The downfalls of BMI

I just read this article on body mass index (BMI) and how using BMI may be underestimating obesity rates in the US.  It's not very long.  Here's the article if you'd like to read it.
Obesity Rates May Be Worse Than We Think

Hopefully, you are aware of what BMI is.  If not, here's a link to explain it and calculate your own.  By the current standards, less than 18 is underweight, 18-25 is normal weight, 25-30 is overweight and over 30 is obese.
The article summarizes research done that shows BMI can indicate people are overweight when body fat tests would show they are obese.  Those people who are not diagnosed as obese would be missing out on information about risks and complications of obesity since they aren't being diagnosed. 

The research authors suggest lowering the obesity threshold from 30 to 28 for men and 24 for women.

Crap.  If that is adopted, that means I just went from borderline "overweight" to actually "obese".  You read that right.
I'm 5'4" and weight between 142 and 144 on any given day.  Based on those numbers, my BMI is 24.  According to BMI standards, I am just barely a healthy weight and under the new standards, I would be obese.
What BMI misses is that I'm a triathlete and lifetime athlete.  My pant size is 4/6.  For those of you who know me, I am not a slender build, I prefer to call it "farmer build".  My blood pressure and cholesterol are on the low end of healthy and my body fat percent is consistently less than 18%.  The last time I had it measured by a professional, it was +/- 15%.  For reference, here is a body fat percentage chart that shows the ranges for men and women, and for age groups.

Graph came from www.wellsphere.com

My body fat classifies me as very lean, whether you want to use the 15% during peak training or 18% for off-season.  I had my body fat tested because I was having a hard time losing weight until I realized that I shouldn't be losing weight; much below 15% and then other health risks start.

So what's the big deal, I'm healthy, right?

The big deal is that some insurance companies use BMI to determine your risk factors for insurance coverage.  I can only imagine what the red tape would be like trying to prove I am not obese when a number from an equation indicates that clearly, I am obese.  The math just doesn't work out.

But isn't there a bigger picture here?  If BMI is missing a large section of obese people, and also mis-diagnoses us "bodybuilder" types, then is it really a good gauge to be using at all?  Body fat testing is fast and easy, and with a few simple tools you can even do it yourself.  Body fat is always a reliable index when it comes to determining a person's healthy weight.  Why aren't we using that as the standard?  Maybe my primary care doc doesn't know how or have the time, but it is $5 to have it done at a personal trainers office.  I'll gladly pay that out of my own pocket and avoid being labeled overweight or obese.

(FYI, if you're interested in doing your own body fat testing, let me know and I can do another post about what John and I use.  We are consistently able to get within 2% of what a professional would get)

Get Pinched

After my last post and several weeks of feeling tired and having not-so-encouraging workouts, I came to a conclusion.  Either one of two things was happening: 1) I was not working hard enough and my slow times was a reflection of not sticking to my training plan or 2) I was overtrained and needed some rest.  I felt the former was the likely culprit, KM and my husband felt it was the latter.  But how do you tell?

Sidebar: I avoid bathroom scales like the plague.  I used to weigh myself religiously every morning, sometimes twice a day, obsessed with even a 0.5lb gain.  Eventually I realized that was not healthy or productive and I have since adopted the "how does my clothes fit" or "how many hours is my long workout" as gauge for my fitness.  When I started losing weight several years ago, I set my target weight at 135.  When I couldn't reach that number, I decided I would settle for 140, but still push for 135 during racing season.  Even that never happened.  The only time I weighed 135 after puberty, was after my first jaw surgery and I lost 15 pounds in a month while on a liquid diet.  Not good.  The hardest part for me is that at 5'4" and 140 lb, my BMI is 24.8, which is just barely in the healthy range. 

That's right.  Hi, my name is Sam and I'm 5' 4" and 140 lb.

By all social standards, I am on the very heavy side of healthy, just one PMS day from being clinically overweight.  Basically, my weight is not a good way for me to evaluate the shape I'm in, unless I'm actively looking for a way to crap in my own coffee.

So I made a deal with my husband.  I would go for body fat testing, and if I was less than 19%, I'd take some rest.  If I was over 19% then (in my crazy-girl brain) I was tired for reasons other than overtraining and needed to stick with my training plan.  The last time I had my body fat tested was in grad school, right as I was training for my first triathlon.  I don't remember the specifics, but I think it was 21 or 23 percent, in the acceptable range, but higher than I wanted.  As a reference, for women between the ages of 20 and 29 (taken from the sheet given to me by the personal trainer), >29.9% is considered obese, 24.6-29.9% is overweight, 19.9-24.5% is normal, 15.8-19.8% is athletic, <15.8% is elite, and I belive somewhere below 10-12% is underfat and not healthy.

On Friday I went to a local personal training gym and the owner got out the calipers.  Flashbacks to Phys. Ed, freshmen year of high school where body fat testing was mandatory and everyone got pinched in front of the class.  Good thing we're in a private room.  Anyway, the bottom line was this: my body fat is around 15%, which means I need to give myself a break and take some rest.  Hubby-dearest was right.  From a body composition standpoint, I have nothing to gain by working harder and everything to gain by taking some rest.  It also means that if I ever want the numbers on the scale to be any lower, I'm going to lose muscle mass so I should stop trying to break into the 130-digits and be happy with what I have.  Easier said than done.

I'm not trying to recommend body fat testing for just anyone.  It can be downright traumatic.  But for someone who is "dense" like me, and frustrated with weight loss and sports performance, it is a good number to know.  Maybe the next time I renew my driver's license, I'll use my real weight and be proud of it.