We’re binning BMI for BRI – our scores say we’re obese but they’re wrong, we’re just curvy with hips and boobs

Although being voluptuous or curvaceous is a praise, no woman ever wants to be characterized as round.

However, researchers now think that the best approach to gauge our health may be to measure roundness.

Doctors in the US and China are beginning to use a system called the Body Roundness Index, which is being lauded as a superior way to evaluate your chances of weight-related disease than the contentious Body Mass Index.

In the UK, obesity rates are on the rise, and many of us are getting rounder than ever.

BRI considers hip and waist circumference in addition to sex and age, whereas BMI only considers height, weight, and ethnicity to generate a number that falls between severe thinness and very severely obese.

To illustrate your position, the result is shown as a round, black line over a healthy, green egg-shaped zone.

Additionally, it calculates your visceral adipose tissue belly fat and predicted body fat percentage, which ranges from 1 to 20.

According to the American Medical Association last month, BRI is more accurate in determining body composition and health concerns while being just as simple to use as BMI.

In order to compare the two evaluations, we asked two women to brave the tape measure and provide their vital information.

‘I knew I was a little overweight but I was really surprised’

Paulomi Debnath, a voluptuous middle-aged mother, acknowledges that she likely needs to shed a few pounds around her abdomen.

However, she was taken aback when the NHS BMI calculator classified her as obese, giving her a score of 29.8 based on her height of 5’5.5″ and weight of 12 st 12 lb.

Because South Asians have lower BMI cut-offs, her Indian heritage also played a role.

Paulomi, 44, of Romford, Essex, says, “I was really surprised, even though I knew I was a little overweight.”

This seems like a harsh and impersonal method of evaluating people, as I typically don’t give a damn about the scales and am confident in my appearance.It doesn’t appear to respect your age or way of life and is fat-shaming.

A size 14/16, Paulomi loves to cook from scratch and stays away from fried food, but she does occasionally go out to eat with her husband, Avik, 44, and their 13-year-old son, Ayush.

I’ve definitely gained a few pounds since turning forty, and with all the hormonal changes, it’s much more difficult to drop them now, she says.

Friends and family have made remarks about my weight, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to accept my body more. I’m not as bothered by it as I once may have been.

Without a doubt, I could work out more. My primary activity is walking, but like other Indian women, I wear a size 34GG bra and have wide hips.

I was created that way, and no matter how much I work out, it won’t change.

The results of entering Paulomi’s measurements into the BRI calculator—92 cm for her waist and 116 cm for her hips—were a welcome surprise.

With 34% body fat and 2.3% belly fat, she had a rating of 4.5, which is slightly inside the healthy range.

I find that to be more realistic,” says Paulomi, who owns the jewelry brand Handmade by Tinni.

I’m content to refer to myself as overweight.

I’m also glad to admit that I need to get a little healthier and fitter.

This evaluation is more balanced, not shameful, and won’t scare somebody into going on a crash diet—something I detest. In addition, my son and my husband both like me this way.

He likes that his mother is cute, and I don’t want him to grow up believing that all women should be the same slender shape.

‘This system feels fairer’

Journalist Rosie Mullender claims that since gaining weight a few years ago, she has been fixated on her BMI.

She has a score of 27.3, which is considered overweight, because she is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 11 pounds 5 ounces.

According to Rosie, 46, of Worthing, West Sussex, “my lifestyle has changed since I was in my thirties.”

Since I no longer live in London and work from home, I eat whatever is in the refrigerator rather than bringing a nutritious salad to work.

Additionally, instead of dressing professionally for work, I’m lounging about the house in comfortable clothes. When I wore pants for the first time in two weeks, I was taken aback.

Before I met my 47-year-old partner Don, I was a size 8, but now that I’m in a nice, fulfilling relationship, I’ve eaten more pizza and am a size 16.

I joke that I have body dysmorphia in reverse. I think I appear like a slender size 12 when I glance in the mirror after getting ready to go out. Later, when I look at the pictures, I realize how much larger I am now.

I used to never mind being photographed, but lately I’ve been apprehensive around cameras. I always worry about my BMI and strive to drop to 10st 4 lbs., which would suddenly put me back into the normal range.

After starting Zumba, walking more, and cutting back on my portion sizes, I’ve dropped five pounds this year, but it’s been gradual because I find it difficult to ignore the things I like.

Given her 91-cm waist and 104-cm hips, Rosie found her BRI calculation to be much more comforting, as it fell into the healthy green zone at 4.5.

Additionally, it was calculated that she had 2.6% belly fat and 33.2% total fat.

She says, “I’m surprised because I have a classic apple shape with 38E boobs and not a nipped-in waist.”

I believed that would work against me in the context of BRI.

Instead of stating that you are overweight at 25 and a regular size at 24.9, this system seems more equitable.

Because my blood pressure and other medical tests from this year came back normal, I know I’m not really sick. Knowing that I’m not doing anything incorrectly and that I’m not under any pressure to shed a whole stone is comforting.

• Additional reporting: Kirsten Jones