The FastDay Forum

Hi

I am 5'6" and my wrists measure 6.5" my BMI is 32.47, PLEASE someone tell me I am overweight and not obese because I can't believe it. I can make my wrists a fraction more if it will put me in the overweight zone, I'm not above cheating a little in this case.

Good post BTW, here's hoping

Chriso, I'm not good at math so someone else will answer your question but it doesn't really matter.
Obese or not, you will soon lose more weight and look even better in person and not on paper!

nice one Izzy, I luv you, thats made my day.

Bless you TML, I luv you too.

Chris xx

Right back at ya, babes!

Frame size has to play an issue with the calculation of ideal BMI. I had a good buddy who is the sane height as I am, but about 3/4 my shoulder width. What is weight is ideal for him will not be right for me.

As for wrist measurement, packing more weight in general does not necessarily mean bigger wrists or wider feet. I suspect these areas are chosen because they are the last placed where excess weight will accumulate. As stated in other posts, I am classified as obese, and even with the new 10% buffer for a large frame, I still am classified obese, just no where as much. Even with all my excess padding, my wrists are relatively bony compared with the rest of me

Thanks for the links and post. Still more weight to lose, just not quite as much

Thank you BluDiamond
I was concerned to have to have a BMI of under 25. When I was younger and no weight issues I still weighed much heavier than my slighter framed sisters. Am on the verge of large frame using your wrist measurement formula

I had already decided I would be happier with weight coming down to around 70kg for my 5'6". So you have confirmed my instinct for my optimal goal, thanks

Found this soo interesting .i am very small...5ft nothing ,my shoe size is 5 , my wrist 5 .5 inch.
I am so I terrsted to read ballerinas comments and eckats and to see your bmi is below 20
And that you lost weight on 5:2
My bmi is around 21 and when I tell people what I weigh they say its very low but I know I weigh too much and am carrying at leat 10 lbs too much.i think I look best with a bmi under 20
That said ,I struggle to loose these few pounds and have just started the 5:2
So am hopefu.....
Would love to hear from others who are small and only have a few kilos to loose.

Very interesting. I remember reading something years back that there should be 3 different BMI calcs for black, white & asian as the body types are completely different. Personally, however, I don't put a lot of stock in BMI. I'm extremely large busted & have been since my early teens when I was still a healthy weight. The weight of my boobs pushes my BMI up. Also, my brother is classed as obese. He is over 200lb with body fat of 11% and bicep muscles bigger than my thighs. Because muscle weighs more than fat his BMI is off the chart but he is definitely NOT obese! I'll be paying more attention to my waist measurement & how my clothes fit on me.

That's true, BMI has never been good for athletes. It is meant to be for the average person, so using the frame size adjustment can at least make it a little more useful... The best thing is to measure body fat percentage but I don't have a good way to do that. My scale has a body fat percentage thing on it but it is very erratic saying 41% one day and 57% the next. I don't trust it one bit. I had a "BodPod" done at Mayo clinic in February and it said 37%, and that is probably accurate but I can only do that once a year.

Another thing I like to look at is age and the number of children you have had.
A good measure is to think of the weight you were in your 20s, when you were slim and perfect (of course), and that in fact is often the weight you aim for in later life. HOWEVER, you should add 1kg for each child you have had, and 1gk for each decade. So, for example, if you are 45 and have had 2 kids, and the weight you were in your 20s when you were slim and perfect is 60kg, then you should aim for 60+2(kids)+2(decades)=64kg.
I find it a healthy reminder! I went on a diet 3 years ago and ended up being the same weight as in my 20s, which was my goal, but forgot to add 3 kg for my 2 kids + 1 decade, and I looked like a skeleton. People were horrified and thought I was ill! If I add the 3kg (soon 4!) it become MUCH more realistic and feasible.
Of course, this is only a good indication if you actually were slim or a healthy weight in your 20s!

That puts me where I believe will be good for me 70 kg :

Wow, this responds to a lot of your posts. I firmly believe that you cannot relate all of your weight to frame size. I;'m trying to be real with myself. I have (relatively) small fingers and wrists - but the rest of me is relatively large boned (I no longer curse my grandmother, who I am definitely shaped like). The point is I know when I look and feel the best, and it may not mesh with any charts. Incidentally, I have weird shaped feet (bunions - so wide is too wide in the back and regular is too narrow) so how could you possibly use feet as a measure of wieght?

By wrist measure, I am borderline (5'5", wrist size 16cm=6.3in). I have always had wide feet, too, even when I was very thin. I guess I would have always described myself as stocky, but mostly because I've always had really muscular thighs. I am quite broad shouldered, though, and my hands are quite large for a girl.

My target weight right now is at the upper limit of the normal BMI range by the standard measure (i.e., 25). I will reassess how I look at that point. I would never attempt to go below 20. I am fairly sure I would look awful any lower than that.

Japanese people must have wider feet on average than in the west. I never have trouble finding running shoes that fit properly here. I have to get men's shoes, but at least they fit well.

Thanks so much BlueDiamond for this post.
I am actually the same stats as you- 5'2" and wrist 6.5".
I too have always known I have a large frame.
When I was doing my midwifery training it was known as CBH- or "child bearing hips" !
Mine were good CBH as I had my daughter in 5 hrs!
Also as you get older I certainly agree with the sentiment that you choose "face or butt" as we say- if you get too thin you really start to age in the face.
So like you, I am now officially overweight, not obese, and will be aiming for the higher end of my normal BMI

I meant to say also that wrist size was one way of checking for women's build in Obstetrics so the Medicos must have thought it was reasonably accurate.( of course there are more sophisticated measures as well!)