# Are you fat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173 "2010-09-09T13:32:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/41 "2010-09-09T18:24:20Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > > [@WhyNot](#): > > > > Official medical definition is a BMI greater than 30. If you want to figure out your BMI, you put your height and weight in [here](http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/). > > > > That being said, BMI is overrated as an indicator of health. Can you do what you want to do, physically speaking? Can you run a block to catch a bus or carry several bags of groceries up three flights of stairs without getting winded (yes, there’s an urban bias to these measures)? Can you keep up with your kids and tie your shoes without grunting? I can do all that with a BMI I 32.5; my best friend can’t do any of that with a BMI of 19.0. > > > > Anyhoo, yes, by any measure, I’m obese, although not morbidly obese as I once was. But I’m healthy and happy. 🙂 > > \> 30 = obese > \> 35 = morbidly morbidly is 40 or greater. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/42 "2010-09-09T18:35:45Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > does having a 42" waist lower your diabetes risk over having a 48-50" waist? If yes, then it might be worth it to try again. But I get the impression the risk is the same for 41-62" waists. According to my nursing instructor (lousy citation, I know), LOSING weight has a greater impact on reducing diabetes risk than being less fat to start with. That is, yes, we have a greater risk of diabetes because we’re fat, but losing as little as 10 pounds cuts that risk dramatically (no numbers, sorry.) If \*already \*a diabetic, losing as little as 10 pounds means we have to recalculate your insulin needs, because your body doesn’t need as much exogenous insulin. In other words, yes, a 40" waist is a high predictor for developing diabetes, but that risk is even greater for a higher number, and the diabetes, if it develops, is more serious at 48" than 46" (assuming 1" = 8 pounds) Similar citeless claims abound from hospitals and clinics. [See here](http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:JupalnFhTUMJ:www.prevention.va.gov/PREVENTION/MPT/2010/10_health_gains_from_10_pounds_lost.pdf+http://www.prevention.va.gov/PREVENTION/MPT/2010/10_health_gains_from_10_pounds_lost.pdf&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjIFDtZnwuw7uzqrXksbqtyTJYM9AfCnTtOb969VwbWM5LngAaqsO8rSvLoVI8DzoOA7Q26sKIBZKq_rYVcjprU_Q5NVihg8axzcV3DaLvzHifnUHPgRw_OoYEh-IcrS9yGPgC6&sig=AHIEtbRwsIg-wj-ONrWMWFmT0mrzdvTLrw) for one example. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/43 "2010-09-09T18:42:30Z")
Not overweight. 6’5", 190-200lbs For the first 25 years of my life I couldn’t gain weight. Now I can, dammit. I run a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/44 "2010-09-09T18:56:17Z")
Overweight but not fat. (5’10", 196.) I don’t worry about it, as long as I can see my abs. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/45 "2010-09-09T19:01:53Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > > [@sandra\_nz](#): > > > > I’m not sure whether I’m morbidly obese, or what the official definition of that is, but that’s where I’ve put myself. > > Official medical definition is a BMI greater than 30. If you want to figure out your BMI, you put your height and weight in [here](http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/). > > That being said, BMI is overrated as an indicator of health. Can you do what you want to do, physically speaking? Can you run a block to catch a bus or carry several bags of groceries up three flights of stairs without getting winded (yes, there’s an urban bias to these measures)? Can you keep up with your kids and tie your shoes without grunting? I can do all that with a BMI I 32.5; my best friend can’t do any of that with a BMI of 19.0. > > Anyhoo, yes, by any measure, I’m obese, although not morbidly obese as I once was. But I’m healthy and happy. 🙂 Okay, I’m morbidly obese, with a BMI of 42. And yes, I can do what I want to do, in terms of the things you have stated - running a block to catch a bus, carrying the groceries up the stairs, etc. I’m reasonably active, although not intense activity, but I can happy go for a three hour walk or spend a day wandering around London visiting the various tourist attractions, etc. I am a lot fitter than many people I know who weigh less than me. Part of me thinks that’s because I’ve always been fat, so my body has built up muscle tone and strong bones as a result - for example, I saw a woman today who had a fat person ‘waddle’ and because I could see her reflected in the window and me reflected in the window, I could confirm that I don’t waddle like that. But I bet we were about the same weight. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/46 "2010-09-09T19:07:26Z")
I’m currently obese but within striking distance of only being overweight. I was underweight my entire life until about 5 years ago. I got sick and between the physical limitations, drugs and self medicating my depression with food as they tried and failed to find out what was wrong I gained over 100lbs. A year ago we figured out what was wrong, I had the surgery to fix things up and the weight is slowly dropping off. On my doctors advice I waited 6 months to ensure that this time we were right and the surgery had actually solved the problem. Even before I started dieting and exercising at the end of June and I had lost about 40lbs and since June I’ve lost 20 more. I’ve got 35 to go before the end of the year to meet my initial goal, and I’ll probably try and lose another 25 in the first 6 months of 2011. This will put me slightly higher than when I started but square in the middle of normal BMI. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/47 "2010-09-09T19:10:24Z")
> [@ethansiegel](#): > > I’d be curious to see this same poll, but with an extra option for “Somewhat high BMI but definitely not overweight.” Are there lots of us, or is it really just the 3 or 4 of us who said something in the poll? Nope, me too. My BMI is 26.5 but a lot of my weight is muscle. I’m always surprised by dieting before/after articles that show women who weigh less than I do but wear larger clothes and have waist measurements inches above mine. They say that for younger and/or active people Height-to-Waist ratios might be more accurate at predicting healthy weight, and my HtW at 44% is well within the healthy range. It’s probably BS but [this site](http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/)claims that given that, my body fat is just under 20% which is obviously also less than the BMI believes. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/48 "2010-09-09T19:13:37Z")
> [@Glory](#): > > [Before and after pictures](http://gloriana.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02) You are so pretty. 🙂 > [@corkboard](#): > > BMI is bullshit. I’m 5’9" and 166, and my BMI (24.5) puts me right at the cusp of “overweight” (25). I have a couple of extra pounds around my middle that seem to have taken up permanent residence but less than 13% body fat. Not total bullshit, but it’s not always accurate, no. It’s a fair measurement more often than not, but you have to keep your body type in mind. I’m about your size (a little smaller), and am right on the cusp of my target BMI range and overweight, too. Depending on the day, considering my weight usually fluctuates around 5 lbs, I’m either on the very high end of healthy, or very low end of overweight. I voted for the healthy BMI option because I’m in the range as often as I’m out of it, and just looking at me, you’d not think I was fat. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/49 "2010-09-09T19:13:53Z")
I am about 15 lbs underweight for my height. I’ve gone through quite a bit of effort to gain some weight, but can’t keep any on - I’ve been within 5 lbs of this weight since my mid-teens and am in my mid-20s now. I eat a lot and do my best to stay fit and strong, and I have some nice muscles (wiry little ones of course). All of my female friends have ‘normal’ to ‘morbidly obese’ BMIs and I eat more, sometimes much more, than a lot of them. I don’t think BMI is a reliable measure of body fat percentage or of health, no. I have around 20% bodyfat even though my BMI is just barely 17 right now and I am in great general health. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/50 "2010-09-09T19:26:22Z")
BMI is a rule of thumb for populations and obviously is not always the greatest tool for individuals. I’m probably heavier than BMI would indicate because I have a very light, birdlike frame. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/51 "2010-09-09T19:32:19Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > I am 6’3", 210 pounds, and was surprised to discover just now that I am in the overweight range by a few pounds. As someone who’s the same height and now down to 207 it’s kind of disappointing that losing 25 pounds and having lots of people comment on how thin you’re looking these days does _not_ mean you’re at a good weight according to the BMI. Apparently I have to go down to 145 to be considered “underweight”. Amputation might do it. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/52 "2010-09-09T19:42:30Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > BMI is a rule of thumb for populations and obviously is not always the greatest tool for individuals. I’m probably heavier than BMI would indicate because I have a very light, birdlike frame. See, I don’t think this is true either. Unless by ‘populations’ you mean ‘European soldiers in the 1800s’ which is the entirely of the data set the BMI equation is based on. No women. No non-white men. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/53 "2010-09-09T20:00:40Z")
I’m slightly over my ideal weight but well within the “right” BMI for what that’s worth. I don’t think anyone would see my weight as unhealthy. However, I’m waaaaaaay too fat to be fashionable. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/54 "2010-09-09T20:10:29Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > > [@Zsofia](#): > > > > BMI is a rule of thumb for populations and obviously is not always the greatest tool for individuals. I’m probably heavier than BMI would indicate because I have a very light, birdlike frame. > > See, I don’t think this is true either. Unless by ‘populations’ you mean ‘European soldiers in the 1800s’ which is the entirely of the data set the BMI equation is based on. No women. No non-white men. The thing is, I don’t really see why people think it’s _necessary._ Can you not tell a fat person by looking at them? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/55 "2010-09-09T20:14:18Z")
> [@ethansiegel](#): > > But I’ve also heard that, for 90%+ of the population, BMI is a good indicator of whether you’re overweight or obese. I’d be curious to see this same poll, but with an extra option for “Somewhat high BMI but definitely not overweight.” Are there lots of us, or is it really just the 3 or 4 of us who said something in the poll? It’s not just us, it’s a fairly well known limitation of the BMI - if you lead an athletic lifestyle and have a muscular build, your BMI may read as overweight when you’re actually not. From the [National Institute of Health](http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm): > [@](#): > > Although BMI can be used for most men and women, it does have some limits: > > It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build. > It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/56 "2010-09-09T20:28:40Z")
My BMI is 27.5, which I refer to as “Texas normal”–yes, I am overweight, but as a woman in her 30s in Texas, I am absolutely normal. I have lost about 45% of my body weight in the last 15 months, however, so yes, I was fat. I like this better. I’d love to lose another 20 lbs but we are trying to conceive through IVF and I think it’s better to be maintaining for that. If we are successful, I can always take this last 20 lbs off later. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/57 "2010-09-09T20:39:43Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > > [@rhubarbarin](#): > > > > See, I don’t think this is true either. Unless by ‘populations’ you mean ‘European soldiers in the 1800s’ which is the entirely of the data set the BMI equation is based on. No women. No non-white men. > > The thing is, I don’t really see why people think it’s _necessary._ Can you not tell a fat person by looking at them? Well, yes and no. I can sure tell when someone is big and carrying what I consider extra fat, but most people don’t seem to agree with my definition of ‘overweight’ (because higher weights and extra body fat are the norm for the whole population here) Also, slender people who have zero muscle tone and more than 32% body fat often aren’t identifiable until they are wearing very little. They have the same health risks as someone who’s carrying around 50lbs of extra fat on a large frame, but they often think they’re healthy cause they’re not visibly large, so don’t bother to make good choices when it comes to their health. Either way BMI is useless. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/58 "2010-09-09T22:00:22Z")
I’m fat. Have been most of my adult life. I think I may have clicked on “obese” though because in addition to being fat I can’t read up to down. Actually at 240 I guess I’m morbidly obese. But I’m so damned spry I forget sometimes! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/59 "2010-09-09T22:33:05Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > > [@rhubarbarin](#): > > > > See, I don’t think this is true either. Unless by ‘populations’ you mean ‘European soldiers in the 1800s’ which is the entirely of the data set the BMI equation is based on. No women. No non-white men. > > The thing is, I don’t really see why people think it’s _necessary._ Can you not tell a fat person by looking at them? [Apparently not](http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/29/3/695.full). This study showed people drawings of a person of each sex in six levels of fitness: one underweight, two normal, one slightly overweight, one significantly overweight, and one very overweight, and asked them to identify which person(s) (of their own gender) in the pictures were at healthy weights. > [@](#): > > Among respondents, 41% reported a “healthiest body weight for [their] height” corresponding with an overweight BMI, and 6% reported a “healthiest” weight that was obese (Table 1). One participant selected a weight in the underweight range as “healthiest.” > > Men (35%) were less likely than women (65%) to specify a normal-BMI weight as “healthiest” (P \< 0.001). People with higher degrees of excess weight were generally less likely to specify weights in the normal-BMI range as “healthiest” (P \< 0.001). For example, 66% of obese participants, 41% of overweight participants, and 4% of those with normal BMI identified overweight or obese measurements as ideal for health. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173/60 "2010-09-09T23:11:22Z")
No. Last month when I went to the doctor, my current measurements were 5’7" and 114 lbs, which puts me at 17.9 on the BMI chart. I just don’t eat that much, never have. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-fat/553173.md?page=4)