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From what I have read, it is body-fat measure that we ought be using, & the plastic-calipers cost something like $5-10, online.
I'd read that in some scientific news thing, a few years ago, sorry don't remember which one.
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The body fat calliper method is extremely dependent on the person doing the measurement, so it’s more useful for measuring progress. The Navy Method is slightly less variable, and is a pretty good balance between cost, accuracy, and reliability if you’re looking for something. Not as good as DEXA, far better than body impedance, and more accurate than callipers.
Body fat definitely is a better method, up to a point - once someone is definitely into the “obese” or “underweight” on the BMI, there’s a good chance of the person is unhealthy in some way. Bodybuilders achieve worryingly low body fat % with “obese” BMI score, but they can still have plenty of other markers that say they’re unhealthy, and underweight is underweight. But my BMI is ~25 (“overweight”) and ~15% body fat; I’m ok.
A lot of people who are 50% body fat and have a BMI of 35 love to hear that the BMI is flawed.
I just remember as a teen at 16 and my PCP had it in the waiting room. And he swore by it. At 16 I was 6 foot and weighed about 150. And he said I had to much body fat. That I need to go on a diet. My mom the nurse was about to tear him a new asshole before i interrupted and asked Does a fifth of whiskey and a pack of Lucky Strikes a day count? You could hear a pin drop after I said that.
The UK's NHS BMI calculator puts the BMI of someone around that age, height and weight at the 54th centile. It's hard to be more average.
If you consider only the healthy part of the BMI spectrum you were still barely more than average (58th centile).
Your PCP's motivations are hard to determine, but a diet does seem a bit extreme. Without further information we might conclude that he would have wanted to put near half of your country's teens on a diet.
16 years old 6ft tall 150# works out to 183cm 77kg BMI20 (lower mid normal) and I’d put you on a diet and exercise program for sure. To gain weight and muscle. Muscle mass is correlated strongly with quality of life in later years, and you’ve described a string bean. Maybe a skinny fat string bean, but still.
LMAO....so sorry ...I am really no sarcasm...but never thought I would ever see in a sentence a skinny fat string bean lol. No my pcp was talking about losing more wieght.
They said you needed to lose weight at 150‽ I'm also 6ft but I have 100lbs on you and I still am dense enough to sink in ocean water. My build would have made your doc have a stroke.