new information about CF "ideal weight"

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catboogie

New member
talking to the nutritionist at CF clinic recently i found out that there is a new way that they determine the "ideal weight" for a CF patient. it used to be that they would plot you on the height/weight chart and i guess they wanted to see you as close to "normal" as possible. now, based on studies they have done, they have come up with an ideal BMI (body mass index). the number for adult women (not sure if it's the same for men, probably not) is 22.

here is a helpful website where you can calculate your BMI:

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/">this is kind of handy</a>

hope this is helpful/interesting to you guys.

laura, 27
 
T

thefrogprincess

New member
new information about CF "ideal weight

Hmm, its probably different for Cfers (stuff usually is) but I've heard that BMI isn't the best gauge of what is normal. The reason being that muscle weighs more than fat so if you work out your BMI will be higher. Professional athletes can actually be considered obese going by their BMI.
 
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wanderlost

New member
new information about CF "ideal weight

my prepregnancy was 21.4
for fun I did it now, and it was 23.6 - I thought it would be higher. I am a bit surprized as that chart puts me in the normal arena, but I was a wee bit chunky before pregnancy - even the CF dietician supported me wanting to lose 5-10 pounds...but I guess that would still keep me in the normal range.
 
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ladybug

New member
new information about CF "ideal weight

Thanks for posting this, Laura! GREAT chart to have. I'm going to forward it to people I know also to let them see and hopefully get motivated to be healthier.

I was at 19.5, so normal, but low. i also work out often and lift weights, so I attribute that to my low weight and BMI. My doc actually said that nowadays, they are finding excercise is a bit more important than having the extra weight for CFers! Interesting! I suppose, with exercise, you'll be hungrier anyway! ha ha.

Thanks again-
 
N

NoExcuses

New member
new information about CF

21.8. I wonder about these things though. They keep moving "normal" weight up higher and higher........
 
B

blindhearted

New member
new information about CF "ideal weight

mine is 20.0 but that doesnt mean anything for me, other than I am in the BMI normal range. my nutritionist at the CF clinic and I have agreed on a "preferred" weight range for me to be no less than the lowest number in the range based on what looks good for my body structure and makes me feel best about myself and as long as I eat (and excerise which I should be working on.)
 
C

catboogie

New member
new information about CF "ideal weight

frogprincess,

the dietician and i also talked about the muscle/fat issue. i told her that i think some of the weight i have gained in the last year or so is because i have been working out and gaining muscle. she said it is better to have the muscle rather than the fat, but the studies that they did did not differentiate. guess it's just up to us to know where we are at, and then to take into consideration how much of our weight could be due to muscle. once in a while my gym has nutritionists who will measure your body mass--like how much percent of water and muscle you are...i need to get another one of those done i guess.

btw, i am 23.5

laura
 
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ladybug

New member
new information about CF "ideal weight

I know its probably not perfectly accurate, but I bought one of those expensive scales that measures your weight, body fat, and hydration. I don't know how accurate it always is, but its good for me to see if my hydration is up or down a particular day/week, etc. Its pretty interesting.
 
M

Markus

Guest
new information about CF "ideal weight

The only problem with those is that it does not take into consideration muscle mass and fat it only looks as two variables.

Oh it says I am 26.9 so I guess I am over weight according to the chart but if someone say me they would say I am muscular at 6 feet 198 and about 9% bodyfat. I hope to reach obesity in the near future LOL
 
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ladybug

New member
new information about CF "ideal weight

Mark,
What do you mean? It actually came with a thing that said that in order to calculate body fat, it is sending a "current" through your body which moves more slowly through body fat than it does through lean muscle tissue and organs, etc. So, that is how they're supposed to work. Have you heard that they don't compute it correctly? I'm curious now. It actually is pretty close to what computer said I was, though I'm not sure if they're measuring the same thing.
BMI=body fat???
 
J

julie

New member
new information about CF "ideal weight

Sonia,

I'm sitting next to Mark and he asked me to reply to you. He was referencing the calculator link above... He says that BMI equals Body Mass Index, not body fat percentage.

He also says, "the scales I think you are talking about (the current through your body) are fairly accurate, I have one too. The calculator above though is not accurate for everyone, it's pointless in my opinion. "
 
S

Scottius

New member
new information about CF "ideal weight

<P>Noticed the site did list limitations of the BMI scale, such as overestimations of fat for athletes, as some have stated here. They also stated that if one is listed as overweight on the scale, probably only need to consider weight loss if you also have two of the following traits: </P>

* high blood pressure (hypertension)
* high LDL-cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol)
* low HDL-cholesterol ("good" cholesterol)
* high triglycerides
* high blood glucose (sugar)
* family history of premature heart disease
* physical inactivity
* cigarette smoking
 
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ladybug

New member
new information about CF "ideal weight

Julie (and Mark) LOL,

Thanks for clarifying. I guess I really don't care if they're not too accurate anyway (the scales I mean), cause as long as I chart myself and follow the same inaccurate thing, it should be consistently innacurate, eh?!? ha ha! Anyway, thanks for clearing up the fact you were talking about the BMI and not my precious (and did I mention expensive) scale. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">
 
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