Alarming BMI News!

[Jethro]

According to personal trainer Peter Cerqua, you could be within your recommended BMI yet be what he calls "skinny fat."

Skinny fatties - according to him - "appear to be thin and healthy, but the truth is there is nothing healthy about them."

He adds, "Those who are considered to be “skinny fat†do not appear to be overweight; however, they have a high percent body fat, especially visceral fat—the fat that surrounds vital organs."

On his article he even provides evidence: http://petecerqua.wordpress.com/2012/08 ... kinny-fat/

His solution: exercise.

Although I agree with Pete, I think you are better off skinny fat than fat fat!

[milliem]

I've heard that before - I definitely agree that being a healthy weight is better than being an unhealthy weight though!! I think that's why weight training/resistance exercise is recommended as exercise when losing weight, it's the most effective way of building muscle so when you do lose fat, there is some good muscle tone underneath.

[BrightAngel]

For those interested,
you can see your current BMI here.
http://www.diethobby.com/blog.php?ax=v&nid=662

[Jethro]

For those interested,
you can see your current BMI here.
http://www.diethobby.com/blog.php?ax=v&nid=662

Great calculator Dr. Collins. You have a lot of good stuff on your site.

I have two requests but I'll be OK if you cannot grant them.

1. Can you develop a body fat calculator?

2. Can you review The Perfect Health Diet by Dr. Paul Jaminet? I'm in the fence as to whether or not to buy it.

Thanks!

[BrightAngel]

For those interested,
you can see your current BMI here.
http://www.diethobby.com/blog.php?ax=v&nid=662

Great calculator Dr. Collins. You have a lot of good stuff on your site.
I have two requests but I'll be OK if you cannot grant them.
1. Can you develop a body fat calculator?
2. Can you review The Perfect Health Diet by Dr. Paul Jaminet? I'm in the fence as to whether or not to buy it.

Hi Jethro, I do own and have read the Perfect Health Diet,
and I will work on a review for you.

I'll investigate the possibility of a body fat calculator on DietHobby.
Based on what I've seen on the web,
the calculation for body fat is quite complicated,
It also depends on how acurately and where and how you measured.
If I can find a good one, I'll put it a calculator in an article,
and if that is too difficult, I'll try to find a good link to post.

I personally own a Tanita Iron Man bodyfat scale,
which is supposed to be one of the most accurate,
but the results vary quite a lot from day to day.
I'm a reduced-fat female over age 60, and body-fat isn't one of my own big issues.
I have enough trouble dealing with the "normal" weight issue.

[ironchef]

The category skinny fat is also called "hidden obese" according to the Tanita body fat scales. This is someone who falls into a healthy BMI, but an unhealthy body fat %. So, losing body fat or gaining muscle (or preferably both) can correct the problem.

I'm actually glad that this is recognized. I've got a few good friends (mostly men) who eat absolute rubbish because they never gain any fat, and I worry that they are damaging their insides without realizing. In a way, I'm grateful that crappy eating makes me gain fat, because I'm motivated to correct something that is damaging my health. Can I honestly say I'd give much focus to eating well if I was slim and athletic looking?

[r.jean]

I am still overweight by my BMI and definitely want to get down to a normal BMI; however, I am feeling much more fit and healthy than before!

[wosnes]

2. Can you review The Perfect Health Diet by Dr. Paul Jaminet? I'm in the fence as to whether or not to buy it.

Yet another one I'd never heard about. I googled it and read some at their web site and on Amazon. I won't read the book. First, everything you need to know to follow their eating plan is on their web site. Second, it's more of the same.

There's a whole genre of books that blame one food or food group on all of our problems with obesity and chronic health problems. I think the only foods that none of them have called toxic are green and yellow vegetables. Funny thing is, what one calls toxic another group has (successfully) based their program on OR is part of a traditional diet that has supported populations for thousands of years.

However, there is one thing they all agree on: avoid processed foods. Each and every one of them calls for either strictly limiting or eliminating processed foods. It is also the one thing that when introduced to a population will cause problems with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and various cancers.

Exactly what it is about processed foods is still a mystery. Is it the carbs, the fat -- or the type of fats and carbs? Or, is it the chemical additives and dyes used in the foods? Is it the high level of omega-6 fatty acids -- which we need, but not in the levels currently in our food supply.

[ironchef]

Exactly what it is about processed foods is still a mystery. Is it the carbs, the fat -- or the type of fats and carbs? Or, is it the chemical additives and dyes used in the foods? Is it the high level of omega-6 fatty acids -- which we need, but not in the levels currently in our food supply.

My theory is that naturally occurring foods have been eaten by humans for tens of thousands of years, and evolution has allowed us to adapt to make good use of naturally occurring foods. So, the balance of different nutrients and so on is something our bodies expect and are adapted for. "Food-like products" have only been available for a generation or two, so we've had no time for humans to adapt to digest and process these products. In a way, we're conducting a vast experiment by feeding our population up on all these things and seeing what happens.

[wosnes]

Exactly what it is about processed foods is still a mystery. Is it the carbs, the fat -- or the type of fats and carbs? Or, is it the chemical additives and dyes used in the foods? Is it the high level of omega-6 fatty acids -- which we need, but not in the levels currently in our food supply.

My theory is that naturally occurring foods have been eaten by humans for tens of thousands of years, and evolution has allowed us to adapt to make good use of naturally occurring foods. So, the balance of different nutrients and so on is something our bodies expect and are adapted for. "Food-like products" have only been available for a generation or two, so we've had no time for humans to adapt to digest and process these products. In a way, we're conducting a vast experiment by feeding our population up on all these things and seeing what happens.

Someone, I'm not sure who but it might have been Michael Pollan, theorized that given numerous generations, we might adapt to processed foods. However, we'd also adapt to type 2 diabetes being accepted as a standard part of life. Not to mention other ailments.

[BrightAngel]

Dr. Collins. You have a lot of good stuff on your site.
Can you review The Perfect Health Diet by Dr. Paul Jaminet? I'm in the fence as to whether or not to buy it.
Thanks!

Jethro, In response to your request I have reviewed the book,
Perfect Health Diet, at my website, Diethobby.
http://www.diethobby.com/blog.php?ax=v&nid=665

[Jethro]

Dr. Collins. You have a lot of good stuff on your site.
Can you review The Perfect Health Diet by Dr. Paul Jaminet? I'm in the fence as to whether or not to buy it.
Thanks!

Jethro, In response to your request I have reviewed the book,
Perfect Health Diet, at my website, Diethobby.
http://www.diethobby.com/blog.php?ax=v&nid=665

Thank you Dr. Collins. Excellent review.

[oolala53]

Depending on who is doing the interpreting of the data, there is some defense of the idea that it is indeed better to be FAT and active than sedentary and thin. There are even data that have shown that excess muscle is as problematic as and possibly more so than excess fat. Thre is definitely data that shows that being 5 lbs underweight is just as deleterious to longevity as being morbidly obese. But there isn't much money to be made from that.

Three meals, moderate amounts of overeating, consistent exercise, some of it vigorous: when someone proves to me that people doing that would have a qualitatively better and longer life that justified the greater effort involved to be leaner, those and the body they produce will be my ideals.

It just seems to me that if bodybuilders and personal trainers had their way, no one would be satisfied with themselves practically ever. There is too much money in spreading dissatisfaction. Or a willingness to jump on the bandwagon.

I'm not saying this for a huge back-and-forth. I'm saying it for those on the outside who are peeking at this thread who haven't even made a dent in the habits. Keep things in perspective.

[Dale]

I saw an interesting tv programme about the "skinny fat" issue (although I don't think they called it that) - apparently some people who appear slim or skinny can have excess visceral fat and a high body fat percentage. There seemed to be a link to low birth weight.

The whole thing is confusing. It doesn't make sense that exercise would sort out the problem. From what I've read, it's hard to build muscle on a caloric deficit. And if people eat to gain muscle they're likely to gain a little fat as well (I believe bodybuilders have to diet after building muscle because they need low body fat for competitions). If people dieted to try to lose the visceral fat, then presumably they'd end up in an unhealthy BMI range, which might bring its own health risks.

[What Name?]

This comcept is nothing new. It just gets a new name every few years. BMI is one of the least accurate ways to measure fat content on a person. If a person is muscular, they will show up overweight or obese and "skinny fat" is the same concept in reverse. Fat weighs less than muscle, so if a person has very little muscle and is small boned they won't weigh much and can be under their bmi and still be fat.

A more accurate measure is the waist to hip ratio and body fat composition. it is probably a good idea to get all three measurements for a complete picture. Here is a link to a site that has all these calculators. Don't use the links at the top of the page--those are google search links. Scroll down and use the small links next to the text.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/waist-to- ... alculator/

[Jethro]

A more accurate measure is the waist to hip ratio and body fat composition. it is probably a good idea to get all three measurements for a complete picture. Here is a link to a site that has all these calculators. Don't use the links at the top of the page--those are google search links. Scroll down and use the small links next to the text.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/waist-to- ... alculator/

They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words (or calculations). Here is a link to visually estimate your body fat%:

http://bretcontreras.com/wp-content/upl ... atios1.jpg