h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, during the past year I've gained so much weight that the only clothes that I can still wear are those with an elastic band.

Today, I tried to find out if my friends are right when they say my weight is healthy and I should buy new clothes rather than losing weight.

I started with the BMI calculator on the BBC website.
Result:
>>Your BMI is 23.6, this is in the Normal range
See below for some suggestions to do with this info.<<

A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 suggests a normal healthy weight. This means your body is not at risk of weight-related disease. You still need to ensure a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and good vitamin and mineral intake, but if your calorific intake is matching your energy output you will remain a normal weight.

I then looked up the results for my waist to hip ratio:
Result:
>>You have a Waist to Hip Ratio of 0.8<<

Waist to Hip Ratio Chart
Male Female Health Risk Based Solely on WHR
0.95 or below 0.80 or below Low Risk
0.96 to 1.0 0.81 to 0.85 Moderate Risk
1.0+ 0.85+ High Risk

Then I measured my body fat.


>>You have a Body Fat Percentage of 32.33%. Check our Body Fat Chart to see what this means for you<<

Body Fat Percentage Categories
Classification Women (% fat) Men (% fat)
Essential Fat 10-12% 2-4%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% 14-17%
Acceptable 25-31% 18-25%
Obese 32%+ 25%+

So, I have a normal weight with a low risk for my health while I am being obese.

Yes, that's how I feel, too.

Oof. How confusing! Though to be honest, I'd be more inclined to worry about body fat ratio than BMI. It's possible to be reasonably thin and still have too much body fat. But I don't get why the criteria are in such conflict- that doesn't make much sense.

Next time you see your doctor, go with whatever he says.

I agree. I think that I have too much body fat, and I don't like the look of it, so I'm trying to get rid of it. It doesn't seem to budge, though.

I have have one of those fancy scales that measures weight, bmi and body fat %, so it's something I've been tracking on myself.

While I've got my bmi down from the dreaded "over 30" reading to 26 something this morning, my body fat% is still stubbornly around 32%. And it's notoriously hard to shift, according to my diet pals!

Bear in mind, bmi isn't highly thought of as a good measure, but it can be a starting guide.

Bel, what device or formula or system did you use to get that bodyfat percentage?

They all measure different things, though. The waist-to-hip thing, for example, just measures *where* the excess is, not whether you have too much. I'm quite, er, well-rounded, but my waist-to-hip is well under 0.8

Yes, I have a bit too much on both my waist and my hips, so that would throw that calculation off somewhat. At this point I no longer check any of those measurements: I know I am overweight and have too much fat, and need to work on that. I unfortunately have a "thing" for fruit and fruit juice and get way too many calories from that. Now that I'm back in the job market, I'll want to spend less on groceries for a while, so maybe that will motivate me to cut back. Give me more time for additional exercise, as well.

BMI is useless... it doesn't matter whether your 'excess weight' is fat or muscle, the BMI result will always be the same.

Bel, you used to be very thin, so I think if you have put on a lot of weight recently, it is likely that you put it all on your hips. So your body is healthy, but your hips aren't. Both dieting and exercise will cause you to lose weight all over, so you'll look even thinner, but still have overweight hips. I don't know what can be done about this other than keeping away from crash diets, eating healthily, exercising moderately and losing weight slowly.

Willem, I used this:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/metric-body-fat-calculator.php

It's probably not the best way to measure the body fat, but I don't even have a scale that works properly, let alone a scale that measures the body fat.

Mr D, they *do* point out that your BMI can be healthy if you are muscular. But I know that I'm not.

Gnomon, I have not only put on weight on my hips, but actually everywhere. And I know there is no way to lose it in the places which most need it (stomach, bum, thighs), but I have to do something.
Having always been at the thin end, I feel fat and ugly. And I know it is perverse, but I wouldn't feel this if I looked at somebody else having exactly my shape and size. I'd feel they were looking fine.

This is all very interesting and leads me to the conclusion that I am underhigh

If you want reassurance that you're not fat: you're not. You're just making the rest of us feel fat

But I know what you mean. It's a body image thing. I was so skinny as a child that I could never find trousers that weren't too loose, and some of my teachers were concerned that I was anorexic. Then I hit puberty and gained 20 pounds in one summer (stupid hormones) that I've not been able to shift. But it still feels wrong, like you're wearing a coat that's too big.

Bel, I couldn't comment on whether you look fat or not without seeing you, but I can be fairly confident you're not ugly.

Whether you're fat or not, if you've put on a lot of weight in a short time it can't be good for you. Your heart and various organs won't be used to supporting that extra weight.

Did you have any change of lifestyle? Did you stop walking to work, or start eating Danish pastries?

Mala, that's exactly how I feel.

Gnomon, for one thing, I've not got enough exercise since I stopped working. I've eaten a lot more than ever before (I stopped that now), and menopause adds to the problem. Due to the changes in hormones women put on weight, whether they change their lifestyle or not. At first, it was OK, but I am now a good ten kg above what I consider a healthy weight for myself. If I can shift just a stone I'd feel a lot better already.
I've started to cycle every day. In fact, I think I should go and cycle a few miles now.

Good idea - cycling will make you feel better, too!

But don't obsess about your weight; as you say, the changes can be hormonal. I'm not saying give up, but concentrate first and foremost on staying healthy, and if you're healthy, don't worry too much about weight. Sometimes, you just really can't do anything about it. Don't let it define your self-worth.

Two words I did not expect to hear in the same sentence: Bel and overweight!

Just keep up the cycling for fitness and forget about the weight. It's just that you're unaccustomed to it. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Bel at the London Meet

You are right, Mala. I'm cutting out carbs, or better, I'm trying to have as little of them as possible while not being hungry and not trying to adapt my life to a diet. I know that wouldn't work in the long run. So what I'm doing is eating lots of yoghurt and tomatoes and eggs etc (I love omelette with tomatoes, fortunately), and cheese, while doing without bread, pizza, pasta and chocolate. I'm fine with that (although the smell of freshly toasted bread is tempting).