Waist to height ratio Versus Body Mass Index

Bmblbzzz
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Haven't heard that expression TOFI before but it sums up what I was thinking; neither BMI nor height:waist take any account (at least on the individual level) of body composition.
Tangled Metal
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by Tangled Metal »

I'm at 41 to 42% of my height, it's that a fail or pass?

BMI has me halfway between the bottom and top of the ideal range. I used to be just above the bottom even 2 or more below the bottom of the range. 6'5" and 9.5 stone never really felt wrong but it is and even 6 stone more is within the ideal BMI. I was climbing and whitewater kayaking when I was below ten stone. Certainly helped with hanging upside down for ten minutes trying to work out how to move on. I doubt I could do the same 100+ chin ups in one go I could back then. Last time I tried in the gym the phrase "I'll try that later" really meant "sod that!" after just 4 attempts! At least my BMI was perfectly in the middle of the acceptable range

And then don't get me started on cholesterol. I'm officially above the high threshold by a significant amount. But because I have never smoked, drink about 2 units alcohol a week, eat healthily and exercise more than the 5 x one hour vigorous sessions advised for health this high cholesterol doesn't matter.

So just what measures do matter?

BTW my waist is 32" but trouser size is 34" (I carry my weight a bit lower than my waist it seems). Ppl say I'm skinny but I have a middle age paunch. It's just that my height kind of masks it. Put simply any guidelines medical experts put out will be contradicted sooner or later. IMHO it only matters that you exercise, eat well and sleep well. If you look after yourself your body tends to look after you (if that even makes sense).

PS I will pass any medical measure (except cholesterol) you care to post about. I'll still die. So I just enjoy my life. I'm fortunate in that this action actually involves a healthy lifestyle. I like exercise, I like good, healthy food and I like sleeping. Healthy lifestyle is fun for me. I bet it's fun for a lot on here too.
mercalia
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by mercalia »

more fun from the BBC?
Where are you on the UK fat scale?
"Use this calculator to find out your own body mass index (BMI) and see how you compare with the rest of the nation. You will also get tips from health experts and useful links to information on how to improve your health."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43697948
Tangled Metal
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by Tangled Metal »

OK that is interesting. Why the postcode? Data collection tool. What are the bbc's privacy rules?

Paranoid? Me?

BTW I'm right in the middle of the healthy range, as in the needle is splitting it in two. Gives he maximum wriggle room for Xmas / holiday pigging out (French food this year I hope the cycling keeps weight off) and for any illness or other matter that makes me lose weight. I think I've been at that point for about 15 years. I'm kind of constant in my height and weight. Although I don't get how my belly has got bigger but my weight, waist size, etc hasn't changed. I think it's age related.
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horizon
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by horizon »

Vorpal wrote:
horizon wrote:
Weight might be a good indicator of diet and exercise so in a way the doctors might be right. I have a feeling too that doctors are really referring to gross overweight - i.e. obesity and in this case weight really does matter.


Does it? How do you know?

This kind of bias causes harm, never mind the fat-shaming that media and even individuals engage in. Furthermore, few people choose to be obese, and there are many more factors than just diet and exercise that impact it.



Vorpal: I've flagged this up again as I thought you might get more comments on it. I'm only going on what doctors tell us - your views are refreshingly different.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Bmblbzzz
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Tangled Metal wrote:OK that is interesting. Why the postcode? Data collection tool. What are the bbc's privacy rules?

Paranoid? Me?

It gives a regional comparison too.
Bmblbzzz
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by Bmblbzzz »

horizon wrote:
Vorpal wrote:
horizon wrote:
Weight might be a good indicator of diet and exercise so in a way the doctors might be right. I have a feeling too that doctors are really referring to gross overweight - i.e. obesity and in this case weight really does matter.


Does it? How do you know?

This kind of bias causes harm, never mind the fat-shaming that media and even individuals engage in. Furthermore, few people choose to be obese, and there are many more factors than just diet and exercise that impact it.



Vorpal: I've flagged this up again as I thought you might get more comments on it. I'm only going on what doctors tell us - your views are refreshingly different.

One of the most significant other factors is, I think, mental health.
Psamathe
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by Psamathe »

Tangled Metal wrote:OK that is interesting. Why the postcode? Data collection tool. What are the bbc's privacy rules?

Paranoid? Me?
......

It does say further down the page that the postcode is used "This part of the results shows the percentage of adults who are overweight or obese in the area of the UK that matches the user's postcode.".

However, I feel it very bad manners/poor practice to have people enter information about themselves (or others) without any explicit statement specifying if that data will be saved, passed to others, any personally identifiable information associated with what you entered (e.g. iPlayer login cookies used to identify user), etc., etc. I consider such a statement should be clear and with the data entry (i.e. not in some generalised "Privacy" link in the page footer covering the entire web site). And if it is there it is not obvious as I could not notice it and I was looking for it!

This omission is particularly important given the recent Facebook privacy/harvesting issues - yet BBC oblivious and could not care less?

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Mick F
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by Mick F »

Tangled Metal wrote:OK that is interesting. Why the postcode? Data collection tool. What are the bbc's privacy rules?
I used a postcode from where we used to live years ago, not our postcode now. Why would anyone ever put their real up-to-date postcode into a website?

If I were an inch taller and lost 3lbs, my BMI would be "healthy".
As it is, at 5ft 9" and 12st 6lbs I'm "overweight".
I could reach 5ft 10" if I stood up better, and my weight fluctuates 12st 2lbs to 12st 6lbs - it's on the higher side now, but give me a month or two in the good weather and it will drop to 12st and a bit.
Mick F. Cornwall
Vorpal
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by Vorpal »

horizon wrote:
Vorpal wrote:
horizon wrote:
Weight might be a good indicator of diet and exercise so in a way the doctors might be right. I have a feeling too that doctors are really referring to gross overweight - i.e. obesity and in this case weight really does matter.


Does it? How do you know?

This kind of bias causes harm, never mind the fat-shaming that media and even individuals engage in. Furthermore, few people choose to be obese, and there are many more factors than just diet and exercise that impact it.



Vorpal: I've flagged this up again as I thought you might get more comments on it. I'm only going on what doctors tell us - your views are refreshingly different.


http://www.bbc.com/news/health-43822604
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
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horizon
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by horizon »

Here's something to consider:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/201 ... -your-life

My money is on microbes but a good diet and intense exercise might be the key to that. I have two overweight relatives and I do know how much exercise they get (or not). But we have a very thin friend as well who actually isn't as healthy (cue smoking ...).
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Vorpal
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by Vorpal »

horizon wrote:Here's something to consider:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/201 ... -your-life

My money is on microbes but a good diet and intense exercise might be the key to that. I have two overweight relatives and I do know how much exercise they get (or not). But we have a very thin friend as well who actually isn't as healthy (cue smoking ...).

The Guardian article only includes the comparison beween doing none of the healthy habits, or doing all of them. what they don't tell you is that of all of them, exercise makes the biggest difference, and smoking makes the next biggest difference.

For women, there is relatively little difference in outcome by BMI, except for those over a BMI of 35. For men, there is a moderate difference in expected outcome for those who have a BMI of over 30, and a larger one for those who have a BMI of over 35. This study includes only US health professionals who are mostly white, and does not include external factors such as medical treatment, life stress, etc. They have not controlled for influencing factors or comorbid conditions. They separated the factors based upon data from elsewhere.

So I would not use this study to understand the influence of weight on health. However, one of their conclusions is that having multiple healthy lifestyle factors is much better than having a few, and that the effects are more than just cumulative, which I think is actually the most interesting aspect of the outcome.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
djnotts
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by djnotts »

BMI 20.7. Waist 42% of height. Shame the lungs have only 52% of "predicted" volume! I shall die perfectly healthy but unable to breathe!
gnvqsos
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by gnvqsos »

That string test was a farce-it was simplistic and misleading.Some people has distended stomachs due to beer consumption,others have etra weight on their hips.Man was designed to move and if you do not move you are likely to develop heatlth issues.I do not believe doctors really know about obesity.I spoe to a GP who mhad never heart of corn syrup,a sugar derived from maize.If GPs are unaware of this sorce of seetness which has addictive qualities it is unsurprising we are in a pickle.It is ridiculous to learn that GPs have to be trained in communication- a recent TV show filmed them saying they cannot tell patients they're fat.They had to be retrained and taught how to convey their concerns without explicit reference to fatness for fear of offending.You can hear the patients chatting in the wards;

"He was agood doctor-granted he ignored my obesity and diabetis and has allowed me to become hospitalised but he never mentioned my 46" waist and my 24 stone chassis.He was kind to his ol' mum was a real gent, proper toff."

There is now a cadre of TV doctors like Dr Oswald Mosely carving out lucrative careersand peddling superficial analyses,and writing a series of follow-up books.They ought to be on ITV or SKY,and not rewarded by the license payer
Username
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Re: The String Test for are you too fat?

Post by Username »

Simplest test to do is to look at yourself in the mirror, or a photo. Ask yourself "do you have a big belly"? If yes then you're fat.
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