SO WOULD YOU SAY THIS MAN WAS OBESE?
dAnIeL ford, 31, is an It worker. He lives in northolt, West London, with his partner Kitten Hart, 29. He says: I HAVE worked so hard to shed weight. When the first lockdown started I was 18st — way too much for my 5ft 7in height. I was furloughed and I told myself that I can either sit in and play video games and drink Guinness or use the time to get in shape.
I play rugby as a hobby, training three times a week, so I’m not unfit but over the years my weight has crept up.
On March 24, 2020, I ditched booze, cut back on sugar and followed a strict nutrition and fitness programme, taking part in personal training sessions over Zoom set for me by coaches at my club.
I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, going from 18st to 13st 7lb. But when I checked my BMI online, I discovered that it’s 29.6, so according to that metric, I’m on the cusp of obese, which I find insulting and quite demotivating. When I look in the mirror, I don’t see an obese person.
I’ve got a 32in waist — it had been 42in — and I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life. My resting heart rate is 54 (which is very good) and this week I’ve recorded a daily total of more than 10,000 steps on my Fitbit.
I cycle about 100 miles a week and take part in online workouts. So it doesn’t make sense to me that according to the BMI formula I’m still unhealthy.
It’s not the first time I’ve felt this frustration. When I was 16, I was super-fit and part of the Wasps rugby academy.
I did four rugby and two gym sessions every week. My brother Andrew, who is twoand-a-half years older than me, was also fit and healthy.
We both went for routine check-ups and were both told we were overweight and should get it under control.
I weighed in at just 13st but my BMI was 29.1. I looked fit and muscly and it was clear to me that the doctor was going through the motions.
But it left both of us feeling really angry and questioning whether we really were as healthy as we thought.
Where does this metric come from? I find it so frustrating, as being told you’re obese can have a real impact on how you feel about yourself.