BMI limit?

A

annie-mouse

Guest
Is there a set BMI that will cause a problem when renewing my 3rd class medical?
My BMI has crept up to around 29 or 30. If I go for my 3rd class, will this be a problem? I can go BasicMed, so thought I'd check.
 
I am not aware of any "set BMI". But, the AME likely will look closer at conditions that can occur when us humas are heavier than we humans should be. Things like blood pressure, mobility, diabetes, sleep apnea, cardiac issues, etc.

If you go BasicMed, the doc completing the exam may look closely at the same items.

If there are no significant issues because of the weight gain, then either doc could be willing to sign you off with some "best thing is to lose the weight" counseling.

Losing the weight is the thing to do to improve the BMI, since gaining inches means spending time at the gym on one of these...

the-medieval-rack-torture-device11-e1316102182452.jpg
 
I've always known I was too tall for my weight.

But if there is a BMI standard for medical qualification, it should include a Min and Max.

I know when I lose 10# I am unfit to drive or fly. [If you haven't read before, I'm 6' 0" and 150#]

I actually track my weight to keep it UP to my goal weight. How backwards is that?
 
Neck circumference has a limit I believe.
not sure if bmi also has a limit.
 
Ravioli said:
I've always known I was too tall for my weight.

But if there is a BMI standard for medical qualification, it should include a Min and Max.

I know when I lose 10# I am unfit to drive or fly. [If you haven't read before, I'm 6' 0" and 150#]

I actually track my weight to keep it UP to my goal weight. How backwards is that?
Click to expand...

I had that problem until I turned 50. Been more of a struggle since.
 
annie-mouse said:
Is there a set BMI that will cause a problem when renewing my 3rd class medical?
My BMI has crept up to around 29 or 30. If I go for my 3rd class, will this be a problem? I can go BasicMed, so thought I'd check.
Click to expand...
you'll be fine at 30....+35 and they will start asking questions.
 
Ravioli said:
I've always known I was too tall for my weight.

But if there is a BMI standard for medical qualification, it should include a Min and Max.

I know when I lose 10# I am unfit to drive or fly. [If you haven't read before, I'm 6' 0" and 150#]

I actually track my weight to keep it UP to my goal weight. How backwards is that?
Click to expand...

Who told you that 6' and 150# is too thin? You go down to 140# and you can't fly or drive? Unless you have some other medical problem those weights are not an issue. 30-40 years ago those weights were the norm for someone as tall as you. I think it's all the fat people who have convinced you that you have a problem! The reason that fat people don't like the BMI scale is because it tells them that they are fat.
 
Ravioli said:
I told me. I'm the expert on how I'm feeling and my fitness to fly or drive, and I know the correlation to the scale.
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You are right. Only you know how you feel. I am also 6' tall and a couple years ago got my weight back down to 163 lbs. I felt better than I had felt in probably 15 years and yet people told me that I didn't look good and wanted to know what was wrong. Fat people don't like to be around skinny people. It makes them feel fat.
 
Ravioli said:
I've always known I was too tall for my weight.

But if there is a BMI standard for medical qualification, it should include a Min and Max.

I know when I lose 10# I am unfit to drive or fly. [If you haven't read before, I'm 6' 0" and 150#]

I actually track my weight to keep it UP to my goal weight. How backwards is that?
Click to expand...
I absolutely hate you.
 
When you suddenly are unable to fit into the airplane anymore, than your BMI is too high!
 
A few months ago I went to a nutritionist to change my diet and knock off weight. This girl looked like she just got out of her girl scout meeting. After the poking, prodding and possibly molesting by a rather large Indian male (from India, not native American) she was all perky as she read the report. And then with a big smile told me my ideal weight would be 125 pounds.

Hmmmm.... that is what I weighed in the 9th grade. I told her I needed to knock off 20 pounds, not 100. She got her face all serious looking, and with a voice sounding of concern, she told me according to our results you need to lose 100 pounds.

Next please.
 
Zeldman said:
A few months ago I went to a nutritionist to change my diet and knock off weight. This girl looked like she just got out of her girl scout meeting. After the poking, prodding and possibly molesting by a rather large Indian male (from India, not native American) she was all perky as she read the report. And then with a big smile told me my ideal weight would be 125 pounds.

Hmmmm.... that is what I weighed in the 9th grade. I told her I needed to knock off 20 pounds, not 100. She got her face all serious looking, and with a voice sounding of concern, she told me according to our results you need to lose 100 pounds.

Next please.
Click to expand...
So that would mean you are about 4ft 11 1/2 inches tall.
 
JOhnH said:
So that would mean you are about 4ft 11 1/2 inches tall.
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Not that short. I am supposed to be between 129 to 174 for 5ft 10in. And a few medical people I know are pushing people to go to the bottom of the range.
Personally, I do not think I will ever get down to 174. I would look like a skeleton; let alone down to 129.

Tim
 
Pretty sure there is not a BMI limit for medicals. I've been in a few FBO's lately and have seen some corporate pilots who are well into the obesed category. I'll never understand how people let themselves get that way
 
MtnMarcus said:
Pretty sure there is not a BMI limit for medicals. I've been in a few FBO's lately and have seen some corporate pilots who are well into the obesed category. I'll never understand how people let themselves get that way
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it's not hard....some of us gain on a 1,700 calorie diet....:confused:
 
Here's the BMI chart from the 2018 FAA Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners. At 72" and 182 lbs, I'm right at the cusp of "Overweight." I think the chart is unrealistic.

BMI%20Chart%20-%202018%20Guide%20for%20AMEs_zps0yw3lzrm.jpg
 
Stan Cooper said:
Here's the BMI chart from the 2018 FAA Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners. At 72" and 182 lbs, I'm right at the cusp of "Overweight." I think the chart is unrealistic.

BMI%20Chart%20-%202018%20Guide%20for%20AMEs_zps0yw3lzrm.jpg
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Yeah, that's definitely unrealistic. According to that i'm at least 15 lbs overweight at 6'3" 215 lbs.
 
Kansas Flyer said:
Yeah, that's definitely unrealistic. According to that i'm at least 15 lbs overweight at 6'3" 215 lbs.
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You probably are. I am the same height and started out at 221 a year ago. Now I am at 191 and know there are still a couple of lbs I can/should lose.
There more meaningful measure at that threshold between 'normal' and ''overweight' is percent body fat. You can be a muscular 200lbs or a skinny guy with a beer belly, makes a difference.
 
weilke said:
You probably are. I am the same height and started out at 221 a year ago. Now I am at 191 and know there are still a couple of lbs I can/should lose.
There more meaningful measure at that threshold between 'normal' and ''overweight' is percent body fat. You can be a muscular 200lbs or a skinny guy with a beer belly, makes a difference.
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Yea, 6'2" 205 was too much. Much better at 190.
 
Those bodyweight charts date from when few adults worked out or played sports. Heck, even pro athletes didn’t lift weights back then. It’s common today for someone to be considered seriously overweight per the chart, but in reality they are extremely fit and built like a Greek god.

A much better measure is just looking at the person and seeing if they are fat. If a number has to be written down, use bodyfat percentage.
 
ateamer said:
Those bodyweight charts date from when few adults worked out or played sports. Heck, even pro athletes didn’t lift weights back then. It’s common today for someone to be considered seriously overweight per the chart, but in reality they are extremely fit and built like a Greek god.
Click to expand...

If you don't spend at least an hour each day 6 days/week in the gym doing serious weights, the chart applies.

Many of the folks who consider themselves 'muscular' just have fat shaped to look like muscles covered by a generous layer of subcutaneous fat. It's worst in folks who did things like playing college football. They are used to a certain frame and weight but once they stop the daily training and enter the world of sedentary office dwellers, much of that muscle starts to look like ribeye. So they may have been 240lbs and 12% fat when they were active players, but now they are 260 with a fat of 30%.
 
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Now I'm depressed!

I've always been a bit overweight, everybody in my family is. When I worked in Silicon Valley, I ballooned up to 280 (I'm 6' 1") because of the sedentary lifestyle of sitting at a desk all day, plus all the free snacks they have at startups. That was WAAAAAY too heavy, so I started working out and lost about 40 pounds, and am now floating around 240. But even though I've tried to improve my diet, and work out on a rowing machine every weekday night for 30 minutes, it's tough losing more weight since I turned 50. I've been struggling to drop below 240.

I fear I may have to give up all normal foods and just confine myself to a tofu and water diet - blech!
 
weilke said:
If you don't spend at least an hour each day 6 days/week in the gym doing serious weights, the chart applies.

Many of the folks who consider themselves 'muscular' just have fat shaped to look like muscles covered by a generous layer of subcutaneous fat.
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Yes, and even plenty of folks in the "normal" weight range have a fairly generous fat layer above whatever muscles they have. I know I do, and my BMI is between 21 and 22. When I'm well hydrated, that fat is very noticeable, at least to me. :redface:
 
LoneAspen said:
Now I'm depressed!

I've always been a bit overweight, everybody in my family is. When I worked in Silicon Valley, I ballooned up to 280 (I'm 6' 1") because of the sedentary lifestyle of sitting at a desk all day, plus all the free snacks they have at startups. That was WAAAAAY too heavy, so I started working out and lost about 40 pounds, and am now floating around 240. But even though I've tried to improve my diet, and work out on a rowing machine every weekday night for 30 minutes, it's tough losing more weight since I turned 50. I've been struggling to drop below 240.

I fear I may have to give up all normal foods and just confine myself to a tofu and water diet - blech!
Click to expand...

Keep an honest food log with your smart phone and take a picture of every piece of food and drink you put in your mouth. Then see a dietician. You probably eat a lot more than you think you are. It won't have to be tofu and water, but there are just foods that are pure poison if weight is your issue.
 
weilke said:
Keep an honest food log with your smart phone and take a picture of every piece of food and drink you put in your mouth. Then see a dietician. You probably eat a lot more than you think you are. It won't have to be tofu and water, but there are just foods that are pure poison if weight is your issue.
Click to expand...

Yep - I need to start tracking that. I joined My Fitness Pal over a year ago when I lived in California, and started tracking some meals and exercise, but then I moved, life got in the way, etc, and I need to go back and start that up again.
 
When I was in the process of losing weight, I wasn't sure what was causing it until I realized that switching from sugar-sweetened iced tea and lemonade to Crystal Light could easily have made several hundred calories worth of difference. I haven't drunk anything with sugar since then (other than the occasional margarita), and my weight has been remarkably stable. Sure, I still have to be careful. I weigh myself every morning and titrate my food intake accordingly. But by far, the lion's share of the solution for me was to give up drinking sugar.

I lost nearly 40 pounds, from 176 down to 138, the first 30 over the first 6 months.

Just a data point... your answer may of course lie elsewhere.
 
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