Vesica

Oops...I forgot to say that I think diets as a whole do not work and are not healthy....The human body really like consistancy...Better to be a little pudgy than gain and lose and gain and lose...


I am trying to make food and excercise choice that will allow my body (and brain, which I am quite attached too) to function at an optimal level...Go Veggies! And Brisk walks! etc.etc.

Vesica

I am going to slink away to find a healthy snack since the part of my brain that checks for typos is obviously on the blink! Apologies!

brighid

I haven’t had a chance to look at any of the responses yet, but I don’t want anyone to think I am ignoring them or bailing. I have a personal family matter that is draining the life right out of me and in an attempt to prevent my brain from utterly exploding right now I am going to have to wait at least until Monday to get back to this discussion.

Brighid

Dr Rick

Neither do I; the BMI tables were designed to be a practical and easy way to assess weight -related health risks. They are are based on statistical morbidity and mortality rates, but they are not a direct measurement of adiposity. They may be inaccurate for people who are especially muscular [30" thighs! Sweet Jesus, one of your legs is almost as large as my waist!]. Same with the 40 inch waistline rule; most people with a waistline of that size are just a wee bit shorter than you.

Rick

Dr Rick

Brighid, I'm sorry for you and hope whatever it is works-out.

If there is anything I or the other infidels can do for you, please ask.

Rick

emphryio

If your exercising to look good, sprinting is the best thing you can do. Jogging is mainly good for bodyparts that can't be seen. (Heart, blood circulation). Truthfully, simply sprint as fast you can until you just about drop once every other day if you want fast results. (This is mentally tough to do over the long term).

In general sprinting/heavy weightlifting or anaerobic activity results in a better looking body. (Unless your taking steriods or eating 400 grams of protein a day, then you'll look like a monster).

Aerobics results in better energy.

Combining the two is what I do. I alternate sprints with hour long jogs. And also lift weights once every four or five days.

I did the Zone diet for a couple years. It's a hassle and expensive. Now I just try to eat some protein and some foods high in anti-oxidants every day. Beyond that I don't worry about diet and eat whatever gets in my way. (Tubs of ice cream/McDonalds, maybe good genetics plays a role.) So I'm 6'4", 250. That BMI stuff is crap.
At 210 I look like a stick man.

I'm not saying if you exercise like I do, you'll weigh 250. That would just be my family genetics. But I do know that when I quit the sprinting my body starts to go downhill (increases in bodyfat) no matter how I eat or what other exercise I do.

Bree

LadyShea -

I think I'm bigger-boned. My wrists are 6.5" and my shoulders are 16.5" (I do curve a bit, though).

Anyway, I'm averaging out 2,300 calories these days. The exercises I usually get is through hiking - we have 26 mile hiking trail around our city and it's great fun to trek for long distances during the weekends .

Anyway - I think my BMI calculates out to "extremely obese" - at least, that's what my doctor tells me. I am, however, proud to say that Kate Winslet and I used to have the same proportions (this was during her Quills days, though) .

Viti

From my research BMI does not take muscle mass or frame size into consideration at all (or not enough). My friend here in the office is also 5'6"....her frame is much larger than mine (20" linebacker shoulders, 7.5 inch wrist) so she can carry 25 more pounds than I can without it even showing, yet her BMI is also considered very high. Also, muscle has more mass so weighs more than fat if I understand correctly so weight vs. height cannot be the only factor.

I recommend you have your body fat percentage analyzed...I'll bet you have less body fat than I do because you have lots of muscle

The Other Michael

Hi NialScorva,

You must be a terror at fencing - what do you have, about a foot of reach on everyone else?

I'm a far better reader than I am exerciser, though I'm about to the point of being fed up enough to try and add some regular exercise (or at least that is the plan). But it seems to me that the only two factors that really should be looked at are the lean/fat ratios (and not from those oh so general charts) and how you feel.

The mass ratios would give you a ball park to shoot for, while listening to your body would tell you when you've gone too far.

If you are striving to lose weight (a bad move I think - losing fat is more important) and you feel wretched all the time, then I'd sure suspect something was quite wrong. It could be overtraining/under eating or just that you've gone too far below the weight that your body wants to be at.

I think that most people, if taking an honest look at themselves, can figure out if they are "in shape" or not, without getting caught up in the false images put out by the media.

If you feel good, are able to engage on a regular basis in reasonable levels of exertion without feeling bad, and aren't carrying around an excessive load of fat (and yes, I'm aware that some people are genetically predisposed to more or less fat, so excessive would be related to that, not an arbitrary standard), then I'd say that is probably a decent indicator that you aren't in "bad" shape.

This is not to say that if you feel lacking in strength or endurance for some specific activities that you shouldn't try to improve your condition.

cheers,
Michael

PS: One of my coworkers is 6'2 and (at age 50) is now running about 155 pounds (he's gained a little recently). He's fairly fit, likes to do hikes/walking etc and is obviously not carrying around any excess fat. I'm 6' and 198 pounds right now (my highest point) and while I can remember weighing 145-150 when I got out of college (and I wasn't extremely fit then) I'd be surprised if I could go below about 160 pounds and not be on the too light side.

[ July 12, 2002: Message edited by: The Other Michael ]</p>

NialScorva

Thanks for the learned and informed, but yet understood-not-to-be-official-medical-advice advice Rick.


More or less :-D. I'm trying to get up back in aerobic shape so I can make a run for a national ranking next year (assuming I have money by then).


Yeah, because I've done a lot more excercise than most in my family, they keep asking me how to lose weight. I always tell them that they shouldn't even try to lose weight, cause they're gonna fail. They should try to build muscle and set a sequence of step by step goals based upon performance at a couple of chosen activities. I do say that my target weight is 255, but I'm not going to be broken hearted if I don't make that. My goal is a table of weights and reps, along with a 50/mile per week cross-country biking goal, and the last time I could do something along those lines I weighed around 255.

A former co-worker of mine is 6'4" or 5" and about 140 pounds. He wears sweaters and coats during the summer. The scary thing is he eats pretty much anything he wants to till he's full, and *never* excercises.