prathmann

Your initial post started with this question "Does a low BMI in short terms [sic] mean your [sic] more helthy [sic] then [sic] someone with a high BMI..?"
It's perfectly legitimate to answer that question in the negative by showing specific cases that are exceptions. That's what GravelMN did. He wasn't saying anything about you or your health. Just that there are people who have a low BMI who are nevertheless far from healthy.

ChargerDawg

So let's put this into perspective.

BMI is a simple calculation based upon 2 things, height and weight. In order for the calculation to be relevant, the individual measured must be within the distribution of general population. The calculation is not applicable if you fall outside of the distribution of the general population.

So, a football player has the same BMI of a couch potato.

A persons body structure (narrow or wide), thickness and muscle tone have no input.

A calculation which includes body width would help, but none have been forthcoming.

trekmogul 

It did not take me long in my new lifestyle (6 months) to get out of the mode of i eat food because i enjoy it to i eat food that is required to give me a healthy lifestyle. I am very wel laware this is not for everyone or mabe no others, but it is for me and i could be no other way at this time. Already back from my morning 20 miles as i left the house @ 0430am for my ride..

Gerryattrick

OK I'm going to say it. While there is nothing to be critical of in any lifestyle that leads to a person becoming healthier and fitter, in my opinion many people reply sarcastically, and sometimes critically, to posts where people seem very self-satisfied and praise their own success a bit too loudly.


Like everyone else I have my successes and failures in life, but I couldn't enjoy that life as much if it was too regimented and I couldn't eat or drink stuff that I enjoy (including red meat on occasions, alcohol and too much ice cream) and sometimes decide to just laze around for a few days.


A coffee and cake is much more satisfying mid-ride than a vegetable smoothie and raw carrot.

BigAura

Personally i really like carrot cake

trekmogul 

Actually I am just heading out for my afternoon 20 miles and while i drink my large coffee and 2 cookies i get ready..

OldTryGuy

For myself, food and drink is fuel. I often prevent myself from indulging in things I love because some adverse internal grumblings could result. My wife and I have gone on many cruises and I just can not eat/drink the way so many others do, even though I use the exercise facilities and the running deck. Consuming a liquid concoction of healthy ingredients that is not too pleasing to my taste buds is something I will not/can not do; however, I will give a to all those who down those atomic bombs that energize the body.

Just finished 66 miles today and my 130 mile birthday ride is on Saturday.

InOmaha

BMI is very misleading. That's why our health insurance plan corrects it with a belly measurement. I'm 6'3" and 225 lbs.

When I was 240 lbs I was overweight and at 225 lbs I'm still overweight, but there is a 4" difference in my waist. If I wanted to be "normal weight" I would need to get to 200 lbs; which I could do by dropping the weight lifting out of my workout routines and do 100% cardio instead. But why would I want to be all weak?

Nobody can tell if a person can run a marathon or ride 100 miles by looking at them. But they can tell if they lift weights.

OldTryGuy

Looking at me one couldn't tell that I swam 2.4 miles in the Gulf of Mexico under red flag conditions, biked 112 miles in windy conditions then completed a marathon, all in 13:31:48, but you most certainly could tell that I don't lift weights.

Sad to say, a 135lb weakling.

gevad 

Man, you are REALLY old!

JanMM

BMI information from NIH: Calculate Your BMI - Standard BMI Calculator

I'm currently Normal Weight but was Overweight a few years ago. Agree that BMI is more useful for populations than for individuals.

DnvrFox

Hmm!!

I think that maybe I will take a 30 mile birthday ride. That would add many years to my life expectancy.

OldTryGuy

Birthday ride mileage = 2 X age + 2 for good measure.

h2oxtc

I happen to enjoy the pie ride (once a year) and won't turn down carrot cake either. I chuckled when I calculated my BMI and would tend to side with the opinion "all things in good measure" as a balanced and healthy approach to life. But each to their own, it's what makes the world go round.

blt

Given what BMI means, the question is no different than asking, "Does a low weight mean you're more healthy than someone with a high weight?" After all, BMI is merely an attempt to adjust weight for differences in height. Ignoring the shrinkage that comes with age, all of us here have a fixed height. We can't change our BMI by changing our height, we can only change our BMI by changing our weight. If you are trying to target BMI numbers, you can just as easily (or more easily) target weight numbers.

For example, if you are 6'0", then the BMI categories provide that you are underweight if you are less than 137 pounds, normal if you are 137-183 pounds, overweight if you are 184-220 pounds, and obese if you are 221 or greater. This alone shows the limited utility of BMI and its categories for individuals. For the population of people 6'0", I can believe that normal weights range from 137 to 183 pounds. For an individual, there is no way that a normal weight range is that great.

And then back to the OP's question as I reframed it, does a lower weight mean more healthy than a higher weight? As GravelMN pointed out, boy howdy, it sure depends. And really, isn't that a silly question, does lower weight mean more healthy than a higher weight? Gee, that depends on how close to healthy the lower weight is compared to how close to healthy the higher weight is. It doesn't take a health professional to know that for a 6'0" man, 170 pounds is more healthy than 80. And it doesn't take a health professional to know that for a 6'0" man, 150 pounds is more healthy than 400. But for a 6'0" man, is 150 more healthy than 170? Depends on a whole lot of factors. For me, 150 would be better than 170. For my son, 170 would be better than 150. Want to know your healthy weight range? Go consult with a professional, because I guarantee you that no 6'0" individual has a healthy weight range of 137-183, the range that BMI says is "normal" for 6'0".

DnvrFox

Well, I am vacationing and bicycling the Rio Grande Trail in Carbondale, CO, and think that I will go to dinner and see if I can raise my BMI just a bit!!

trekmogul 

Finally broke down and purchased my very first Bike Computer the Garmin Edge 1000 with lots of bells and whistles. Fired it up, strapped on the heart monitor and headed out for 25 miles. While riding my single speed bike, I averaged 19.5 MPH with a Max Heart rate of 164 and average of 111. I tried to see how fast i could get the single speed going and maxed out at 26MPH. That was all i could do.I have never had any of this information before. Not sure it means anything but love the new garmin. Mabe I added 2 more minutes of quality life to my existance.. DNVR your sarcasm does not bother me ..

DnvrFox

I'm glad my comment does not bother you, because it was not meant as sarcasm, and I apologize if you took it that way. I did include a smiley . As I said previously in this thread - "Whatever rings your bell and makes you happy and doesn't hurt others is the way to go."

trekmogul 

Does a resting pulse along with heart rate have anything to do with ones health or is that also just a myth..?

OldsCOOL

Resting heart rate is about as reliable as the generic maximum of 220 minus age. Now, if your resting rate isnt down in the 40's, it doesnt mean you are out of shape.

DnvrFox

I've never had a low resting heart rate. Am I "in-shape" for someone 74.5yo? I would say more "in-shape" than those already buried in the ground, likely more "in-shape" than many my age. (When I get my periodic high school newsletter [I graduated in 1957], I am blown away by the number who have left us and gone to the great beyond. It is scary.)

OldsCOOL

When my cardio fitness was fine-tuned by repetitive sprints in high school track seasons my resting pulse was the same as it is now.....60, or a touch below. Some are sprinters and some are endurance. My guess is it's the endurance guys have the corner on low resting pulse.

I hear you on the aging process, it gets somewhat lonely the older you get seeing classmates and peers pass away.

DnvrFox

Mine is and has been between 58 and 60 - for many years.

Bikey Mikey

My lowest HB and BP that has ever been taken at the doc's office was 54 BPM and 104/60.

trekmogul 

if your interested in reducing your weight, it takes several things and those several things 99% cant or wont do.

Totally all in Commited

Lifestyle Change

Quite simply that if you cant follow these 2 requirements, you most likely will never make it to the other side. You need to hold yourself 100% accountable for what goes in the mouth and thats 80% of the battle. People say i hardly eat this , i hardly eat that. EVERY SINGLE thing that goes in that mouth has CALORIES and Calories if not burned go into Fat. How i look at it is that when i stick something in my mouth to feed my face it HAS A CONSEQUENCE no matter what it is. I can account for almost every single thing that goes in my mouth at the end of the day..! When you start holding yourself fully accountable for feeding your face, you will prevail..I KNOW..I been FAT FREE for almost 7 years wihtout putting on ONE SINGLE # Still maintaining 150lbs and proud of it..