What BMI doesn't tell you about your health

The way we define obesity is flawed.
Read more about Body Mass Index's flaws on Vox.com: bit.ly/2nxeQ2U
The body mass index, better known as BMI, is a measure of obesity that has been in use for over 200 years. It was a formula created by Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet. It takes your weight (sorry my fellow Americans, everyone else is on the metric system) in kilograms divides and divides it by height in meters squared. And from this you get a number that represent your total body mass relative to your height and weight. The ranges go from underweight to obese, and one decimal point can tip you in either direction. BMI has been used to study obesity in large populations, and for the most part it’s okay for those types of studies. However, when individual health is the topic at hand, using the body mass index can make judging a person’s health a little bit trickier.
See the state of obesity in your area:
stateofobesity.org/adult-obes...
CDC’s BMI considerations for practitioners:
www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads...
And to check Marshawn Lynchs stats visit:
www.playerprofiler.com/nfl/ma...
www.nfl.com/player/marshawnlyn...
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[@Vox]

Read on Vox.com: "Being an overweight teen could come back to haunt your health" bit.ly/2FAhMmG

[@kerry540]

Vox not first

[@Patrick-pu5di]

can i have a job at vox? k thxx :)

[@DjJooze]

look at my abs

[@lunchbox1398]

Great work ! Superb video on most obvious thing so presenter feels less bad about hers body image , BMI or not you still are little on the fat side ... Knowing is first step in solving my princess !!!

[@brunosantos1672]

Height in square meters *claps sarcastialy* *cries in the metric system*

[@bassman_0074]

Be honest with yourself. You should be able to tell whether it's muscle or fat causing your high BMI.

[@adarateranroldan]

Omar Bassiouni lol.

[@Torthrodhel]

Not so easy to do when you're quite obese (both technically and also actually) and you don't know in a given month what you've gained or lost of either. If you already know there's a high fat content behind it, it makes knowing whether you made an improvement or not really difficult if that's all you have to go off. Weight management isn't just a case of "lol fat" or "not lol fat". I'm an obese athlete, and yes one who is out of shape, but also has lots of muscle as well, so... what then? It's not so simple you see. Whilst keeping an eye on my weight, I personally pay more attention to two more important measurements: how my body feels (not great at the moment, but improving) and what manoeuvres I'm capable of doing (currently much more limited than I'd like due to my shape getting in the way). Those are better indicators. I do a lot of comfort overeating, that's my downfall. I love the exercize and put that work in, but I don't get the results because I eat too much. Removing sugary drinks which were a bit of a thing for me has helped recently, quite a lot. Still a long way to go though. Try not to imagine anyone outside of normal weight levels as a stereotypical couch potato, there are many different roads to the same place. Some people at that spot are very physical. Some people a lot healthier, aren't. Lot of factors at play. Hell, before I was out of my early 20s, I could eat whatever the hell I wanted and I never put on any weight. That turned out to be quite a savagely bad teacher of habit, after my early 20s. I do my best, same as anyone else - nobody's superhuman, we all have faults and we're all just trying to do what we do in life. I keep getting up and trying again and that's what counts, a simple refusal to quit.

[@damagecontrol7]

but what if it's actually a combination of both?

[@Torthrodhel]

lol Johnny you just put in 9 words what it took me like 100 to say.

[@travis3407]

>out of shape >athlete pick one

[@dboi]

BMI is accurate for most people because most people don't workout

[@vanellaicecream9821]

Monica Lewinsky I'm 14 and me and my friends almost all workout at least every 3 days

[@donkeyslayer8370]

@@vanellaicecream9821 you are a child you wont have significant muscle mass so bmi is pretty accurate for average adults and all children

[@vanellaicecream9821]

Donkey Slayer yep , i wasn't saying it wasn't accurate i was saying that a lot of people do workout

[@frostbites1613]

@@vanellaicecream9821 well then that settles it. you and your friends surely represent the behavior of most people accurately.

[@vanellaicecream9821]

FrostBites 😂 Absolutely, my little small world = Everyone on the planet .

[@Shibasu_]

Most of the commenters didn't watch the full Video. The Point this Video is trying to make is "While it can be helpful, the BMI shouldn't be the only way to understand the Human Body."

[@dh4444]

I am underweight (bmi 16) And i lacks muscles 😢 Im also skinny and relatively tall

[@TicklishCrown]

Donghoon Y. You should try tracking your exercise and what you eat. Lots of very skinny people claim that they eat a lot and don’t gain weight, but when they start tracking their food they realize they’re under-eating quite a bit. Using an app like myfitnesspal or something similar is great to determine what you’re doing so that you can decide if you want to make changes.

[@yungtankie4450]

I don't think anyones ever argued that.

[@AJJ129]

That feels like a big duh maybe for some it isn’t clear but they’d just not be understanding what Bmi actually is and have misconceptions of it being some magical health number so well maybe that’s why this video exist to dispel those misconceptions and teach the ignorant

[@imeneimi]

As a med student, I can tell you it's not the only way. But it is used and is very very useful.

[@saalihasadiq5481]

Everyone in the comments is just talking about obese people, but I think this video was trying to highlight how people with "healthy" BMI should look at a better reference for their health.

[@kingwinifred4393]

I think they should've stuck with that, bringing up professional athletes was just stating obvious facts.

[@saalihasadiq5481]

@@kingwinifred4393 Yeah... but I think they just wanted to prove how it doesn't take every fact into consideration

[@ElectroBotVideo]

@@saalihasadiq5481 Which is like saying that since all vehicles aren't sedans/SUVs we should not call them cars.

[@saalihasadiq5481]

@@ElectroBotVideo I'm confused... which point are you referring to?

[@ElectroBotVideo]

@@saalihasadiq5481 From what I saw in the video was pointing out that since its not a great indicator of BMI in healthy athletes, it shouldn't be used as a potential indicator of health for most people.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

Let's remember, here. BMI was intended for measuring the overall health of _populations;_ not _individuals._

[@chukaceresany160]

lazyperfectionist1 I think that’s what she said at 2:14.

[@felixthefox100]

Chuka Ceresany Yes, it's worth reiterating.

[@Skag_Sisyphus]

Okay, but the problem I think they're discussing is that despite its purpose as being to determine the health of populations, it's currently being used to determine the health of individuals. This is a problem.

[@felixthefox100]

Absurd Hero Rx You're right, although many people might have a basic analog weighing scale and a measuring tape or stick, not everyone might have a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at home, so they stick with the BMI instead, but I think what they should do then is go to somewhere that does have DEXAs or calipers etc. and get themselves measured there by a professional.

[@Skag_Sisyphus]

Yes, but even professionals do it, though. I was mainly speaking about doctors using BMI and only BMI. The encouragement of people at home to do the same thing i also somewhat problematic. If you're at home, and you want an accurate measurement, you should use a couple imperfect measurements to gauge what the truth might be. If you have two imperfect ways to calculate body fat and you use both of them, you will get a more accurate measurement than you would with either one. But, again, it's not people at home using BMI to determine their health that concerns me.

[@garrettf6851]

I thought this was common knowledge

[@casualcommenter9730]

the more you understand about the world the more frequently you confront the fact that nothing is common knowledge

[@medleyshift1325]

You what isn't common knowledge? That the Ancel Keys paper acknowledges that BMI isn't a metric that works super well for the individual. Iirc, it turns out that one of the earliest times height to weight ratio was used as a health metric it was for the king of Switzerland?(some country like that), He wanted a metric to show how well his health reform was working. So countries can use BMI to see how, healthy they are, because on average people in those ratios have different risks. Which is why about two paragraphs down Keys reports that insurers are using this measure to set premiums. Again here the insures don't expect to gain money on every case, just in the average. So it's no wonder when the model does a poor job when looking at a single person sometimes. Pro athletes for example, are not the majority, if they were then the healthy lvl for BMI would be different.

[@ilijazz]

Garrett Finazzo not in the united states. I swear scientific stuff takes like 20 years to get there

[@ryank.edwards1813]

It is, but for some reason people still fail to see this. I'm a personal trainer and people ask me about BMI all the time like it is the sole factor to their success with me.

[@AChungusAmongUs]

Whenever I've seen the BMI used it came with an asterisk stating that it was inapplicable to anyone with above average muscle mass. And I live in the US!

[@agustinperuzzi]

Video: bmi measurement is right 80% of the time, but it doesn't show the full picture Comments: how dare you say bmi doesn't work, it works 80% of the time!!!

[@user-dz2hj6jo5h]

Agustin Peruzzi exactly😂.

[@ahmedgamez3273]

No elite athletes are an exception

[@user-dz2hj6jo5h]

Ahmed Gamez or women that are naturally well in doubt.

[@anton4488]

Rofl 🤣

[@oly2495]

no because alot of peaple are not lean

[@patrickstorm3589]

I find that most people who criticize BMI coincidentally don’t have enough muscle for BMI to not accurately describe them.

[@yaxb1729]

People who have the muscle dont care abot bmi and just look in the mirror

[@jenniferlawrence9473]

As a nurse, BMI also doesn't measure heart disease, cholesterol, etc. Skinny people can be unhealthy, too.

[@BruceWayne-us3kw]

@@jenniferlawrence9473 Nobody is saying they can't. Your weight is an indicator of your health though.

[@aimenaldarkhobi8366]

She showed her 2 assistant in the beginning of the video

[@kebz9303]

@@jenniferlawrence9473 Yes, but a skinny unhealthy person isn't unhealthy because of their weight. This is what people need to understand. Being overweight is a direct cause of so many diseases and illnesses and just all around unhealthyness.

[@angelTajchy]

if you are a professional athlete you probably don't need to calculate your BMI since to you it's irrelevant. It is relevant for the average population since most people are not athletes and so don't have that high of a % of muscle.

[@cantu7614]

No duh if your a professional athlete "and don't take steroids" you are healthy becomes the job demands it Even so too much weight becomes unhealthy even if its muscle

[@imverycreative5819]

Yeah that's literally what the video said

[@Ms.-Lily]

@@cantu7614 how?

[@mitchystuff]

@@Ms.-Lily too much muscle can actually strain your knees and heart thus being unhealthy.

[@Ms.-Lily]

@@mitchystuff is it possible to naturally gain that much muscle mass which might be unhealthy?

[@KPopsicleSNSD]

Lol this is dumb, athletes don't need to use BMI, they know they're healthy... But most people don't have that much muscle.

[@gigiveittome]

Chris H. that's. the point of the video.

[@EricTitansSmith]

Muscles aren't equal to health

[@EricTitansSmith]

That was a statement not a rebuttal

[@Rin-qj7zt]

Neither did those two guys at the beginning but the differences were significant.

[@moeszyslak3097]

@@Rin-qj7zt came here to say that

[@Muhamedim]

As a med student, when I learned the BMI formula, I was told to look out for Athletes and pregnant women. I appreciate the subtilises when the person's BMI is under 30 and over 18, but beyond that it's pretty obvious.

[@Marina-fe8mo]

May i ask u... I am 17 years old and my bmi is 17,6.. i feel and i am healthy so there's no problem right?

[@datsweggybruh8775]

@@Marina-fe8mo Not that I am a medical professional, but the science of BMI it's extremely outdated and you really shouldn't worry about it. So long as you are getting proper nutrition and not actively starving yourself or beinging.

[@4hedron852]

@@Marina-fe8mo Not a doctor, but it is a bit low. Expect to gain or have gained 10-20lb at least over the next few years and don’t feel bad about it, because it’s very, very likely going to be healthy filling out.

[@ke6264]

Most people are NOT professional athletes, so let’s start there. Also, it’s just another tool for weight and health purposes which does help many average people get in track to be healthy.

[@bigdrip8316]

Fr u don't use one tool to fix a car

[@frmcf]

I'm off to measure my height in square metres.

[@verleptehenk]

Yhea lol wtf it's hight in meters squared.

[@thomasjansen5921]

1 ft = 30 cm 1 inch = 2.5 cm 100cm = m lets say you're 5" 8 5 x 30 = 150 8 x 2.5 = 20 that means 170 cm or 1.7 m Now square it

[@LimeGreenTeknii]

No, you take your height, and then you square it for the sake of the calculation.

[@frmcf]

Thomas Jansen thanks for the tip. How do I convert this to square metres?

[@jayzonedc6474]

Fraser McFadyen You square your height in metres aka multiply it by itself. Is the US education system so poor that squaring wasn't taught??

[@bramslurink]

Not one doctor in the whole wide world would focus solely on the BMI of one of their patients. No-one claims BMI gives a reliable image of one's body composition. It is just used in rough assessments and over big populations.

[@gemstonegynoid7475]

Bram Slurink my doctors didn't really test anything else except bmi. Glad we moved to where we have a doctor who doesn't just consider bmi

[@kingkrispy5289]

Bmi is like a crutch for the medical world,it makes costs and problems relatively lower via using simple math instead of some Einstein ass sized equation or some expensive ass machine

[@Rainbow-Reilly]

Funny, because when I went to my doctor about not eating enough, he checked my height and weight, used the internet to calculate my BMI, and then said, "Eh, that's normal. You should be fine."

[@micahjenkins4440]

Ever since my doctor found out my BMI, it's all he focuses on whenever I tell him any problem I have so yeah "not one doctor" my ass

[@aussieelkhyp3rnova92]

My doctor does.

[@achrefjouini2188]

Why they never speak about underweight poeple 🤔🤔

[@tominee9458]

Obesity bad

[@odw32]

Because only 1% of the USA has a BMI lower than 18.5, while about 70.2% has a BMI higher than 25.0 Being underweight is a serious but relatively rare problem.

[@achrefjouini2188]

@@odw32 is having a bmi at 17 considered dangerous even if you are athletic and you dnt feel tired along the day ?

[@odw32]

@@achrefjouini2188 Might be OK if you're not aware of any eating disorders, although I'd still check with a doctor/dietician to see if you need to adjust your diet for your metabolism. You might be safe while you're otherwise healthy, but being underweight can get dangerous if you get sick and don't have any reserves to fall back on.

[@achrefjouini2188]

@@odw32 oooh ookk i got... Yea speacially the no reserves point ! Ok thank y for the infos

[@CorderralLewis]

I like how everyone is saying the exact same thing and yet missed the point. This video: BMI doesn’t tell the full story of your health as it can’t tell you about your body composition. The comments: aThEleTeS

[@WhatThePlayCH]

Yes. But nobody is saying that the bmi is the most exact method that tells you everything. It's a rough estimate and people know that

[@tobz1693]

@Sarah Henkel Pig

[@LafemmebearMusic]

@@WhatThePlayCH read the other comments there are mannnnyyyyy people who are actually making claims like that

[@anonymousperson3023]

@@LafemmebearMusic like who? You also blindly followed a random statistic then used the authority fallacy to back up your claim in another thread so why should we trust you?

[@datsweggybruh8775]

And a lot of them are probably kids who are lying in bed eating potato chips.

[@Frost571]

Like any health indicator, BMI is a single tool that should be interpreted along with other health indicators. No health indicator is perfect. As a healthcare professional, BMI is a highly useful tool when all the factors affecting the person's health are considered.

[@gustav901]

But if all other factors are considered, what's the point of BMI?

[@pendragonchen]

You don't throw out a screwdriver just because you have a power drill. It's still a useful, cost effective measure of someone's general health.

[@CCBovell]

BMI also is important to consider when it comes to estimating renal function and drug dosing thanks to established nomograms that are widely used in the medical field

[@subtlewolf]

Only if you deal with flat people. The fundamental flaw with BMI isn't body composition, it is bad math.

[@toothpasteeater3713]

This is a bad argument, Tomteluva, "Other factors" do not exist as a single entity, each of them is a separate metric. When taken out of general context any single metric will be bad, not just BMI, so you can apply similar logic to all elements of medical examination because no single one of them is useful on its own: "All other factors considered, what's the point of asking about frequency and duration of excercise?" I can't judge if person is healthy or not only by asking if they exercise daily or only knowing how many meals a day they have or only calculating their BMI etc., but taken all together I can get a pretty good idea of whats going on.

[@theupallnateshow5207]

I find this video to be stating the obvious. I mean, the BMI is designed to act as a guideline for the average population. Of course it doesn't have the nuance to take into account a whole range of factors, but it's not designed for that.

[@10produz90]

The Up All Nate Show exactly!

[@P1ranh4]

Everyone who's interested into fitness (athletes, pros or amateurs) will start measuring heart rate, blood pressure, body fat, water content of body etc. which all give more information by themselves of general health than the BMI.

[@issaosama4937]

It is used as such tho. In a lot of fields and government agencies it's being used as a way to determine how healthy they are. When I studied fitness in college the lecturers made sure we understand that BMI is extremely flawed and there are many better ways to determine if you are healthy or not. It's just the BMI analysis is extremely easy to be applied because it doesn't need much testing.

[@redhwanariff7047]

Yeah, and I think many people here understand that. But what Vox is trying to say here is that using BMI to measure yourself ( a single individual ) is not a useful indication to know whether you're healthy or not, despite our health and school systems are still using.

[@Kluneberg]

How is BMI "designed to act as a guideline for the average population" when according to it every person who works out or does manual labor is obese? It treats a fat person and a build up as the same, how is that going to give you any even remotely accurate generalization? If the US uses BMI to determine the obesity rates in their country, no wonder they're one of the fattest nations.

[@deniseesqueda787]

I was applying to the Air force, right. The recruiter asked me my height and weight (during that time, I was 5'1 and 145lbs). He said I was overweight and that they required for people on my category to be less than 135. The thing he did not realize was I played soccer and majority of my mass is muscle. When I went back to measure, now I'm 135lbs, he states I'm still overweight. It's not worth it, cause my Dr. Says that going lower, will also damage. Some people don't realize that BMI is not the whole picture

[@DSA333]

mhm, BMI really only works for non athletic people

[@soonahero]

Did you try the marines? At one point they would let you be obese if you could do well on their physical exams, it might still be the case

[@deniseesqueda787]

@@soonahero no, my goal was more in the educational side.

[@Nlyoungblood1]

I am in a similar situation, decided to get to that target weight and instead developed a heart murmur. I was also skeletal and unfortunately I do not find seeing all of my ribs in the front and back as well as all the ribs in my upper chest. F that. The air force is more lenient however regardless he should have offered to tape you.

[@mykki.d]

YES! I'm 5'2 and I think the BMI scale is against us shorties

[@noahi.1381]

They say pairing BMI with other factors, ( *especially waist circumference* ) is a better assessment.

[@larsswig912]

Yeah, my bio textbook says the same thibg.

[@rfldss89]

I don't think I've ever heard someone use BMI as their sole indication of health.

[@deadeaded]

That's what most people do when they're dieting, use their weight as a proxy for health.

[@ForgottenAria]

Despite all my other indicators being good including my diet and exercise, my doctor used my BMI to tell me I needed to see a nutritionist. This is while he knew I suffered from depression, much of which is linked to my struggle with my weight. He had no other reason, other than the BMI, to suggest it and lots of reasons he should have heeded to not bring it up.

[@carawestgate]

When I was very overweight I used an obese BMI as a wakeup call. Going from obese to overweight was a landmark. Now that I'm at a normal weight and take care of myself it's not even a thought.

[@Paul-fp3qn]

Forgotten Aria He's a doctor, he has to tell you how things are straight up or else he could lose his job. Its not his fault your a sensitive snowflake.

[@ForgottenAria]

Suffers from mental health issue == delicate snowflake in your book, ok then. Next time you break your leg and don't want to walk on it, make sure you call yourself a delicate snowflake.

[@asemi4]

This is all true, but the problem with talking about BMI being bullshit is that the majority of people who pick up on this and keep bringing it up are not professional athletes with a lot of muscle, but actually genuinely overweight people who prefer keeping on their blindfold rather than take steps to get healthier.

[@sumasian3911]

the other thing though is that many studies has found that an "overweight" person with a large amount of body fat isn't inherently healthy. there have been studies that show that the different is mainly a sedentary lifestyle that causes increased risk for diabetes type 2 and heart disease. fat people who exercise regularly can have similar risk factors with any other thin person who does not fall into a sedentary lifestyle. the danger of thinking like this means that many fat people still get inadequate or subpar healthcare

[@Red0100]

You don't have to be a "profession athlete" for BMI to become not-so-valuable as a health measurement. I'm quite muscular and my BMI is 26.

[@Bahamuttiamat]

As a fat person, I'm offended. How dare you question my willpower to lose weight. Might as well finish up this super sized gallon of sugar water syrup.

[@onee]

Anna Semionova. Easy way to respond. Person A: "BMI is bullshit." Person B: "Do you work out? If your answer is 'no', BMI isn't bullshit in your case."

[@dynpan]

Seriously, I was a bit shocked to see the title of this video since I know Vox is pandering to the extreme leftists and it usually also includes people who claim that you can still be healthy while being obese, but they still usually do pretty okay and well researched videos, so I was beginning to thing that it's going downhill, but nope it was just a clickbait title for people who are looking for ways to justify them being obese, while at the same time not really debunking BMI being usefull at all.

[@raine2353]

Me trying to convince myself I'm not overweight

[@slurpaderp6207]

Are you shredded or an elite athlete if no then your probably overweight

[@shifa444]

Slurp a Derp um ok?

[@raine2353]

@@slurpaderp6207 you didnt get the joke thats okay though lol

[@aiden5272]

@@raine2353 I got the joke after 9 months 🙂

[@nicholastuckett4363]

Your Obese

[@Fleta_Maughner]

Me: has shrinked ,weaken and heavily damaged muscles from a metabolic disease My bmi: you're perfect!

[@somethingsiknow5619]

😂😂😂

[@Witnaaay]

BMI is still a useful metric. Most people aren't athletes, and most don't lift weights. Allow a suitable margin for error, and it would still be useful. I worry that this video may be taken as evidence by people who are in denial about their weight. BMI may not be the be all and end all, but it is still a worthwhile metric for the average person. This is why it is still so widely used.

[@gustav901]

Useful how? As stated in the video, when comparing a population it gives real world indications. But when applied to a single person it doesn't say anything. It's widely used because it's free. Blood works tells you everything BMI might indicate but with certainty (allowing for a margin of error). It can also inform someone of something that can't be measured in weight. But that costs money so it's often avoided.

[@Method2k5]

How does it not say anything in regards to one person?? You take the average persons height and weight and you get a rough estimate of their possible body fat. If they happen to be an athlete or are in better shape and their BMI is still high you can tape them and use that formula which is more accurate and even more telling to their level of fitness. It does its job as the most basic metric possible before digging deeper so "useless" isn't the word I would use to describe it at all.

[@Nioco2]

Tomteluva Well, they said that it is accurate in 80% of cases.

[@procyonwave1327]

Tomteluva shut up.

[@sergiorr90]

The one making the video is in denial

[@1234567895630]

As a matter of fact: 80-90% of all people who have a BMI of over 30 ARE IN FACT unhealthy and neither athletes nor bodybuilders. Yes, BMI is just a help, but for non-athletes it gives pretty good indication about their general health.

[@enriquemeza2568]

Not even Arnold in his prime had an BMI of over 30.

[@omnomnom3187]

KronoxGmerProrex360noescope100%realnofake1080p60 that era of bodybuilding was more focused on aesthetic and less on mass unlike today. So yeah that make sense

[@SD-rw7vc]

I’m a bmi of 30, I’m a size 10-12 aus, that’s not obese, it’s not even plus size. A little chunky yes but I’m short asf

[@maibennben3701]

Stately D'Mello in what world is a size 12 considered skinny? I've recently gained some weight which made me slightly overweight and i am a size 6-8 idk whar ur on about!!

[@SD-rw7vc]

Maibenn different country’s have different sizing... an aus 12 is a US 6-8

[@rhiannongreen2642]

The woman not having a big change in her BMI but showing improvement in her muscle was the best part of this for me. I have been training to run long distance for a year and my BMI hasn't changed (26.6 technically overweight) but I can now run for 10 miles as opposed to 90 seconds.

[@HibiTeamQueso]

That's all you needed to know. The BMI isn't a magic thing. I actually wanna get to a 25+ BMI but with muscle, it takes time

[@josepha8958]

Ugh...using pro athletes with the BMI debate is stating the exception to the rule is the rule.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

But it doesn't only use pro athlete as an example. Also, the main point if that a good BMI doesn't indicated anything by itself.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@Leo G That would leave a good 20%.

[@conraderson9121]

Another random Tristan Yes, a good 20% that are working out. The BMI is for the 80% of the population that doesn’t work out regularly.

[@fos1451]

@@legrandliseurtri7495 it's not hard to know if you're that 20% or 80%

[@user-pn9qp1sr3e]

I still think its an over all good way to make a rough estimate on health. Most people are not bodybuilders or pro athletes.

[@xlReGaRdLeSslx]

Yeah, notice they showed power lifters and footballs players. Most people wont work out what they do in a week; in their lifetime.

[@minecraftminertime]

Bodybuilders and pro athletes aren't the only people affected by this.The point of this video is that the BMI is bad a determining your health. To get healthy, someone might want to lose weight. But the BMI wouldn't show it if you gained muscle, too.

[@mysterC58]

She already said it applies 80% of the time.

[@kiruschka123]

Carlton D 80% is a bad number - even for overall statistics. Bmi only can work for trends.

[@mysterC58]

Hundeherz A bad number? My point was that pro athletes don't make up 20% of the population. That was just an illustration. She also talked about people that put on muscle when they first start losing weight, so I don't see why people are so caught up on the pro athlete thing. You don't have to be a pro athlete to have muscles. Regular ass people lift weights too Lol

[@benjaminschroeder9117]

Come on, your average Joe isn't nearly as muscular as Marshawn Lynch... But now everybody's gonna think that their BMI is wrong because it's not accounting for their "muscles"

[@joegreen_]

Use common sense, don't lie to yourself lol

[@johnbrown9181]

And given that almost everyone has a set of scale and a tape-measure, it's extremely easy to measure, particularly when performing surveys, etc. where being able to take a lot of readings very quickly is critically important

[@StellaRoseTea]

If it jiggles, it's fat!

[@thePronto]

BMI is one way of fooling yourself. There are others. Jim Fixx (the originator of the modern jogging/fitness movement) died at the age of 52 of a heart attack...

[@roastking860]

Exactly what I was thinking. The average person doesn't have enough muscle to influence their overall weight or bmi

[@jeffreyzheng8875]

When you train in a sport for years only to realize that you're officially obese

[@handsomesquidward2130]

double homicide

[@belaayya5094]

My husband always laughs at his BMI. He's short & broad -- 5'7" and 205 lbs. He also has a 32" waist and 44" chest. He comes up as morbidly obese, but he's solid muscle at 50 y/o.

[@alegnalowe3679]

That is ironic.

[@lakshyamongia3270]

At 50 that is insanely incredible.

[@tohloc]

Was he hired as a dwarf for lotr?

[@VictorMarwood]

@@tohloc dwarf? What are u? 7'5"?

[@lloydaran]

I would love to comment on that, but I have no idea what those units mean, so I guess your point is he's fit, not obese, despite his BMI. Good for him.

[@TheGalacticWest]

Guess what BMI is a little cheaper then an MRI. Let’s all agree that if your a linebacker and are 30 BMI your healthy

[@Will-xu6vq]

Most people are not healthy, specially if you eat meat

[@TheGalacticWest]

Scarface Sr I don’t believe in that vegetarian crap.

[@joshloschen1653]

Good point! A health measure people can actually use may be more useful than a more accurate one that no one will actually use(body fat measurement)

[@damagecontrol7]

are the electronic BMI grip apparatuses any good? i think they send a small charge throughout your body

[@joshloschen1653]

JOHNNY Do you mean the body fat grip apparatuses? BMI only looks at height and weight so there is no need for it to use electrical charge. I had a cheap body fat grip analyzer and it could be thrown off by how dehydrated I was. I think there are flaws in most body fat measurement systems. Still grip analyzers are probably better than BMI

[@frilink]

if you weigh 500 or over, BMI is good enough for you

[@ashley-yv1xg]

Leonis Grygoruk amberlynn reid

[@chibikitty4748]

Leonis Krigorian depends if it’s pounds or kilograms, I honestly don’t think someone weighs 500kg (if someone does then that’s uncommon), but loads of people weigh 500lb+

[@haihai9022]

@@chibikitty4748 Wait, some people weigh 500lb? I may be a bit overweight, but that's MASSIVE (No offence)

[@chibikitty4748]

Potato Man yep. Some people weigh even more. It’s scary really. 500lbs is a lot (about 250kg)

[@trixieagustina6163]

@Leo G My question exactly. How does someone manage to get that big?

[@EJRoy]

you don't have to be so obsessive about bmi for normal people, people who are super muscular kinda know they are healthier than actual obese (bmi wise) people

[@catguy4996]

Agreed. I believe the only reason a highly muscular person would look up their BMI is out of simple curiosity. Nothing else

[@EJRoy]

@everyday tenor sure i don't know why anyone in their right mind would take PEDs, that's an addict

[@datsweggybruh8775]

You can be an obese athlete.

[@EJRoy]

@@datsweggybruh8775 what's that got to do with this?

[@Danuxsy]

@@EJRoy being super muscular is as bad as being obese

[@jlammetje]

That comment about the decimal point separating overweight from obese 😤 Isn’t it weird how one minute separates you from not being allowed to drink, vs allowed to drink? How one decimal point separates you from graduating? Etc etc etc... we have to draw a line somewhere...

[@linlupin]

Wish one of my friends' moms would've known this in high school, my friend was SUPER muscley and a really competitive gymnast. But his mom caught wind of his BMI that considered him overweight and she started measuring every bit of food he ate at home, almost to the point of dangerous eating behaviors all because she thought he was unhealthy. This guy was like pure muscle, he looked like he popped straight out of an athletic magazine, but due to his mom, he didn't have the proper energy to fuel his typical workouts and almost didn't appeal to an important scholarship. He eventually got a chance to get some adults with sense to talk to her, since because he was a minor he "clearly didn't know anything" (SARCASM!) and the issue got fixed and he got the scholarship.

[@spegi3478]

Height in square meters 🤔

[@lazarnedeljkovic5615]

Mistery kriiss yes m^2 is square meter. But you can't be 2 m^2 tall. It's your height squared

[@juliansimo2815]

"in squared meters"

[@MikkoHaavisto1]

It should be "body weight in kilograms divided by the area of the smallest square you can stand in."

[@dobkayaker]

This is no small gaffe. They could have just done another take if he misspoke. It really speaks to the lack of understanding of either party (the creators or interviewee, which is shocking, given his position) or both. The value of BMI is that height and weight are both easily accessible measurements which, as they point out, makes it useful for population studies. What they fail to point it is that the other methods are almost certainly too costly and time consuming for primary carers in poorer communities most affected by obesity. Videos like this disingenuously present the fact that BMI isn't a magical one stop health measurement as a dirty secret of the medical community, when what BMI is and is not has always been public information. And no, it's no weirder that a decimal point determines whether you're overweight than it does when you can vote, drive, etc. These are compromises we make with a complex world.

[@inspiringdeath2391]

Pounds or kilograms?

[@snowpawzvideos]

If your muscle composition is enough to alter your overall weight & therefore BMI, you're probably utterly ripped & know your weight is in muscles, not obesity. This whole "BuT whAT abOUt mUScleS" logic is invalid.

[@funnylilnarutogal2]

It's like people in the comments didn't watch this video and totally missed the point 😒

[@muzza307]

how do you make a 5 minute video about something that takes 10 seconds to say

[@TheftTv]

muzza307 By giving several examples, and talking in verses.

[@KL-mc3ev]

muzza307 smoke

[@MissHeathen]

+muzza307 Go watch paint dry.

[@GamesFromSpace]

Because people still didn't get it.

[@casualcommenter9730]

by talking about the history of its use dog

[@fuglyandsmexybitch]

It's amazing how few of the commenters watched the entire video. New rule: watch the whole thing before you get angry!

[@heinoustentacles5719]

KZbin should add the option for the creator to make the comments inaccessible until the video is watched once

[@catguy4996]

@@heinoustentacles5719 If that happened, each videos with that option enabled would have 50% less comments...

[@jaws030600]

Being obese from muscle is also not a good thing, ask any bodybuilder and they’ll tell you just how unhealthy it is.

[@MylesKillis]

Been “over weight” since I was 13. However I was an all state hurdler with a 30 inch waist and while I’ve gained 20 pounds since then I’m still athletic enough to be a squad leader in the marines at 26.7. However I still am gonna drop my self down to 24 because it’ll give me more wiggle room if injury causes me to get out of shape and make me faster.

[@RafaelCamposXy]

High BMI + belly = obese High BMI + no belly = muscular done, next!

[@minecraftminertime]

Your assumption of having a big belly or not a big belly is almost as inaccurate as the BMI itself. You are hypocritical because you created another assumption while trying to figure out how to determine if you are muscular or obese. People with big bellies aren't always because they're fat. They might be pregnant, have terrible malnourishment or anything else. Also, people might have their fat stored in other places than the belly than other people, so people who are obese might not have a belly.

[@nguyenbinhphuong1491]

what if i'm pregnant

[@nickcameron4107]

ever see sttrong man compitions? most all of them have some guts

[@balthorpayne]

Only because their activity requires two things: Muscles and energy. Nothing about being a strong man requires a six pack, so they eat to grow muscle and to have energy to move big weights. Most people with guts eat to grow bellies and gain big weight. You know a strong man when you see them.

[@flashbash2]

What exactly is obesity to you? Because if obesity is simply a lot of fat, that's one thing. But sumo wrestlers are a great example of people with tons of fat and who are seriously obese, but also super healthy because of how and how much they train and what and how much they eat.

[@Pscribbled]

I’m getting some real salty vibes from this video.

[@davidschwartz2144]

LuappleSnapples what do you expect when a fat woman talks about a healthy body

[@violet-trash]

I'm getting more of a sugar and simple carbs vibe. 🤷‍♀️

[@ezpzdz8155]

BMI is still accurate for most of people because we ain't no professional athletes

[@liammears2268]

Well done you can understand English

[@datsweggybruh8775]

Speak for yourself. You're probably typing that while lying in bed eating potato chips. Like most of these commenters.

[@larbakatariina1912]

I dislocated my knee at 24yrs old and the doctor's notes read that I was obese - she didn't ask my weight, she only looked at me and my knee at the hospital. This was when I would walk up to 17 kilometres daily and was cycling every week, and told the doctor that when she asked about my exercise routine. I felt like a normal person before the doctor's assessment and after reading I was obese to her, despite being so active, it crushed me. I've since gained a lot of weight over the years, always thinking "well, if in my healthiest phase I was still obese, what's the point".

[@jacktumba375]

Bmi should be used as a guideline to when to start losing weight, especially in the extreme ranges. Obese may be defined at 30 and up, but if you reach that high with muscle, you can probably tell its muscle. for example, if you start to get into the second stage of obesity, a bmi of 35 - 40, with purely muscle, you might have won a Mr Olympia contest. If you break a bmi of 40 with muscle, congrats, you are now bigger than most body builders. But if your bmi is that high with fat, you probably forgot what your toes look like.

[@noonehere4332]

Jack Tumba Bodybuilders often have cardiac problems, especially with steroids.

[@plusxz821]

@@noonehere4332 that's pretty tragic

[@noonehere4332]

Plusxz Check out youtuber Rich Piana, at his weight with muscle he would be considered obese. He died at 46.

[@fos1451]

@@masternick4361 probably because underweight is very rare in a developed country, while there are lots of obesity in a developed country

[@tranidite]

Honestly I don't see how having that high a bmi in muscle is healthy. I can understand being in the overweight range since muscle is different but being obese rang with just muscle doesn't sound right.

[@KennyKiller3000]

when someone has a high BMI it's obvious if it's from fat or muscle. BMI is a great index weather your weight is healthy or not and very few people do sports on a level that their muscle mass would put them into the obese level on the BMI scale. If you're rated over 25 and it's not because of you doing lots of sports, you're overweight or even fat. Easy as that.

[@Mylada]

Exactly.

[@lazarnedeljkovic5615]

VRDRBR omg a sane person in the vox comment section? How did this happen

[@gustav901]

Maybe you should look up the words: "causation" and "correlation". Very few health problems occur because of overweight. Rather overweight occur because of bad habits which leads to poor health.

[@Mylada]

I don't really know how familiar you are with the science, but this exact issue has been studied. Being overweight is the biggest risk factor of them all. E.g. The panel of Nordic nutrition guidelines performed a meta-analysis on this issue. Their conclusion was that of all the nutritional factors being overweight is 10-15 times greater risk factor for diabetes and heart disease than the amount of sugar, white cereal, processed food or red meat you consume. Poor lifestyle habits, of course, are cofactors that should be statistically corrected for in the studied, but only as covariates. Being overweight is the main contributor and risk factor.

[@issaosama4937]

You do realise that some government agencies use BMI index as an indication for health and regardless of how you look they still take it as it is. For example some in the army have a set requirement for BMI and if you are higher you don't get accepted. Even when you are obviously healthy. Your logic would be fine if the BMI system wasn't so strictly used to decide important career or life choices.

[@user-qv2qf1jk5o]

0:18 Way to expose Phil

[@sharpsmark331]

Underweight gang wya

[@laurenring9721]

ED gang, wya

[@easyybreezeyy]

@@laurenring9721 Bruh

[@laurenring9721]

@@easyybreezeyy sorry I just like dark humor and sometimes joking about a really bad thing makes it better

[@Mia-de8xf]

Me :P

[@LebaneseBaron]

🫂

[@pyryvirtanen6081]

So don't take BMI as a face value. It's just one tool to evaluate your health, not some definite number that tells you exactly how healthy you are.

[@tigrrlilli]

The problem is many doctors rely too heavily on it. I had a checkup where the nurse literally doubted the scale because she thought it was reading too heavy for someone my size, and then the doctor said my BMI is in the obese range and I should see a nutritionist.

[@uituituituituituit]

nice anecdotal evidence. What did the nutritionist say?

[@tigrrlilli]

uituituituituituit I'd already been to a nutritionist before this doctor, and I have already been following their advice of sticking to whole and minimally processed foods. The GP pushed hard for me to calorie count, which the nutritionist said isn't very helpful. Nutritionist says I could lose a little, but isn't really concerned since I'm active, eating well, have a healthy heart and good blood sugar, and don't carry much weight around my middle.

[@arthas640]

I'm glad that alot of doctors have stopped using BMI, it's handy as a "rule of thumb" or a rough estimate but it doesnt work for alot of people since it doesnt take alot into effect. According to my BMI, since im 6' i should weight a max of about 175lb and ideally be between 165-170lb, but even at 180 i look skinny since i have broad shoulders and wide hips and a fair amount of muscle. I was at 165-170 at one point in my life and when i got up to about 180 i started getting complements, even though the weight i gained was about 50% fat and 50% muscle. Doctors are starting to look at family history, build, and body fat % more which is more accurate. Personally i think your ideal weight is what ever you feel best at.

[@dinolandra]

Arthas Menethil lots of doctors still use BMI. I was classified obese during pregnancy and deemed high risk even though I have lots of both fat and muscle. I was then misdiagnosed early in pregnancy as having gestational diabetes because doctors pretty much expect you to have GD with high BMI. I ended up having extremely low blood sugars because of the medication they prescribed during pregnancy which is much more dangerous than high blood sugar.

[@michaelwerner5049]

Anyone with a brain knows this.

[@Ethan-tn4jc]

the demographic of vox is people without brains

[@michaelwerner5049]

Nielsen Díaz Anytime someone criticizes something just tell them they are wasting their time. Problem solved.

[@x_x_6__]

@Michael Werner not true. Just look at the comments :)

[@flashbash2]

*Anyone who has been taught this, knows this. Let's for a moment try to imagine that the things that we know aren't the things other people know. I know it can be hard and it's much easier to assume people who don't know something are brainless, but if you try, I'm sure you can figure out the truth.

[@trinalps]

Michael Werner you'd be surprised

[@subie1019]

0:04 that’s not how 5’11 vs 6’0 looks like according to memes

[@MD-vq9yv]

02:37 Not sure why the comment "wasn't even a physician" was made. Mathematics is the language of the sciences and mathematical modelling is crucial to medicine. Very disappointing content from Vox.

[@Headwyres]

When she has a problem to pronounce the name correctly I’m obviously disagree her other views because pronouncing someones name is important because it carries meaning. Wrong pronounce can mean either good or bad....

[@AlexisSmithFilms]

So many comments here of people trying to justify their obesity. Eat some greens and walk a little bit folks. I have a hormonal imbalance that should make me fat, but still choosing a healthy lifestyle can still beat it. There is no excuse to being fat. It’s unhealthy.

[@sararichwine800]

As someone with a bmi of 18.6, just above underweight, I can totally agree it's not a good measure of health. My bmi comes from the fact I have an eating disorder, and I am far from healthy. I can hardly lift 20 pounds over my head.

[@LA-bq6hf]

My BMI is underweight yet I'm an active dancer and don't feel weak at all. Thanks to this I don't need to overeat again just to gain weight.

[@marinaelliott8668]

I also heard that BMI skews your results if you are too tall or short because it squares the height, but weight and height have a cubic relationship. People under 5'2" are more likely to be classified as overweight, those over 6 foot are more likely to be underweight. There was a 3D BMI calculator that cubed your height so all heights could be measured accurately

[@bruhbutwhytho2301]

I've heard it flipped actually, I heard that if you are short it's more likely to say underweight and tall then overweight.

[@pradyumanpandey2079]

@@bruhbutwhytho2301 no ...iam 5'9 and my BMI is 15. 2 ... severally underweight ..I read an article and research of a Canadian physician he said people who are underweight have High mortality rate ...now iam waiting for my time ...iam really depressed..I have stress ...I don't even have that much height still iam diseased ...but the fact that I have my meals good than others ...I eat pretty good ..

[@jcwoodstl]

You have it backwards. Short is more likely to show underweight and tall is more likely to show overweight

[@speye22e]

When I was on my high school rowing team I lost about 5 lbs over the whole 4 years I was doing it. When I went to college, I lost 20 lbs over the first several months because I lost all my extra muscle. If you are exercising to lose weight but you aren't seeing the difference on the scale, keep in mind that the rate of muscle weight gain often closely matches the rate of fat weight loss, so you may be getting a lot slimmer and healthier even if your scale won't show it.

[@ethermendoza9587]

Vox... Making the uncomplicated complicated since 2014

[@flashbash2]

Ether Mendoza there was absolutely nothing uncomplicated about the video. I'm actually really surprised at the amount of people who clearly missed the points made

[@TheGeneralThings]

Humanity... Failing to casually uncomplicate the complicated since 35,000 BCE.

[@straightmelon8792]

that’s vsauce not vox

[@wyattjenkinson450]

Yonas what was the point then that if you’re a pro athlete BMI doesn’t matter obviously why was this five minutes

[@danielstash4305]

Another video that allows people to convince themselves being unhealthy is loving yourself

[@cmj3555]

By comparing the top of athletes with regular people... Yeah don't see why that wouldn't work.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

That's not true at all... It just says BMI isn't that useful by itself.

[@etherean369]

True.

[@ForgottenAria]

Hating yourself is not healthy.

[@romanpisani4543]

Tristan... they do it in a way that panders to people that may have reasons to believe they are obese- and if you are feel any better about yourself after watching this video, then you are probably one of those people

[@hannahmontana5378]

I have an eating disorder and didn’t know how much I needed this video to cross my path

[@mmm.birnie]

Hope you’re doing better :)

[@mckayahpugh6554]

Fun fact, Ancel Keys is also the dude that starved a bunch of guys basically to madness (one guy actually cut off his own finger) to test how to refeed prisoners of war. What a guy.

[@CarstenReg]

Who cares

[@byrneedward5330]

Old news

[@PetCreeer]

Byrne Edward I’m happy you knew this :) I’m sure a lot of people didn’t though

[@angelic8632002]

Byrne Edward Oh the classic "I know this, thus its an irrelevant" comment -.-

[@CardsNHorns04]

A lot of information is "old news", but many people don't know it so that's why they do stories about it.

[@ankael8344]

When you first heard of this it was old news for somebody else.

[@Murmurrr]

Simone I think we are simply used to Vox providing us with relatively new findings/ ways to look at the world. Relative to some of their other videos, this is extremely old news in the world of health. But I get your point.

[@aitothechamp7263]

I am 6’1 225 but I’m polynesian and pack a lot of muscle, especially dense muscle in the calves. I’ve always been athletic and can compete in any sport. No matter how much cardio I do, my leg mass will not slim down. The best way for me to lose weight is to diet, because it seems if I workout (even if I run) I’m building mass. But BMI says I’m very overweight but I can beat most people in physical competitions

[@vincent-ls9lz]

i dont want to be that guy but I imagine the person who wrote this isn't exactly fit

[@BF3blog]

The background music is too loud and it's exactly the kind of music frequency that interferes with dialogue. Keep that in mind next time.

[@harrisonc985]

BF3blog most relevant comment tbh. It’s deafening!

[@trinalps]

BF3blog how is it deafening? turn down the damn volume, I'm perfectly fine

[@johnh7464]

Or how about just watch her video and not pick it all apart? No one needs to know your opinion of her editing

[@tupoiu]

If they want better videos, which they should, it's good for people to criticise the editing, as well as the content.

[@JayTuberTaken]

I agree. Let's just say that there are two identical twins with the same weight and height. Let's assume their weight is around 100 kg (220 lbs), but twin A has about 20 kg (44 lbs) worth of fat and twin B has about 40 kg (88 lbs) worth of fat. Although they'll end up with the same BMI, their health would be vastly different. If I had two identical buckets, one filled with 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of feathers and 4 kg (8.8 lbs) of iron, with the other filled with 5 kg (11 lbs) of water, then BMI would be like me saying to you that just because both of them add up to the same weight of 5 kg (11 lbs), their contents are exactly alike. You could see where it all goes wrong. BMI is not useless, but it shouldn't be used in every situation, and should rely on body composition.

[@sierras.4592]

This is why you use BMI in tandem with other measurements of health, not the end all be all.

[@ikeacha4153]

This video was helpful. I've been working out 6 days a week for an hour since about the start of this year, but I've hit a plateau within about 8 pounds of the top of my normal bmi range. Even still, my waist has been shrinking, so I feel encouraged

[@jasonmallard5325]

It's all muscle bro, remember I played football in highschool.

[@qwertyuiopaaaaaaa7]

height in SQUARE meters? It should be "divide by the square of your height in meters".

[@bcubed72]

C'mon, man..."Math is hard!" Cut the little sweetie some slack!

[@mikehawk3120]

A bit pedantic there pal.

[@RomikaTaher]

R/iamverysmart

[@emilyfeng9709]

My question is who is paying for the more detailed, but more expensive tests? Is insurance? Is the patient?

[@christinewatson1989]

Dr: "we could measure your weight using the BMI formula or we could put you in a fancy schmancy x-ray machine for a more accurate result." Me: "how much is the x-ray?" Dr.: "$7000." Me: "I'll take the BMI."

[@Nothen]

This is all great and everything but when you are just going for a checkup it's pretty difficult to get access to really expensive equipment. Until this stuff is available to use semi-frequently it is pointless as you can't track your health over a time period you would need too.

[@owfuntime9038]

Exactly, like instead of taking 1 minute to Google "BMI calculator" and type in my digits, I should just weight myself underwater instead? That's just asking people to remain even more ignorant of their health

[@flyingdics1]

Not all the equipment is so expensive. Calipers are less than $10 and give you a much better measurement. Even less for a tape measure to get hip to waist ratio. It's disappointing that more doctors don't make smarter, easier measurements and educate their patients.

[@casualcommenter9730]

those ways are slightly more envasive and more time consuming. so it's just plain easier to use bmi

[@thehapagirl92]

Nothen If you're going to a hospital for a checkup then your hospital will have expensive tools to measure weight unless it's a hospital in a poor third world country.

[@flyingdics1]

Both of them take less than a minute and are no more invasive than any other touching a doctor does during a normal check-up. Of course it's easier to use BMI, but it'd be even easier to look at the patient in the waiting room, tell them that they're fat, but otherwise fine and let them leave. It's true for most people, so why waste time on exams or treatment?

[@jamesgravil9162]

I have a BMI of 27.6 (92.5kg, 6 foot), which classifies me as "overweight", but people call me slim. I'm a weightlifter so I have a bit of muscle. Before I started lifting I was 65kg, so skinny that I felt almost anorexic. Yet my BMI was in the healthy range.

[@madelinedalziel4304]

It's a reasonable classification for the majority of the population. If you're super muscular, that will be pretty evident.

[@alee8453]

Watching this cuz I have a friend who’s really insecure about her weight and I’ve tried to tell her and then yesterday she was like “according to my BMI I’m overweight” so tomorrow I’m bringing her the counter argument

[@NotThatHarrison]

Its used to measure a population, and in an individual its a first step accompanied by a doctor using there eyes (and 5-7 years of medical training) to determine whether you look obese or look like a professional athlete

[@Oozblar]

I just ask my 6 year old nephew.

[@Banoffeenyx]

TetraByte hahaha they tell it to ya straight, don’t they

[@Lundy.Fastnet.Irish_Sea]

Ameer Hamza depends where you are. countries and cultures define "overweight" and "obese" differently.

[@Larissimalia]

I think it's important to talk about the limitations of BMI. The simplicity of use means that many health centres never bother with any other method. I'm a woman, 5'10, very active, reasonably muscular, about 29% body fat, dense bones, I would say healthier and leaner than most. Never had problems finding clothes my size in any store, always been roughly the same size. But my body weight has also been greater than most's, with BMI in 'morbidly obese' category. I am constantly being pestered by doctors, nurses, any idiot with the calculator, about the need and importance to reduce my BMI, telling me how unhealthy I am and being patronizing about it, often without even looking at my body and its proportions. So many people nowadays suffer from body dysmorphia, so many people fall prey to anorexia and bulimia, and here we are, telling happy and healthy people who don't have any health issues, that they have a problem and need to get thinner. This is just sad.

[@nachannachle2706]

Amen to this comment.

[@alm.2000]

What exactly is your weight for someone 5 10?

[@isbalella]

@@alm.2000 Based on what they said, it must be at least 280. They are in denial.

[@calebshonk5838]

The military exclusively uses BMI to determine a SM's qualification for service. I've seen soldiers that were competing body builders, with very little actual fat, fail the height/weight standards due to this. These were guys that were skilled soldiers, could lift more than double their weight and run 7 min miles, but were facing discharge if they couldn't meet the standard.

[@lakshyamongia3270]

There could be a number of reasons for it. The army doesn't need a 6'7" 250 lbs bodybuilder who can can squat 500lbs. Because that person will consume resources of 2 soldiers with the service of one. He will occupy 2 seats in a military truck. Won't even fit in many tanks and almost in none of the aircratfs. And would be a problem if he needs to evacuated in an emergency. Bigger isn't always better.

[@zoehalbert443]

I think the bigger issues is that BMI only looks at two factors the rations of weight and height....it literally does look at ant other health factors such as diet, exercise, mental health, labs, etc. It's not very useful in determining health at all. It's just an easy way for insurance companies to create policies around coverage. The guy who invented BMI Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, even said it should be used to measure an individuals health, but used to look at large scale populations. I also noticed some people saying that "athletes don't need BMI because they know they are healthy".... but someone can be fit and still have health issues. I think the issues that the video points out is that BMI is too simplistic to measure health.

[@missmayfair2716]

Okay, if you live a normal life style, you never work out, are 5'4 and 170 pounds and the bmi says you're obese, you're obese If you're a body builder 5'4 and 170 and the bmi says you're obese, you're not obese Of course the muscle, gender and build are important and it's okay if you're a little bit overweight or a little bit under But you seriously have to be stupid to think that the bmi doesn't apply to you just because it "doEsn'T coUnT musCleS"

[@Maaaarz]

Hello, a medical student in his final year here. A few things about BMI from the doctors perspective. BMI is a tool that has specific applications, and has to be used accordingly. The most obvious thing is it's quickness and cheapness. A GP can measure BMI in a matter of seconds. All other means of measuring body fat you pointed out are specialist methods that come into use- BMI is a screening device so to say. Also as you said yourself- it works in 80% of the times. For a layperson this may sound low, but in medicine? These are some good chances! And for the 20% any good doctor will be able to spot that BMI is of no use- either just by looking at the persons muscle, or asking them how much sport they do. Similiarly you don't send everyone for a kolonoskopy right away. You first do your screenings, asses the risk and benefits, then follow up with a more complex method. In conclusion- BMI is very usefull, not perfect, but it doesn't need to be, because whe have methodt to follow it up.

[@tinyperson3203]

My BMI is 14.3. I’m aware of this obviously, since I’m extremely underweight, short, and skinny. Wanna sprinkle some iron deficiency on top?

[@larina2165]

Tiny Person Same I’m iron deficient too . My bmi is 15.0

[@klounpound6945]

Felt. I'm 5'6. And it's a chore for me to even maintain a weight of 125-130lbs. I hate being so skinny

[@flluxlive6471]

BMI says I'm over weight but I'm in the best shape of my life

[@Suedocode]

0:50 "The height in square meters" No. That's the height in meters, squared (comma important). It's entirely different from the unit "squared meter" (note square comes before, like the way he said it).

[@john_hunter_]

Suedocode nope it's not different from the unit of square metres. When you square, meters they become square metres. It's also the reason why we measure speed in metres per second. Because we divide metres by seconds to get the measurement of speed. The concept of speed is based on how far you go in a certain amount of time. The concept of area is based on multiplying distances.

[@Suedocode]

John Hunter The result is in squared meters, but height is measured in meters. He said it in a way that means height was measured in squared meters, which makes no sense.

[@john_hunter_]

Yes but square metres is no different than taking a distance in metres and multiplying it by itself.

[@Suedocode]

John Hunter To answer your edit about speed, it's not the division; it's the derivative of distance with respect to time. In any case, if you squared your speed for some function, you wouldn't call it "speed in meters squared per seconds squared." You'd say "speed in meters per second, (quantity) squared." It's not the equation I have an issue with (although I wish they'd give some intuition about why you divide by squared height instead of just height), but the way he said it in words. If they didn't display the equation, I'd have no clue what he was trying to say.

[@TheRunningComedian]

I think we should be clear. There are some people who are saying "we should look at the problematic nature of the BMI scale" and there are people that are not athletes saying "see, I'm not obese, the scale is wrong!".

[@Nicktheguy24]

1:35 If he was an inch taller his BMI would be “overweight” instead of “obese” lol

[@mali-lf3lg]

this is *MY* silly little disorder and *I* make the silly little rules

[@klemute]

lol hi

[@mali-lf3lg]

@@klemute SC REMAING hello!!

[@TheRonster9319]

I'm not fat! I'm cultivating mass! Try and move me, bro!

[@gigganigga9351]

TheRonster9319 I'm bulking bro!

[@myrandomvideos-6043]

I look kinda skinny or with a normal body shape but I’m like overweight and I’m only 155 in height. Also I am not diebetic or have heart desease. But if u look at me u might think I’m only 90 pounds but when u weight me is different . My weight now is 149lbs even the doctors didn’t .belive this . And I exersice a lot but I have an concussion so I have less exercise for a week or to.

[@britneybij3997]

**Me who is 5'7 and 181lbs** **BMI calculator** : You are almost obese! **Me who fits in L at Forever 21, almost no double chin bust=42in, waist=34in, Hips=44in, shops in standard sizing stores, has no problem moving, smallest size in Plus Size clothing is way too big for me, has muscles and can lift around 100lbs, and doctors are always in disbelief when I step on a scale** :.....I think you're a little confused but okay...😐 Idk where I keep it all, my doctors are just as confused.

[@scotchwhisky6094]

I'm 18.2 on the BMI chart. But If I told someone I was healthy weight, they'd believe me.

[@zyzzkant4733]

Almosy no double chin?? Then you must be almost obese im 190lb and we have about the same waist and i can fit l freely but at this point i was an ex obese person weighing 235lb before and now after getting healthy mentally and physically lift weights everyday im at 23,6% bf according to the bodyfat index machine but an estimation from the mirror i look between 23-27 at most

[@arthas640]

I hate BMI with a passion. I've got a lean friend who's "obese" since hes 190lb of solid muscle and about 5'10" and the skinniest my dad has ever been was 5'9" and 190lb and that was solid muscle. I'm the same way, I look emaciated at anything below 175lb at 6' and even my doctor says I should be over 180. I've been at my BMI ideal and I was sickly at that weight due to build and muscle density.

[@adam67bree]

Jesus christ Vox has the cringiest content sometimes. The message of this video soooooo so obvious and just common sense, how you managed to make this 5 minutes is astounding smh

[@bkohler89]

Oh come on. Really, you can't just enjoy a light-hearted video exploring the history and meaning of the BMI? Everything said in the video is accurate, and arguing that it "didn't need to be made" is absurd; such a mindset assumes that everyone is equally informed on this topic. Additionally, it essentially invalidates any and all artistic expression; Does every video vox makes need to have a clear rhetorical agenda? Is it not acceptable to make a video that is just, you know, "interesting"? But really, save the bickering for the political stuff.

[@cronchcrunch]

@@bkohler89 the problem is that vox is using exceptions to the rule to try and invalidate the bmi scale telling people that they're obese.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

Well, looking at the comments, it doesn't seem like it was that obvious.

[@iwanebbing2642]

"Kinda weird how a single decimal point can separate being overweight from being obese." Is that weird though? Don't 'arbitrary' limits and definitions work that way? It isn't weird that 1 mph can be the difference of being legal, and speeding. Nor that with a sign 'cliffs-edge 300 yards', walking 299 yards means that you get a nice view and at just 2 more yards you'll make a stain on the canyons floor.

[@annierosha5946]

Very helpful. I keep exercising and lament the limited weight loss and fairly static BMI but I see that I am also building muscle that isn't taken into account in my BMI. Thanks.I feel motivated again.