I'm Obese - According to my cardiologist

On a recent visit to my cardiologist, he was prodding my stomach with a stethoscope when he announced that I am mildly obese. Thing is, he is not wrong. According to many authorities a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30 is considered obese and yes that's me.....for now.

[@stephensaines7100]

Cardiac! You misheard. He said you're "A Beast". And a mild one at that. Keep doing what you're doing cycling. The probable challenge is diet. Watch that poutine intake. The Caledon Trailway is exquisite considering how close it is to Toronto. Since I lack a motor vehicle, getting up to Tottenham is now a challenge. A GO bus used to run to Bolton, and I'd cycle up to the trail from there, then down to Georgetown at the western end, then GO train back into TO. That was about a three hour ride. Even when you become familiar with that trail, it still thrills. I noted quite a few others on the trail in your vid. Other than the populated parts, the trail is underused. Whether that's good or bad is debatable. A real plus is that a very high quality crushed limestone surface was put down either last year or the year before, with a binder in it that tended toward keeping its profile and characteristic. It was when the smooth asphalt went down over the Hwy 10 overpass, that was quite dangerous prior with ruts and loose gravel. As to how that's weathered is a good question. I now pay someone to give me a lift up to the trail in lieu of the GO bus to Bolton no longer running. Hopefully I have a group together so as to justify at least three of us kicking in on renting a van ride up. (I'm in TO) On the "obesity" label, it is dispiriting, I've had similar, and yet other than a slightly flabby waist from the ravages of winter, I'm a slim person, yet I have a "fatty liver". Sometimes these terms indicate an intrinsic characteristic, not one's voluntary disposition. Keep in mind that for those who are truly obese, it's now been determined that for many of them, it's nothing to do with how well they care for themselves or not. Google: "new thinking on obesity" And perhaps ask whoever is stating that to you for a referral to someone (possibly/probably) a dietitian and/or coach on tweaking a way forward. A final note, and this may surprise a lot of readers: Cycling does very little for the abs! You might have to do workouts completely separate from cycling to tighten that up. Hey, it would be great to cross paths at some point and do some miles together.

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

Really great observations on obesity. Thank you.

[@rickzalewski2728]

Standards are based on the sick care system. I'm 52 yo and in the summer work my way to a 200km ride and in the winter deadlift 400lbs and my BMI is 27. I'll take that over normal BMI and not being able to achieve those goals. Excellent video!!!!

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

Yes BMI does not tell the whole story.

[@kevinborovsky3558]

Ah Andrew don’t sweat it, 70 km bike ride is amazing shape, and we are all in that 50 plus where we think about pizza and go up a pant size. You are a inspiration for us to get out and ride, and I did my first ride of the season last week thanks Cheers 🍻

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

Thanks so much Kevin. I appreciate it.

[@heatherd212]

🇨🇦 My husband and I rode some of the Elora Cataract Trailway last week. It was amazing . There were frogs croaking up a storm. We thought they were ducks when we first heard them

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

It is a fantastic and testing trail!!

[@Frostbiker]

For me the biggest frustration with doctors telling patients that they need to lose weight is that for most people it's not very actionable. Their advice typically goes from the tautological ("Eat healthy!") to the misguided ("Eat less and move more"). Yes, some people are eating pints of ice cream after dinner, or drinking themselves to sleep, and those folks can lose weight easily with simple changes to their lifestyle. But some of us aren't doing anything obviously deleterious like that and still struggle with our weight, whether it's due to factors outside of our diet (sleep, stress, medications, genetics, chronic ailments) or because diet isn't a one size fits all and hunger isn't well understood. If doctors were knowledgeable on weight loss then overweight doctors would be a rarity, but they aren't in spite of them being smart, well educated and having a relatively high income. Sorry for the ramble and good luck in your weight loss journey. You are doing something right if you are making steady progress.

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

You are absolutely right!!

[@Brackers64]

Another great video, at 59 and a BMI of over 28 I definitely feel like I need to loose at least 10 / 15 lbs but knowing I eat reasonably sensible and like you cycle in the upper percentile of people my age makes me feel comfortable within myself. Cheers Bob... 👍

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

That is awesome Bob. Yes I think we are doing pretty well.

[@johnsimpson8958]

My wife and I very much enjoy and appreciate your videos. You have inspired us to try gravel biking. Can you share what GPS brand and model you use to map and guide you on the trails?

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

John I use a Garmin Edge 830 and I download route from the App Ride with GPS. Quite often though, I have a reasonable idea of where I am and use the map to make up a route as I go along.

[@johnsimpson8958]

@@cardiaccyclist7477 Thank you for your reply!! Look forward to more of your content.

[@marleyorange]

Always fun videos- Thanks.

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

Thank you so much.

[@christeschke9844]

hope to see you at the P2A this year, i will be one of the other obese riders in the 70km :)

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

Good luck!!!

[@tracyudeschini3270]

Hey. I used to do cardiac nursing for many years. BMI is a very imperfect measure of how obese a person is. I think you are awesome. But I wish physicians would quit using BMI. It’s pretty useless for individuals although good for large populations.

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

Thank you for such excellent information.

[@anitarosbrook8401]

You are not obese you’re cuddly!

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

Haha I will take that!!

[@chrisconnors7418]

When I worked in a cubicle I’d literally crawl under my desk and grab a 20 min nap some afternoons. We had boxes of files stored in my already small cubicle so instead of pushing them to the back I’d leave enough space that I could crawl behind them and lie down. I’m technically obese according to bmi. Stomach is flat though and has ab definition. I just carry some muscle from decades of weight training (not a body builder, just trying to keep that athletic figure/posture for decades). My cholesterol good:bad ratio recently tipped into statin territory. I’ve been trying a new diet since early Feb to see if i can change the numbers without the statins. Doc says “maybe a bit” but given family history he thinks it’s genetic. Next blood test in two weeks. If not enough improvement I’ll go on statins.

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

Thank you for sharing this Chris. I have been on statins for 11 years now and while I know there are some issues with them, the alternative of clogged arteries is much worse.

[@zokpls8712]

Where is this trail? Great vid

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

Thank you. This is the Caledon Trailway. It runs between Tottenham and Terra Cotta in Ontario. I have several videos on my channel about it.

[@Dremansworld]

My bodyfat is 18% yet my BMI is 32, tell your doc to get stuffed.

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

That's really interesting. Yes I am beginning to think that BMI is not a useful measure...probably wont tell my Dr to get stuffed though!! haha🤣

[@chrisconnors7418]

BMI is widely recognized as imperfect, as others have said. Some Olympic sprinters can have a bmi that says they’re too heavy but it’s just their muscle mass. Most doctors know this too so either don’t use it or tell their patients if the BMI is applicable to them or not. Mine is 30.5 but as mentioned earlier I have a flat toned abdomen and I look pretty good at the beach-I’m 63 now.