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It looks like greedy insurance companies are going to really dig into the pockets of people that are overweight. I just checked my BMI (body mass index) and found that I am obese! Actually, it suggests that I need to loose over 30 lbs; since I am only 5'6" and weigh 194 lbs. I should mention that I wear a size 30 pants (which ain’t too shabby) and furthermore, my doctor indicated that I am about where I need to be, nevertheless, my insurance will probably soon go through the roof as will some of yours. If a man is in good health and has considerable muscle mass this will be held against him and health insurance may not be affordable any longer.
I know guys that weigh much less than I do and still wear a larger pant size!
This kind of BS makes me sick! It’s just one more way to screw the American people.
Jeffrey.
That sucks. BMI has always been a joke because it doesn't take muscle mass into account. But of course, the accurate alternative is weighing people underwater with special equipment, and that is more costly thatn just looking on a chart.
BMI is just a stupid chart based on some arbitrary height:weight ratio.
I just checked my BMI (body mass index) and found that I am obese! Actually, it suggests that I need to loose over 30 lbs; since I am only 5'6" and weigh 194 lbs.
I am also 5' 6", and until May of 06 I was 182lbs. None of which was muscle mass. After changing my diet, and doing suprisingly little else I am now 155 and considered in the healthy range. I also have a fairly decent amount of muscle now. though muscle does weigh more than fat, it would not account for 30+ lbs. I dont mean to be ruded or insult you in anyway, but being a former military memeber, and living in outside of the US has taught me that americans don't have a realistic body image. We tend to think what is in most countries considered overweight, is an ideal weight. This would account for your Dr saying you are ok. If you are 5'6" and 194, though you may be muscular, a great percentage of your body is made of fat. It would be physcialy impossible (according to most sources) for a man that height and weight to be all muscle mass, unless you were a pro body builder.
You say you weigh 155. If you gain one more pound then you will be considered overweight according to the chart, so, actually, you are living on the edge, so to speak.
In reality I could loose 15 or 20 lbs max, but 30 or more is not realistic.
I see a lot of short guys that weigh less than I do, but I see very few that have to lift what I do. I drive a truck and deliver windows and the average weight of the windows that I deliver is around 130 lbs. I often have to unload these by myself. If they want to put a 140 lb man on my job then I say good luck!
Also, my blood pressure, etc, is excellent.
Jeffrey.
Oh, and I forgot to post my pic. Yeah, I could afford to loose some weight, but obese! I really don't think so.
Jeffrey.
Sorry, i did my coversion wrong. I'mm 66 kg. So thats 145, not 155. And i agree that you are definitley not "obese". but the problem is that when someone says obese, we tend to think of people who can barely walk, or have to resort to wearing sweats all day, for lack of clothing that fits. Medicaly, these people are "morbidly obese" meaning it could kill them shortly. We have to remeber that obese does not mean HUGE. it just means overwieght. This could be by as little as 1 or 2 pounds. but, yes, 1 lb over and you are technicaly obese. I also agree with other posters that BMI is inaccurate, but i like to use it as a reference. Not a rule. I any case, i would agree, at 5'6", loosing a few lb could'nt hurt, but judging by this pic 30 lb would be bad. I think you would look really small. I was only going by the fact that we have the smae height. however, it seems our frames vary greatly, making my comparrison also invalid. My apologies if you were offended.
I certainly was not offended. I am just a bit angry, actually, very angry that insurance companies here can do just about whatever they want to do and the people can do nothing about it. I read that people here are already paying 40 or more dollars per paycheck toward their insurance programs because they are overweight. I know where this is going and it needs to be stopped. I want to get down to about 175 lbs, but I will still be penalized according to the BMI charts. Our insurance here has already increased significantly. I simply will not pay a penalty because of a BMI chart. I'm just tired of working long hours for so many years and then something like this comes up. BTW, I personally know a lot of people in here in the U.S. that could work, but don't and they pay nothing for healthcare. So, who pays for their healthcare, well, fat guys like me! And now they want to penalize me because I'm fat! This is just too crazy.
Jeffrey.
From your nude shot, you do not look fat at all. You are a big solid guy. I do know how the height/weight charts work. You start with a base value of 5'0" tall and 106 pounds. You add 6 pounds per inch. That would be 36 + 106 = 142 pounds. For a large frame you add 10% and for a small frame you subtract 10%. 142 + 14.2 = 156.2 pounds. 156.2 pounds is for a man with a large frame of average build and 5' 6" tall. You are muscular too. Certainly 175 pounds is a healthy weight for you. It is totally unfair to penalize you for being muscular.
The insurance companies should have a physical fitness test to determine your health risk and not go by how much you weigh. I am sure you would score well on such a test.
Scott
dude your hot hehe!
As "Obesity Prevention Grant Coordinator" for a local health department, this topic is near and dear to my heart. Currently, BMI is the method most commonly used by both physicians and statisticians to determine if peoples' weight is "healthy" or not. While it may be useful in determining whether a large population or study group is at a healthy weight, like you said, it does not take into account many individual factors, such as muscle mass. Bodyfat testing/ body composition screening is a much more accurate measure of healthy weight, and the one I believe insurance companies should be using to calculate rate adjustments. While underwater weighing is the gold standard of bodyfat testing, there are other very accurate methods, such as 3- or 5-site skin fold tests, as well as bioelectrical impedence devices. I think this is definitely worth discussing with your insurance company, as it sounds like you are certainly in good shape!
BMI is not all that accurate. It's a good indicater, but does not take into consideration body types and the amount of muscle and bone mass a person has. I like this, http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm#frame
According to this, you'd be considered overweight, but definitely not obese. After an auto accident in '93, my weight ballooned to my heaviest, 250 lbs. On a 5 ft large frame, this was mobidly obese range. Over the years, I have steadily lost weight, with virtually no effort, by changing what, and how, I eat. Once I got below 200, I was back in the obese zone again. I just passed a milestone, as of now, I am no longer even being considered obese, just overweight. My target weight for my height and frame type would be around 130-135 lbs. Lowest adult weight I have ever had, is 155 lbs. If you have more muscle mass, some of your weight can be accounted for by that. Some of us just aren't meant to be skinny folks. If you are not one of those guys, who wear 30+ inch waist pants, with 40+ inches of belly hanging over the top of your waistband, you may very well be at your ideal weight for you.
Of course, insurance companies will find just about any excuse to limit/deny coverage, and raise premiums/deductables/ co-payments.
Carol