Are you overweight or obese? You betcha

Are you overweight or obese? You betcha

How many American’s are overweight or obese? Oh, millions upon millions, right?

Are you amongst them? You know who “they” are: those headless bellies that we see on the news when such topics are breached.

It is very, very likely that you are.

How so?

Consulting with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) you will learn:

Body mass index (BMI) is a way of characterizing weight status. For example, an adult’s weight status is classified as underweight (BMI < 18.5), normal (BMI = 18.5 – 24.9), overweight (BMI = 25.0 – 29.9), or obese (BMI = 30.0)….

The BMI has gained increasing use by health professionals because it is highly correlated with body fat.

The BMI values used to classify adults as underweight, normal, overweight, or obese are based on their ability to predict the effect of body weight on the risk for some diseases…

Although BMI is only one of many factors…

For adults, BMIs are calculated from mathematical formulas that take into account an individual’s height and weight. BMI can be calculated using pounds and inches with this equation:

BMI = (weight in pounds/(height in inches x height in inches) x 703

At this point, the FDA directs us, via a hyperlink, to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) which states:

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI is a fairly reliable indicator of body fatness for most people. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but…BMI can be considered an alternative for direct measures of body fat…

BMI is used as a screening tool to identify possible weight problems for adults. However, BMI is not a diagnostic tool. For example, a person may have a high BMI. However, to determine if excess weight is a health risk, a healthcare provider would need to perform further assessments.

Ok, so the point is that BMI is what it is and is not that which it is not: it only guesstimates.

Keep in mind a few points:

A scale only tell you one thing and nothing more.

It tells you how much you weigh.

It does not tell you whether you are healthy or unhealthy, if you are obese or lean, if you are it is good weight (such as muscle) or bad weight (such as excessive fat), etc.

Some base their stats as to how many American’s are overweight or obese upon the generic BMI calculations. Although the CDC states that it does not “use those to determine overweight and obesity among the general public.” Perhaps, we will see that this is a wise choice.

Here are the guidelines which are stated to be “The standard weight status categories associated with BMI ranges for adults” based on this calculation:

Formula: weight (lb) / [height (in)]2 x 703

Calculate BMI by dividing weight in pounds (lbs) by height in inches (in) squared and multiplying by a conversion factor of 703.

Example: Weight = 150 lbs, Height = 5’5″ (65″)
Calculation: [150 ÷ (65)2] x 703 = 24.96

For the mathematically challenged: once you determine your height in inches (your height in feet multiplied by 12) you can go to this link and determine what your height in inches is squared. The top of the page shows the results for the example above, that is 65″, so just change the “65” in the search function to your number of inches and get your results.

Here are the ranges:

BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight

18.5 – 24.9 is normal

25.0 – 29.9 is overweight

30.0 and above is obese

Here is an example from the CDC: for a person who is 5′ 9″ tall:

124 lbs or less which is a BMI of below 18.5 they are underweight

125 lbs to 168 lbs with BMI 18.5 to 24.9, normal

169 lbs to 202 lbs with BMI 25.0 to 29.9, overweight

203 lbs or more with BMI 30 or higher, obese

So, keeping all of the qualifiers in mind: how did you fare?

“for while bodily training is of some value,

 godliness is of value in every way,

as it holds promise for the present

life and also for the life to come”

—1 Timothy 4:8

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