BMI of 38!

ClareP1983

Okay.... I just weighed myself and appear to have a BMI of 38.9! I'm not in the better of it!! I started googling and loads of people say to ignore the BMI calculator - I'm 31 year old woman and nearing 17 stone. Myself and my partner are trying for a child soon.

I'm so anxious now over complications etc if I'm classed as morbidly obese

Can anyone offer advise. X

Alf Veedersane

It's not always a good guide but it is general a reasonable indication of whether or not you need to lose weight.

Without wishing to be blunt, you should address your weight for your own health and to increase your chances when it comes to trying for a chile.

If you post up your average day's food and drink, then people will be able to help you make the changes.

ClareP1983

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

It's not always a good guide but it is general a reasonable indication of whether or not you need to lose weight.

Without wishing to be blunt, you should address your weight for your own health and to increase your chances when it comes to trying for a chile.

If you post up your average day's food and drink, then people will be able to help you make the changes.

I would but I'm too embarrassed because it's terrible what I eat. I just got a fright when I weighed myself. I shouldn't tho because I've let myself get into a rut and let myself go

RedXIV

ClareP1983 wrote: »

I would but I'm too embarrassed because it's terrible what I eat. I just got a fright when I weighed myself. I shouldn't tho because I've let myself get into a rut and let myself go

First step is the worst and best all at the same time.

Trust me, start today, baby steps and you'd be surprised how fast some of it will turn around. I lost a stone and a half the first month I started eating healthier, hadn't even started exercising at that stage!

Alf Veedersane

ClareP1983 wrote: »

I would but I'm too embarrassed because it's terrible what I eat. I just got a fright when I weighed myself. I shouldn't tho because I've let myself get into a rut and let myself go

No one is going to judge you. It's a starting point from where you will move in the right direction.

But no one will be able to advise unless they have a good picture of what you eat and drink. People will just want to help and make suggestions as to what you can change and how.

ClareP1983

Ok here goes;

Breakfast/lunch : large brown roll, egg, 3 x grilled rashers, mayo, grated cheese and tomato with tea, one sugar and low fat milk. Glass of fresh OJ

Dinner: chips and chicken gougons with ketchup and coke

2 x coffee with milk and one sugar

Snacks
2 x club milks
3 x packets of tayto
2 x glasses of coke

My daily diets would nearly always include crisps and chips. No wonder I'm in the state that I am

bmwguy

ClareP1983 wrote: »

Ok here goes;

Breakfast/lunch : large brown roll, egg, 3 x grilled rashers, mayo, grated cheese and tomato with tea, one sugar and low fat milk. Glass of fresh OJ

Dinner: chips and chicken gougons with ketchup and coke

2 x coffee with milk and one sugar

Snacks
2 x club milks
3 x packets of tayto
2 x glasses of coke

My daily diets would nearly always include crisps and chips. No wonder I'm in the state that I am

Start with ditching the tayto and the coke. No nutrients, just empty calories. Cut the club milk down to 1 with your tea or coffee. 500-800 calories daily saved right there, depending on size of the coke you normally have. Thats half the work done already. Reduce portion size slightly in the chips and goujons later, more of the way there now.

chrysagon

BMI aint even used by sportspeople, 4 time mr olympia Jay Cutler had BMI of 33, bodyfat less than 2%...118kgs of muscle..mirror should be a good guide..and u can "grow" into tracksuits without noticing it!

Stench Blossoms

chrysagon wrote: »

BMI aint even used by sportspeople, 4 time mr olympia Jay Cutler had BMI of 33, bodyfat less than 2%...118kgs of muscle..mirror should be a good guide..and u can "grow" into tracksuits without noticing it!

The OP is not an athlete and her diet is poor. BMI is probably accurate in this case.

OP: Your diet needs serious work. There's no veg at all.

How about:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with bacon
Lunch: Chicken salad (Spinach, tomato, onion, peppers, mushrooms etc)
Dinner: Meat/fish and veg (steak,pork,chicken,salmon,cod)

Alf Veedersane

chrysagon wrote: »

BMI aint even used by sportspeople, 4 time mr olympia Jay Cutler had BMI of 33, bodyfat less than 2%...118kgs of muscle..mirror should be a good guide..and u can "grow" into tracksuits without noticing it!

Sportspeople are outliers, in many many cases.

It holds pretty well for the majority of 'normal' people.

Hanley

ClareP1983 wrote: »

I would but I'm too embarrassed because it's terrible what I eat. I just got a fright when I weighed myself. I shouldn't tho because I've let myself get into a rut and let myself go

I spoke to a girl yesterday who eats takeaway 2x per day, and smokes 20+ daily too.

I didn't care where she was at - just she could
Improve.

Eg;

Have a breakfast of any kind
Get a sandwich or wrap for lunch
Have only 1 takeaway

That's the new plan until she's comfortable. Doesn't have to be hard or revolutionary

Oryx

ClareP1983 wrote: »

Ok here goes;

Breakfast/lunch : large brown roll,3x egg, 3 x grilled rashers, mayo, grated cheese and tomato with tea, one sugar and low fat milk. Glass of fresh OJwater

Dinner: chipsthree bean salad and chicken gougonsuncoated chicken pieces with ketchup and cokewater

2 x coffee with milk and one sugar

Snacks
2 x club milkswalnuts
3 x packets of tayto unbuttered popcorn* not ideal but better.
2 x glasses of coke water!!!

My daily diets would nearly always include crisps and chips. No wonder I'm in the state that I am

Your diet is all about carbs, salt, sugar, and high taste items. You will need to reeducate your palate to accept less highly flavoured foods, this can take a few weeks, bear with it. If you crave your usual snacks, eat a few nuts, drink water, eat fruit or carrot sticks with hummous. You need to relearn how to eat.

connollys

As suggested above, small changes at first. You'll be amazed how quickly the weight will fall off at first and this will then lead to motivation to keep it going. Dont over analyse just pick one thing to change this week. Drop the crisps for example, next week, make another improvement. I was guilty in the past of going at it like a hero and dropping everything straight away. It cant last and ya end up just bingeing again.

chrysagon

it aint all about diet.. and for starters bacon is generally of the list, so is pork, due to sodium content, but exercise has to be part of the equation, and i dont mean a trot to the fridge..60 mins in morn on empty stomach, as yer body is low on glycogen, burns fat faster!

Long journeys start with small steps, and leads to a healtheir heart!

Alf Veedersane

chrysagon wrote: »

it aint all about diet

No. Just about ~80%.

Stench Blossoms

chrysagon wrote: »

it aint all about diet.. and for starters bacon is generally of the list, so is pork, due to sodium content, but exercise has to be part of the equation, and i dont mean a trot to the fridge..60 mins in morn on empty stomach, as yer body is low on glycogen, burns fat faster!

Long journeys start with small steps, and leads to a healtheir heart!

The door is over there -> use it.

I eat bacon everyday, not really doing much training because of an injury and I ain't fat. Diet is 80%

Nyom nyom bacon.

Penny Tration

chrysagon wrote: »

it aint all about diet.. and for starters bacon is generally of the list, so is pork, due to sodium content, but exercise has to be part of the equation, and i dont mean a trot to the fridge..60 mins in morn on empty stomach, as yer body is low on glycogen, burns fat faster!

Long journeys start with small steps, and leads to a healtheir heart!

Bacon is wonderful, feck off.

Ri_Nollaig

chrysagon wrote: »

BMI aint even used by sportspeople, 4 time mr olympia Jay Cutler had BMI of 33, bodyfat less than 2%...118kgs of muscle..mirror should be a good guide..and u can "grow" into tracksuits without noticing it!

How is that even comparable in any way shape or form to the OP?


Try reducing the fuzzy drinks first anyway, atleast replace with the diet versions. You might find that alone could make a nice improvement. Take small steps to reduce your diet, don't try and do too much to quickly.

GarIT

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

No. Just about ~80%.

That is a load of bull, it is a minimum of 99% down to diet.

A 30 min run every single day will increase the calories you are allowed in a day by 10% for weight (not health) exercise makes little to no difference. I've lost 10lbs in the last month without any exercise at all starting from 160lbs.

chrysagon

Ri_Nollaig wrote: »

How is that even comparable in any way shape or form to the OP?


Try reducing the fuzzy drinks first anyway, atleast replace with the diet versions. You might find that alone could make a nice improvement. Take small steps to reduce your diet, don't try and do too much to quickly.

Meaning BMI is barely used anymore as not a clear indicator!

Alf Veedersane

GarIT wrote: »

That is a load of bull, it is a minimum of 99% down to diet.

Steady on there, princess.

The point is that it's mostly due to diet.

GarIT

chrysagon wrote: »

Meaning BMI is barely used anymore as not a clear indicator!

BMI is the most accurate indicator in existence assuming you spend less than two hours in the gym per week.

Also all BMI claims to do is measure your body mass which it does accurately for everybody, muscular people do have more mass.

GarIT

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Steady on there, princess.

The point is that it's mostly due to diet.

I know, I was just making a point of disagreeing with the other guy.

Alf Veedersane

chrysagon wrote: »

Meaning BMI is barely used anymore as not a clear indicator!

Two words: normal distribution.

It's a moot point anyway.

chrysagon

GarIT wrote: »

BMI is the most accurate indicator in existence assuming you spend less than two hours in the gym per week.

Also all BMI claims to do is measure your body mass which it does accurately for everybody, muscular people do have more mass.

Fat calipers alot more accurate!...and your pulse rate will tell alot...

GarIT

chrysagon wrote: »

Fat calipers alot more accurate!...and your pulse rate will tell alot...

Bodyfat is only a new thing, it doesn't have the same supporting evidence as BMI. I'm not saying that it's not good just that it doesn't have the same history of research that we can say if you have a bodyfat of X Y is Z times more likely to happen. Bodyfat is much more difficult to measure and most people will get measurements wrong.

As for pulse it would appear the OP is more concerned about weight than health/fitness.

Backstreet Moyes

ClareP1983 wrote: »

Ok here goes;

Breakfast/lunch : large brown roll, egg, 3 x grilled rashers, mayo, grated cheese and tomato with tea, one sugar and low fat milk. Glass of fresh OJ

Dinner: chips and chicken gougons with ketchup and coke

2 x coffee with milk and one sugar

Snacks
2 x club milks
3 x packets of tayto
2 x glasses of coke

My daily diets would nearly always include crisps and chips. No wonder I'm in the state that I am

Small steps even starting off making drastic changes will make it likely you will relapse. Just slowly make chages small steps at a time.

Bring the large brown roll down to medium. If you are putting on butter with Mayo leave out the butter you won't even taste it with the mayo.

Change to low fat milk, maybe change sugar to sweetners although i can't.

Change from breaded chicken to whole chicken fillets which are just as nice. Instead of chips somedays just add in a load of veg to fill you up.

Although not great try change from coke to diet coke starting off.

Cut down slowly only the crisps and chocolate by reducing one a day starting off.

Don't try ditch everything and make drastic changes starting off. Small changes will make a difference starting off and when you get used to these changes then try cut down more.

Hanley

chrysagon wrote: »

Meaning BMI is barely used anymore as not a clear indicator!

It's a great indicator for someone who isn't an elite athlete.

A fat lad who lifts weights is still a fat lad.

GarIT wrote: »

Bodyfat is only a new thing, it doesn't have the same supporting evidence as BMI. I'm not saying that it's not good just that it doesn't have the same history of research that we can say if you have a bodyfat of X Y is Z times more likely to happen. Bodyfat is much more difficult to measure and most people will get measurements wrong.

As for pulse it would appear the OP is more concerned about weight than health/fitness.

Head out of the texts book friend.

Body fat levels are a great indicator of;
> health
> fitness
> how someone is likely to feel about themselves

And it's quite easy to measure - does it jiggle.

I can't believe the thread has derailed this much given where the OP is at.

All they need to do? Work towards the following;

> 3-5 hours of physical activity a week of any kind
> 3-4 meals a day of "real food"
> do it for a month, then step it up

GarIT

I'm actually going to reply to the OP as it might make more sense than the pointless arguing.

OP you eat all a female of your age is allowed to eat in one day just in your snacks alone. You really need to cut your calories by at least 50% (although definitely not all at once).

You should try myfitnesspal.com for monitoring what you eat.

GarIT

Hanley wrote: »

Head out of the texts book friend.

Body fat levels are a great indicator of;
> health
> fitness
> how someone is likely to feel about themselves

And it's quite easy to measure - does it jiggle.

I can't believe the thread has derailed this much given where the OP is at.

I like evidence over the pseudo-science that gets posted online.

If it's done by someone trained to do it, it probably is better, but the places to measure and how to measure is so vague that the has to be inaccuracies, I know of people (with a healthy BMI) that can vary by at least in inch depending on where they measure.

I agree.

rubadub

chrysagon wrote: »

Meaning BMI is barely used anymore as not a clear indicator!

barely used? its used worldwide all the time

chrysagon wrote: »

BMI aint even used by sportspeople

You make that sound like you are saying "nobody bothers with BMI, not even those it suits most".

When the musclar sports people are the ones who it does not suit.

Most people to whom BMI does not apply are very well aware of the fact, e.g. a professional bodybuilder with a high BMI or conversely a person with an amputated leg & arm with very low BMI. If either of these do not realise why BMI does not apply to them then being over/underweight should be the least of their worries. They shouldn't be out on the streets alone if they are that lacking in common sense.

Berserker

ClareP1983 wrote: »

Ok here goes;

Breakfast/lunch : large brown roll, egg, 3 x grilled rashers, mayo, grated cheese and tomato with tea, one sugar and low fat milk. Glass of fresh OJ

Dinner: chips and chicken gougons with ketchup and coke

2 x coffee with milk and one sugar

Snacks
2 x club milks
3 x packets of tayto
2 x glasses of coke

My daily diets would nearly always include crisps and chips. No wonder I'm in the state that I am

No point in setting a diet for you, OP, as others have done so already.

The first piece of advice I would give you OP is to take it one step of a time. Set yourself weekly goals and work towards them. For example, an adult should consume 2L of water per day. Now, judging by your diet, you don't drink any. To go from none to 2L won't work. You will end up spending most of the day in the bathroom. So, for the next 7 days, aim to drink 500ml of water each day, throughout the day. There is no point in drinking it all in one go. Next week, add another 500ml and so on.

Finally, allow yourself one "bad" meal a week. I run competitively and I still take in one takeaway, small portions, on a Friday, once I don't have an important race coming up.

Typer Monkey

Hi OP,
Don't concern yourself with the argument over the validity of BMI as a measurement. A 17 stone woman is obese in any language (sorry!)

I think you know all the chocolate, crisps and coke is not right and needs to go. Maybe hold onto one club milk a day and have it in the evening with a cuppa as a treat. Cut all the rest out. Eating it all is only habit and can be broken if you put your mind to it. I find not buying treats so they're not in the house tempting me helps.

Do you know how to cook and just don't do it or did you never learn? For example do you know how to make curry, stir fry, an omlette, fish etc? You really need to cook real food for your dinner instead of goujans and chips if you want to loose weight. Real food takes the same amount of time as shoving beige food from the freezer in the oven and tastes so much nicer. You can batch cook in advance and freeze if time is an issue.

Have you always been overweight? If you have and have never cooked perhaps a group setting like slimming world might help. I would not usually recommend SW or weight watchers because I have issues with their fat demonising and the lack of oortion control but maybe it would be a good starting place for you if you really feel 'all at sea' with loosing weight. A few sessions with a good PT would be far better though if you could afford it. There's lots of very knowledgable people on here that could assist you there.

Is there any exercise that you enjoy doing? Again a good PT could assist you there. I always hated running but felt that I had to do it. I've since found weight lifting and I love it. I'm dying to hit the gym now instead of dreading it.

The main thing is getting a handle on your diet first. The exercise can come later. You know how you are eating is detrimental to your health and your life goals so use that as your motivation. You just need new habits. All the initial hard work will become your new habits if you stick at it.

Good luck

Yeah still have a club milk each day but I'd cut out the crisps and coke first off.
Do you have time constraints on cooking or do you just need recipes and getting used to it? Either is fine to work around.

I'd replace the brown roll in your breakfast with an egg or two

Oryx is right about retraining your palate.
Once you give up coke for a few weeks you'll find it unpleasant if you tried drinking it again after. Same for when you cut down on sugar.

Don't bother changing anything about the milk and sugar in tea, if you're only having one or two cups a day it's not going to break anything.
Drink a load of water.
Diet 7up if you really need a fix but better to have water

Don't spend too much time going "I'm such a state" now you know you need to make changes ... just go for it and you'll get there

Healthis

ClareP1983 wrote: »

Okay.... I just weighed myself and appear to have a BMI of 38.9! I'm not in the better of it!! I started googling and loads of people say to ignore the BMI calculator - I'm 31 year old woman and nearing 17 stone. Myself and my partner are trying for a child soon.

I'm so anxious now over complications etc if I'm classed as morbidly obese

Can anyone offer advise. X

You should be ashamed of your weight. There is no excuse for this.

MrStuffins

Healthis wrote: »

You should be ashamed of your weight. There is no excuse for this.

Now now. Letting yourself go is depressing enough without people kicking you while you're down.

OP, I think you know what you have to do.

What you DON'T have to do is go on some sort of mad diet or binge on nothing but fruit and fresh air. Take it slow and change one thing at a time.

Download My Fitness Pal, set it so that you're dropping 1lb per week and stick to the goals. You'll want to lose it all now but, trust me, the trick to keeping it off is making small changes each week until you're in a position where all of the changes have accumulated and you now have a healthier lifestyle.

Hanley

Healthis wrote: »

You should be ashamed of your weight. There is no excuse for this.

You should be ashamed of being an asshat.

Oryx

@Healthis. Post helpfully or not at all.

ClareP1983

@Healthis I am clearly ashamed of my weight hence the reason I am here looking for help. I am not stupid I know nearly 17 stone is awful I don't need clarification on that. Thanks everyone else for your words of encouragement

Hanley

ClareP1983 wrote: »

@Healthis I am clearly ashamed of my weight hence the reason I am here looking for help. I am not stupid I know nearly 17 stone is awful I don't need clarification on that. Thanks everyone else for your words of encouragement

There's nothing wrong with your weight.

Your weight is a result of the choices you've made and the foods you've eaten up until now.

Those foods have told your body what to do, and what signals to send to your brain.

Your brain can say "no" all it wants, but eventually your body will win.

You solve that problem by eliminating will power and starting to improve the foods you eat right now, 1 meal at a time.

So whatever you're doing now, stop, get the hell of the computer, go buy some chicken, some rice, weight out 50g of rice, 200g of chicken and throw some veg in.

Eat that, and then make another smart choice next time.

pinkypinky

Healthis wrote: »

You should be ashamed of your weight. There is no excuse for this.

That's a really unhelpful comment. The OP is trying sort herself out - and fair play to her for coming on here and asking for scrutiny.

drumswan

GarIT wrote: »

That is a load of bull, it is a minimum of 99% down to diet.

A 30 min run every single day will increase the calories you are allowed in a day by 10% for weight (not health) exercise makes little to no difference. I've lost 10lbs in the last month without any exercise at all starting from 160lbs.

Eh, my understanding is that regular exercise will boost the metabolism - and as a result accelerate weight loss and also aid with keeping the weight off.

Is this not correct?

Alf Veedersane

drumswan wrote: »

Eh, my understanding is that regular exercise will boost the metabolism - and as a result accelerate weight loss and also aid with keeping the weight off.

Is this not correct?

The point is that diet is more important.

Hanley

drumswan wrote: »

Eh, my understanding is that regular exercise will boost the metabolism - and as a result accelerate weight loss and also aid with keeping the weight off.

Is this not correct?

Not to a significant degree tbh. You need to add quite a bit of muscle to see any major metabolic benefit.

mloc123

drumswan wrote: »

Eh, my understanding is that regular exercise will boost the metabolism - and as a result accelerate weight loss and also aid with keeping the weight off.

Is this not correct?

You cannot out train a bad diet..

Edit: a very quick estimation, the OP is probably eating 4000Kcal a day based on what she listed. She would need to burn maybe 3000Kcal/day training to lose anything.

drumswan

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

The point is that diet is more important.

Of course. Im a newb to this, have been using myfitnesspal to count calories and doing the couch to 5k thing, Ive lost 4kg in 5 weeks.

Are you saying there is no tangible benefit to exercise then?

Hanley

drumswan wrote: »

Of course. Im a newb to this, have been using myfitnesspal to count calories and doing the couch to 5k thing, Ive lost 4kg in 5 weeks.

Are you saying there is no tangible benefit to exercise then?

The key word in the sentence - "more".

mloc123

drumswan wrote: »

Of course. Im a newb to this, have been using myfitnesspal to count calories and doing the couch to 5k thing, Ive lost 4kg in 5 weeks.

Are you saying there is no tangible benefit to exercise then?

If you have started from a completely inactive lifestyle to counting and training you will lose the first 2-3kg very easily. Most of it will be bloated water retention.

drumswan

Well what an encouraging thread

mloc123

drumswan wrote: »

Well what an encouraging thread

Do you want people to pat you on the back and say "keep eating junk and do a bit of exercise and it'll be grand" or do you want actual helpful advise?

Everything posted in reply to the OP has outlined the best way to start... slowly cut out junk and improve meals, get some exercise.

drumswan

mloc123 wrote: »

Do you want people to pat you on the back and say "keep eating junk and do a bit of exercise and it'll be grand" or do you want actual helpful advise?

Eh? I dont eat junk, wtf are you ****eing on about? I was looking for input from runners or others on the tangible benefits of exercise