Body Fat vs BMI?
Please Explain Body Fat percentage is suposed to be more accurate reading of your health risks then BMI... However what about this theoretical situation. A girl has 32% body fat (lowest end of "obese") and she has a BMI of 24.9 (upper end of "healthy") If she was 5'4" this is 145lbs (47.85lbs of fat) So what if she gained muscle to make her body fat 22% (considered "ideal" for women) while maintaing that ammount of fat. This would put that girl at over 217lbs. (BMI "obese") Is this really healthier? Please explain this to me. no doubt- I hate the BMI chart. But at some point, doesn't your overall body mass start having a negative effect- no matter how much of it is muscle? But why? More mass means the harder your heart has to work- even if it has been conditioned this has got to be a little hard on it. More mass still means more wear on your joints- even if your joints are stronger. Etc. Etc. Why? Math is correct- even if the numbers are funky. (chances are, if you have that much muscle, you will have a harder time maintaining both the fat and the muscle)
Public Comments
- I dunno but best to go with less fat but to watch out what you're doin to yourself
- i absolutely hate the bmi chart, it doesn't take into account any of your natural body systems. the best one to go by is your body fat percentage because its more exact, it's going to tell you exactly how much fat you have on your body as opposed to the supposed vast majority. body fat percentage is a more relatable number when your talking about your own body too. for example as a woman you wouldn't be able to support a "healthy" period if you have too little or too much fat on you. go by the fat percentage, it caters to you as an individual.
- Yes, it is healthier. BMIs are almost completely useless; your height to weight ratio doesn't determine your overall health. Your body fat percentage does. Imagine someone who is 5' tall, but is a solid wall of muscle and weighs about 200. Would this person be unhealthy? Nope. Now imagine a person who's 6' tall, and has a very skinny frame, but has a lot of fat and weighs about 200. This person would be unhealthy. The lower your body fat percentage, the less the fat you have can affect your body's processes, since it's spread out over more tissue.
- I'm a little confused by the math, but %fat is always a better way to look at it than BMI. That said, accurate BF is much harder to get than anything else (don't believe the "fancy scales").
