[Corvidophile]

I'm curious if in the microcosm of the board there's any difference from general Western society. I think something like 60% of adults in the US are overweight.

Does higher intelligence equal better health? I know health is comprised of more than body size, but it's an indicator and something that's been on my mind lately.

[mathogre]

I consider myself to be overweight and have voted accordingly. I'm 5'8" and 139 lb. I have a bmi of 21.2. I was up to 143 lb. I'm working to get back down to 133 lb.

[Wtfpeople]

Overweight? Yes. Fat? No.

In my prime (hahahah) I was 145 lbs. Now, im almost 180 lbs. but that's due to me actively trying to gain weight. I have picture of me playing tennis with Andy Roddick I was about 155 lbs.

The BMI scale works for most people, but doesnt apply to all. Example: A heavyweight boxer is obese on the BMI scale but I bet you he could jump rope 3x longer than most people. Another example is a bodybuilder, they're actually considered "morbid" but have <5% fat.

Im a smoker, a drinker. Im still a lot healthier than most.

[Corvidophile]

	Originally Posted by mathogre To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I consider myself to be overweight and have voted accordingly. I'm 5'8" and 139 lb. I have a bmi of 21.2. I was up to 143 lb. I'm working to get back down to 133 lb.

Isn't 21.2 on the low end of normal? You're not overweight. Do you really believe you are, or are you just aiming for model thin? Sorry for being blunt, I'm just curious.

---------- Post added 11-27-2009 at 09:39 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Wtfpeople To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Overweight? Yes. Fat? No. In my prime (hahahah) I was 145 lbs. Now, im almost 180 lbs. but that's due to me actively trying to gain weight. I have picture of me playing tennis with Andy Roddick I was about 155 lbs. The BMI scale works for most people, but doesnt apply to all. Example: A heavyweight boxer is obese on the BMI scale but I bet you he could jump rope 3x longer than most people. Another example is a bodybuilder, they're actually considered "morbid" but have <5% fat. Im a smoker, a drinker. Im still a lot healthier than most.

I agree that the BMI scale isn't entirely accurate. My SO is "obese" with a BMI of 31 but he's very broad. He could stand to lose 20lbs but the BMI says that he's 40 or 50lbs overweight.

Btw, I am not overweight and never have been but I'm a smoker and (moderate) drinker as well. I've always felt a bit stupid for smoking.

[Antares]

5'2", 46 kg, BMI: 18.4 High end of underweight, but I'm not quite convinced that's "underweight".

[zibber]

First of all, I don't take BMI and terms like "overweight" very seriously. There are indices for everything and there is no guarantee that they aren't to some degree arbitrary or even entirely useless. (I refer you to L'Oreal's "tightness index" which measures the tightness of one's skin and recommends a skin cream based on the result.)

That said, since I have become mostly vegan I have lost weight quite rapidly. (If you've seen Into the Wild, that gives a good indication of the speed with which my pants are "expanding".) I am now at around 165lbs (standing at 6"3), so do the math.

edit: 20,78

	Originally Posted by Corvidophile To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Isn't 21.2 on the low end of normal? You're not overweight. Do you really believe you are, or are you just aiming for model thin? Sorry for being blunt, I'm just curious.

People are known to exaggerate any "shortcomings" they perceive in themselves..

(Not that a little buffer zone is a shortcoming. Hell, I love my girlfriend's non-washboard tummy
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)

[Antares]

Originally Posted by zibber To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

First of all, I don't take BMI and terms like "overweight" very seriously. There are indices for everything and there is no guarantee that they aren't to some degree arbitrary or even entirely useless. (I refer you to L'Oreal's "tightness index" which measures the tightness of one's skin and recommends a skin cream based on the result.) That said, since I have become mostly vegan I have lost weight quite rapidly. (If you've seen Into the Wild, that gives a good indication of the speed with which my pants are "expanding".) I am now at around 165lbs (standing at 6"3), so do the math.

I usually do body fat percentage, but I have no way of measuring that without my school's instrument or having to dig around for a tape measure, I go by BMI for convenience. I know this "skinny" girl who never exercises has 25% body fat (alright, that's not anything atrocious, but for non-athletic Asian girls, the "healthy" is around 22%), while some "fat" looking girl, with a lot of exercise, muscles, a healthy diet and a wider frame (and "overweight") is actually a lot more fit, at 18% body fat. She can run miles, whereas the first girl can't even finish one.

[Wtfpeople]

Originally Posted by Antares To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I usually do body fat percentage, but I have no way of measuring that without my school's instrument or having to dig around for a tape measure, I go by BMI for convenience. I know this "skinny" girl who never exercises has 25% body fat (alright, that's not anything atrocious, but for non-athletic Asian girls, the "healthy" is around 22%), while some "fat" looking girl, with a lot of exercise, muscles, a healthy diet and a wider frame (and "overweight") is actually a lot more fit, at 18% body fat. She can run miles, whereas the first girl can't even finish one.

(actual lol)

I found comedic value in all of the specific examples and quotations.

But, yeah, even body fat % isnt completely accurate. IIRC water displacement was one of the best ways to determine it, and even that had a 5% MoE.

It's tough to tell based on looks how unhealthy someone is. My friends dad is an alcoholic and he's gotta be like 120 lbs. standing at 6 ft. even. I look like a fatass now, but I can still bring a mean game of tennis even if I have to take a smoke break between sets.

[PHR34K]

According to my BMI, I'm ridiculously overweight.

5'8 & 190lbs (and rising!)

....buuuut I'm a gym rat
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[Wtfpeople]

	Originally Posted by Corvidophile To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I've always felt a bit stupid for smoking.

People who know or meet me in real life are surprised that I smoke because I seem to exude this aura of perfection.... HAHAHAH no, but I apparently do have some type of aura that I give off and it confuses them.

When people ask me why I smoke I always tell them that smoking and drinking keeps me sane. When they say "Sane?" I usually tell them "Yeah, it's people like you". One time my friends mom told me that I was going to die of cancer, which offended me, I snapped back with "Do a jumping jack." She didnt understand. Basically, I was telling her she was that fat.

[mathogre]

	Originally Posted by Corvidophile To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Isn't 21.2 on the low end of normal? You're not overweight. Do you really believe you are, or are you just aiming for model thin? Sorry for being blunt, I'm just curious.

No problem with being blunt! Yes, 21.2 is on the low end of normal, but I still consider myself to be overweight. I *am* aiming for model thin.

	Originally Posted by zibber To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	People are known to exaggerate any "shortcomings" they perceive in themselves.

Weight is one of the few areas where I have "issues." Regardless, they're very real issues to me.

[Shirley]

Supposedly my body weight (130lbs) is just borderline overweight for my height and gender. (5'2", female) However, I like what I see in the mirror and don't consider myself overweight at all. Though I have spent some time trying to build some muscle, so maybe it's reflected in my body size. Or maybe I just don't put as much stock in being stick thin as an attractiveness trait and so it doesn't bother me that I'm not.

[Antares]

	Originally Posted by mathogre To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	No problem with being blunt! Yes, 21.2 is on the low end of normal, but I still consider myself to be overweight. I *am* aiming for model thin. Weight is one of the few areas where I have "issues." Regardless, they're very real issues to me.

Ditto. I think "model thin" is the perfect term for what I'm trying to achieve. The thing is, everybody is telling me I don't need to lose weight, and apparently, it's a lot harder to lose the extra few pounds if you don't have a few extra in the first place.

[Warrior]

6', 210lbs. I wouldn't mind gaining another 5 - 10 pounds, but I find that very hard to do. I start to feel weak and I have no endurance if I drop much below 205.

[geekmother]

I'm 6'0" and weigh about 175. I used to be rail-thin, but if I drop too low, it's hard to maintain, and I get sick all the time. I have 2 feet of stainless steel attached to my spine, and I like say that it weighs 20 pounds on its own.

[asimplecadence]

I'm overweight, a little less than 20lbs over, but I'm not fat, just...curvy I guess?

I wonder if certain types are prone to being over or underweight?

[invicta]

	I'm curious if in the microcosm of the board there's any difference from general Western society. I think something like 60% of adults in the US are overweight. Does higher intelligence equal better health? I know health is comprised of more than body size, but it's an indicator and something that's been on my mind lately.

Body weight is more likely related to fastidiousness and somatotype than it is related to intelligence.

I'm not in the least bit model thin, nor is this an aspiration, but since this is so prized for women right now I suppose I can see the social benefits of attaining such a low body weight. But again, this is not a goal that reveals intelligence.

I'm at the end of normal weight, bordering on overweight on the BMI chart, but I lift weights and I'm very strong, so I consider myself quite healthy.

[ufmace]

I don't think anyone would call me overweight, though it is kind of hard to define in general. I'm 5'8" and have weighed about 150lb since high school. It doesn't seem to matter how much or little I exercise or what my diet is like, it just never changes. Well, it might go up if I did serious strength training for at least 6 months or so, or really pigged out on junk food for the same amount of time, but I've never done either.

I'm not sure how you'd get an accurate answer to the question, though - there's a lot of people I would call fat who don't think they're overweight at all, and a lot of people who are pretty skinny who still think they're fat.

[Kmal]

5'11 155

trying to get back to 170. my abs showed without flexing, it was so awesome. i lost 15 pounds of muscle over the summer not eating right. :/ ugh

ive always thought of INTJ's as a cerebrotonic ectomorph.

[Corvidophile]

	Originally Posted by ufmace To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I'm not sure how you'd get an accurate answer to the question, though - there's a lot of people I would call fat who don't think they're overweight at all, and a lot of people who are pretty skinny who still think they're fat.

Yeah, you're right. I'm realizing this now. It's subjective and this poll will not be accurate whatsoever. I should've included more options.

If I gained 10 lbs I would still be in the normal BMI range, but I would look overweight. I have a small frame and for me, 130lbs is fat. Ah well!

[shytiger]

6' 1", 185 lbs. That's "normal" but I've lost a lot of weight over the past 8 years. I used to be 240 lbs. Maybe it's my concern with mechanical functioning, but I'm just happy that my parts don't rub against each other anymore.

[Peaceolgy]

I'm 5'1 and around 116lbs. So no, definitely not overweight.
I've always wondered this myself. I'm extremely health concise, especially for someone my age (20). It seems irresponsible and illogical to me to treat my body as if it were garbage. But I do realize that our weight is not subjective to just our physical capability, but our emotional capability as well.

[liquidzilla]

I'm healthy at 19 BMI, 126lbs and 5'9''. I'm quite muscular and my body fat percentage was around 5-9%. I think INTJs are more likely to be slimmer because of liking things to be aesthetically pleasing, but I'm unsure.

[Sxq]

6'1'', 150 lbs. Almost no body fat. I have always been very thin. I suppose it doesn't help that since 4 years ago I have gained an inch or two of height, but stayed exactly the same weight due to losing muscle.

[wittykitty]

5'7 130lbs. I have a lot a muscle and not so much fat. Apparently, I look a lot less than 130.