I believe waist (circumference)/height predicts health problems better than BMI.
I personally choose toward the lower end of the body fat vs. lifespan plateau because it means I’m not bothered very much by an old lower back injury (it’s definitely worse when I’m 15 pounds heavier). I know there are many athletic, mobile people with more than the fashion model/bodybuilder amount of body fat, but since it’s easy for me to stay relatively skinny, I do so in hopes of reducing wear and tear on my joints.
Another thing to consider: even though it’s fine to have quite a lot more fat than most people worry about for aesthetic reasons, eventually you form new, permanent fat storage capacity. Fat is not inert storage; it also produces hormones which will (among other things) make you hungrier, even if you lose the weight later (that is, fat clusters don’t immediately die off; they just deflate, but when full, new ones form). For this reason, I will try to avoid setting a new body fat high-water mark.
I believe waist (circumference)/height predicts health problems better than BMI.
I personally choose toward the lower end of the body fat vs. lifespan plateau because it means I’m not bothered very much by an old lower back injury (it’s definitely worse when I’m 15 pounds heavier). I know there are many athletic, mobile people with more than the fashion model/bodybuilder amount of body fat, but since it’s easy for me to stay relatively skinny, I do so in hopes of reducing wear and tear on my joints.
Another thing to consider: even though it’s fine to have quite a lot more fat than most people worry about for aesthetic reasons, eventually you form new, permanent fat storage capacity. Fat is not inert storage; it also produces hormones which will (among other things) make you hungrier, even if you lose the weight later (that is, fat clusters don’t immediately die off; they just deflate, but when full, new ones form). For this reason, I will try to avoid setting a new body fat high-water mark.
A large waistline means higher risk of heart attack, diabetes, cancer, and dementia.