Stupid weight charts - a rant

eminenz2

eminenz2

Cathlete
How are height weight charts calculated? How are the cutoffs between what's healthy and what's not decided?

If I have a low resting heart rate (mine is 59), normal blood pressure (constantly taken by my docs), exercises 6 times a week, don't eat excessively (and do eat healthy), how am I obese just because I'm 15 pounds over what the charts say I should be? Obese?

It's as if you get no credit for everything else you do!

And don't even get me started on all the little blurbs in magazines and newpsapers saying how being overweight increases a women's chance for breast cancer. Or eating this increases your risk, or eating that can reduce your risk...

...because every survivor I know always appreciates being told what she did to contract her cancer. (My personal favorite was the "bras cause breast cancer" link I was emailed a couple months ago.)

Anyway, stupid height weight BMI BMR RMR SOS FU ACT SAT YMMV charts!!!
x(x(x(x(x(x(x(x(x(x(x(




Ahhhh! I feel better now. Now I can go exercise...

Thanks for that.....:):*

Susan L.G.
 
Right there with you Susan!! Went to my doc in July for a sinus infection. I'm 43 yrs old, 5'4", I was at 137 pounds. BP is 90/50, cholesterol is 126, do both resistance and cardio working out, eat healthy, blah, blah, blah. She advised I was borderline obese - had to lose 10 pounds and should lose 20! That'll throw a dagger straight into your heart won't it? Now my doc acknowledged that her assessment was strictly based on numbers and the BMI and she did say that since I do weight training I likely have some muscle tissue that kicks that number up. But for as hard as you try and then you get kicked in the teeth! Sooooo frustrating.

You're doing the right things though, and I'm sure you know it. Stay true to your healthy lifestyle! (BTW - I started following the Cinch eating program the first of September, and I am losing those pounds - only 7 more to go to get to that 20 pounds down that the doc wanted. I wonder what she'll say when I get there and then go back - hmmmm.)

Lorrie

Pain is temporary - quitting lasts forever
Candace Grasso, CC-V-6
 
Hey, Susan. I hear you. I feel your pain. I am deceptively heavy for my height, and the weight charts just don't account for a dense, muscular body. Hang in there--you know what you're doing.

Loree--can you tell us more about Cinch and how it's working for you? Do you eat regular meals at dinner on the plan?

Thanks,
Lynda
 
Weight charts don't take into account alot of things. Body fat % is a better way of calculating but even than that can be deceiving depending on what method is used and who is performing the test. Everyone is built different. Being comfortable with your fitness level and how you feel in your clothes is sometimes the best indicator of how well you are doing.


Lorrie, I can't believe your doctor said you were close to obese. I don't know what chart your dr. used, but here is a link to one. http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ If you calculate your height and weight listed above on this calculator your BMI is in the normal range. It is not uncommon for people who work out to be in the higher end of normal due to muscle mass. Even so that is still at least 6 points away from being obese. You would have to weigh 175 to reach the obesity level. Congrats on the weight loss though, that's quite an accomplishment since Sept 1. What is the Cinch eating program?

Jean
 
What is the maintenance plan for Cinch? What do you do to keep the weight off? So many plans fail because they don't tell you how to eat after you've lost weight.

"You can't win them all - but you can try." - Babe Zaharias http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/musik/music-smiley-004.gif[/img]
 
My normal weight is also deceptive. I am 5'7" and usually around 160 pounds (so my bmi is around 25.5 i think - "slightly overweight") - but I am healthy in every way and a size 6 normally (i say this b/c it doesn't apply to my current pregnancy figure). My body fat, however, usually hovers around 22%. I have pcos and I am very happy with these results b/c many women with this are 250+ and struggle on a daily basis. We all have physical or mental challenges of some kind - I don't strive to be perfect, just healthy for me. It is very hard not to gauge yourself against others (I think everyone falls into this trap). I also really find it frustrating when doctors just use a standardized criteria from which to form opinions on some health issues like weight. I also don't think it's unreasonable to tell the dr what you think of their opinion on this matter - although it may be shocking just to hear the words "you are obese" and a quick come back may not be forthcoming - after all, they are providing a service. I had one dr try to guess my weight for prescription purposes and began at 125 lbs - when I stopped him and told him the actual #, he commented right away on how I needed to lose weight. I felt terrible and I was 18. I wish I had the courage to tell him what I thought of that at the time especially when he started at 125 - which says something! I agree with the other poster that said body fat is a much better gauge of health. don't let it get you down in any event :D

annie
 
I totally agree!! A few years ago, when I was still in the military, I was at an ideal weight for my body (where I was working out hard for 5-6 days a week and doing twice weekly Body Pump classes and was a vegetarian). I am 5'9" and was at that time 160 pounds with a 30-inch waist (never had a really small waist because I'm built like a guy--straight up and down, no curves!!)... and a military doctor informed me that I was within five pounds of being considered too overweight and might have to be put on a special weight loss program!!! I was like... what the heck? But again, he was going strictly by a weight chart that hasn't been updated in forever. Still... I was really peeved. Nothing brings down your day like someone telling you you're too fat...
 
Absolutely - and I think it's even more disturbing for those who are like we are - try to be concious of what we eat and how we workout - we try to be healthy and then get blasted. I know the BMI chart comes under a lot of criticism for all of the factors that are not considered. Yes - we KNOW our own strengths and weaknesses, but the docs can level us with just a few teeny words. Ugh!

For those of you who asked - Cinch is an inch loss program that Shaklee recently lainched. Not weight loss per se because it has a lot of leucine which supposed to preserve muscle tissue. It is not for everyone because it is a drink / shake "meal replacement" plan and I know many folks don't like that. But it works for me - and I think we all have to find what works for us!! And yes - regular meals (and large regular meals) at dinner and amazing snacks - go figure. I've never had this kind of definition in my upper body so I think preserving the muscle tissue and getting rid of the fat is actually working for me - yay! And HB - there's a strong focus on learning and implementing portion control to transition to maintain - though many are saying they will keep one shake a day. (Plus they taste good!)

But I do know and appreciate that some people don't like it when specific brands are mentioned (though I don't know how that's any different from discussing BFL, BFFM, Eat to Live, etc.) Nevertheless, I'll get off of my soapbox about how much I love what Cinch is doing for me (DH just started it too.) And go back to the topic about how infuriating the obesity words can be. At the end of the day, I think we all just need to stay true to our healthy values and, as hard as it is, take the docs' words on obesity in stride.



Lorrie

Pain is temporary - quitting lasts forever
Candace Grasso, CC-V-6
 
I'm 49, 5'2", and weigh 138 (did I just put that out there for everyone to see!!!). My heartrate, bloodpressure, and heartrate are excellent(according to my doctor every year.) Yes, I want to lose some weight and firm up more BUT...I agree with you. Weight looks different on different people depending on how you're built and how much muscle you have.

Some of us were talking about weight at work one day, and I told them that I'd finally 'fessed to my husband my actual weight and that he had guessed that I was about 15 pounds lighter. A woman there said, "Of course he said that, he didn't want to tick you off." I asked her how much she thought I weighed, and she guessed 125, just what my husband had guessed. When I told her my true weight, she didn't have anything else to add!
 
Weight is really deceivingx( I had my yearly vistit to my doctor last week. I have gained ten pounds in a year time but I have lost 2 inches in my hips,dropped to a solid 6, gained alot of definition all over and what I like alot dropped 3% body fat(yeah down to 16.5%). My doctor told me that according to the charts I am overweight but SHE stated that it is only a number and nothing else and that I am in superb shape and that is all that matters. Heck she even stated that if you go by those charts most body builders are considered obese.
 
Body Max Index and height weight charts are not accurate for muscular, fit people. You need to have your bodyfat check, and, in my opinion, calipers are more accurate than the handheld devices.
 
I am right there with you. I stand at 5'2" tall with a weight about 130, and I fit into a size 4 pants most of the time. My bodyfat is only about 17 percent, and I am very densely packed with muscle.
 
When I went for my last check up the nurse was shocked that I weighed 125 at 5'. She said she would have never guessed my weight was that high. I mentioned in the doctor's office that the charts say I was borderline obese. My doctor knew I lifted weights and told me the charts were unreliable and not to worry about it.

I also wear a 4-6 pants.
 
What aggravates me the most is how many of the people who tell you these things are obese themselves or have extreme ideas of how to lose weight. Once I went to a doctor who wanted to put me on a 500 calorie diet. I weighed 115- 120 at the time.....I believe moderation is important in everything !:D
 
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