it looks at height vs. weight.

 

[Swimalie]

That's one reason I don't give any credit to the BMI charts. I am a competitive swimmer (ranked in the top 10 in the country) and yet this chart puts me at 21 BMI. I am no where near overweight. I have some small "pockets" but I wear a size 6 pants and those are usually big on me. The BMI doesn't account for muscle mass at all.

 

[bumbershoot]

BMI is just ridiculous. You are obviously muscular, and muscle throws off the already flawed charts. DH is built like a sumo, and while he does have weight to lose, per the charts he should shoot for 180 at 5'10/11" (um, obviously your doc looked at the wrong chart...perhaps the female chart if your'e a male?). Yeah, DH would have to lose an entire LEG to ever hit that weight. Once he loses the extra fat, DH is nothing but muscle, and big sumo muscle at that.

Is your doctor always this blank-brained? If so, I might switch and let him know why. Otherwise, let him know that he had to have read those charts wrong.

 

[momof2TNboys]

Okay, I had to comment. I guess it is the doctor in me. First of all, medical doctors do not have a PhD. It is an MD or DO. Second, a reliable doctor would know that you cannot solely base weight by the BMI. It notoriously overestimates when someone has a muscular build. That is why it is important to measure percent body fat. Sorry, but had to clear that up.

 

[momof2TNboys]

That's one reason I don't give any credit to the BMI charts. I am a competitive swimmer (ranked in the top 10 in the country) and yet this chart puts me at 21 BMI. I am no where near overweight. I have some small "pockets" but I wear a size 6 pants and those are usually big on me. The BMI doesn't account for muscle mass at all.

Actually a BMI of 21 is on the lower end of normal. So, you would not be anywhere near overweight.

 

[Schmeck]

I also ran into trouble with the BMI index except it was with my DS. Yes, they are doing this for 3yr olds now! My DS is in the 90% percentile for weight and 75% for height in his age group and he was one point away from "obese" according to the BMI. I literally left the Drs office in tears! I was told his weight could go either way at this point and just to keep an eye on what he's eating and how much activity he gets.

When we got home DS took a BIG #2! I chalked his BMI up to this!!

Also related, DS was a preemie (2lbs at birth) and just 3 years ago wasn't even on the charts for height and weight! I should be congratulating him for growing so big and strong and now I'm left crying about it!

Well, being 15% apart in height and weight is not a good thing (especially when the weight is the higher number) as it has been shown that artery scarring has been discovered in young children who are obese.

Also, a BM weighs less than a pound - if you think it weighed more than that, take him back to the doctor for a scope, to make sure he hasn't stretched the colon out too much, as that can cause some serious issues as he gets older (my daughter has an issue like this).

It is also common for a preemie's parents to want to 'force feed' the baby to put on weight, which can override the natural instinct to not overeat, causing huge eating issues as well.

These are all things to be concerned about, or to keep an eye on, but not to beat yourself up over. As parents, we try to do our best!

 

[DaniB]

I'm rolling my eyes. I keep being told I should be 155 as well (same height as you!) but there's no way I plan on it.

I'm also 5'11" and 8 weeks weighed 248.8 pounds. Now that's morbidly obese! I'm down to 233 and am trying to get down to 200 before our trip.

Eventually I would like to be about 175/180 but I am never going to try and get down to 155. That's just insane.

Dani

 

[dis-happy]

A couple of weeks ago the doctor and I both LOL when he plotted my ds' weight at a check-up and it came up as obese. This boy is 15 years old, is 5'7" and weighed 160 or 165 (can't recall the exact weight). The thing is, he trains at tennis 2-4 hours a day and is solid muscle.

I wouldn't worry about a small child with a 15% weight differential either. Oftentimes they bulk up before they shoot up. More important to look at the growth lines and see if they rise steadily and in proportion to each other. Congratulations for making it onto the chart!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

The BMI system is so flawed. Drives me crazy. HELLO!! Some people have a lot of muscle mass!

 

[EKW]

Perhaps your doctor pulled the "Supermodel BMI" index instead of "People who eat occasionally BMI" index. Sheesh!

 

[Grayce]

A better measure would be to see what your fat % is. Much more accurate than a BMI which doesn't account for how muscular a person is.

 

[scrappingizlife]

Holy crap I'm a cow. lol
My DH is 6' and 180. He is nowhere near being obese. What the heck kind of chart is this dr using. What respectable man is 155lbs @ 5' 11? Crazy!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I also ran into trouble with the BMI index except it was with my DS. Yes, they are doing this for 3yr olds now!

The formula for children is different than the one for adults. It has to do with percentiles of height and weight.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

That's one reason I don't give any credit to the BMI charts. I am a competitive swimmer (ranked in the top 10 in the country) and yet this chart puts me at 21 BMI.

Which is "normal " (18.5 to 24.9). So I'm not sure what your problem is with that.

Also, please note that BMI was based on a ratio some guy came up with the 1800's in regards to the ratio of height-to-weight of people in Norway.