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graygo98 · 06-20-2006, 03:59 PM

Do you remember Tom Cruise in MI-1? That scene where he was hanging by one hand from a rock overhang? Probably about 8% body fat and, love him or hate him, a physique to die for. At 206 lbs he also had a BMI of over 31.... grossly obese.

BMI is in the process of being discredited as "old think". It came out of research in the 50s by a Met Life actuary that was methodologically unsound. In fact, more recent data have shown that people that qualify as moderately obese under BMI have higher life expectancies than people in the under 20 category.

For cardiovascular risk, carrying a bunch of weight around your middle is a much better risk indication than BMI. Percentage body fat and cardio fitness are also good indicators of health. BMI, which as a previous post indicated. ignores factors such as muscle mass and body structure focussing instead on two simplistic variables: height and weight. You could 150 pounds of artery clogging sludge and still have a good BMI... or, Tom Cruise. Tom;s craziness aside, take your pick.

When people say "must be HWP" I think that they usually mean that they are looking for someone in reasonably good shape... no belly hanging over your belt, that sort of thing, rather than someone who necessarily conforms with BMI definitions. Its sorta like what people say about art "I may not know how to describe what I like, but I know it when I see it."

06-20-2006, 03:59 PM	#6 (permalink)
graygo98 Swingers Board Addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 395 Location: Toronto Status: Couple	Re: Definition of H/W proportionate Do you remember Tom Cruise in MI-1? That scene where he was hanging by one hand from a rock overhang? Probably about 8% body fat and, love him or hate him, a physique to die for. At 206 lbs he also had a BMI of over 31.... grossly obese. BMI is in the process of being discredited as "old think". It came out of research in the 50s by a Met Life actuary that was methodologically unsound. In fact, more recent data have shown that people that qualify as moderately obese under BMI have higher life expectancies than people in the under 20 category. For cardiovascular risk, carrying a bunch of weight around your middle is a much better risk indication than BMI. Percentage body fat and cardio fitness are also good indicators of health. BMI, which as a previous post indicated. ignores factors such as muscle mass and body structure focussing instead on two simplistic variables: height and weight. You could 150 pounds of artery clogging sludge and still have a good BMI... or, Tom Cruise. Tom;s craziness aside, take your pick. When people say "must be HWP" I think that they usually mean that they are looking for someone in reasonably good shape... no belly hanging over your belt, that sort of thing, rather than someone who necessarily conforms with BMI definitions. Its sorta like what people say about art "I may not know how to describe what I like, but I know it when I see it."