Passing the DOT physical - BMI is too high

BMI is a flawed metric and not mandatory.
While there are doctors that do it, there are also doctors that don't.
Simple solution is to just say never mind and try getting your physical done at a different place.

 

BMI is a JOKE. I applied at Estes last year. They sent me for a DOT physical. My neck and BMI were too high along with blood pressure. Told I needed a sleep study. Couldn’t afford one.

Fast forward this year, I applied to get in to a truck driving school. I had to pass a DOT physical to get in. I went to a different doctor. Never measured my neck and never said anything about my BMI. Mind you, I’m 5’9, 276lbs. BP was still high but they made a mistake and gave me a 2 year card, and I’m not saying a #### thing lol

 

I worked with a guy who was a semi pro fullback in football. Wanted but couldn’t make it pro. He was in great shape.
They told him his BMI was too high.

 

BMI is not a joke.

I have evaluated female and males using that chart and anything around 20 or less they are looking REALLY good for their height.

Im flopping between 20 and 24 at the moment. Working on it. Waiting for winter, god knows Ive padded on enough to get through the cold. Its important part of my pain patient. Doctor uses my weight as a doses meter. And he cannot prescribe 50 MME or greater daily without potentially having his license challenged. As I gain weight the less value or power rather that the medicines have. He would have to increase doses that will approach the levels given to post surgical patients for a few days to make my body stop hurting based on too much weight. I am rolling between 175 and 190 at the moment roughly.

It's a funny situation to be in because since I stopped the synthetics the body has had many better days where I do not need anything much. That is being treated as a improvement. However BMI does still matter. I am not allowed to gain too much or be kicked from the doctor when the 50 MME daily is reached and cannot be breached due to overweight. I would have brought that on myself.

There is a second part to the reasons, in about a year or so if the other surgeries are successful (Im facing three) its very possible to go back into trucking. Meaning medical card DOT etc etc etc etc etc.

I would need to do what I need to do to keep the BMI under control. No way will I accept the kind of assignment that sleep apnea etc. Im old fashioned. When I go to bed at night (Or day) when and where I wake up either here at home or in heaven's gate is totally up to God. The last surgery the doctors cheated him by putting me on life support air after deliberately paralyzing my entire system completely.

I do not like to be that dead (Or deep rather.) it worked out that time. But I wont make a habit of it. It was only for 2 hours work.

 

Yes it is a joke. It is simply weight vs height.
It doesn't account for a difference between muscle and fat, and muscle is denser then fat. It weighs much more for the same volume. Nearly all professional athletes are morbidly obese according to BMI, simply because of muscle weight.

Thus, anybody who has a lot of muscle due to physical activity will have a higher BMI.
I am 5'9" ~205lb, my BMI is around 30 according to charts. But I spent the 15 years prior to getting my CDL working on loading docks moving cases weighing from 10 to 50lb by hand emptying floor loaded trailers or emptying pallets onto conveyor belts, and moving pallets weighing thousands of pounds with hand jacks. That builds muscle weight and thus increases BMI.

Some scientists even agree with BMI being useless saying you should go by waist vs height instead and try to keep your waist around half your height. According to that, at 5'9" my waist should be 34.5. Size 36 pants are a little loose on me so I am very close to the waist vs height metric despite being 205lb.

 

Ridiculous. any large framed guy that lifts weights and exercises a lot is going to have at least an 18 inch neck, doesn't sound like this factors in muscle mass.

 

I wear a 31 waist jean, BMI of 20.5 and think it is just the right weight for me.

 

Go to YouTube check out Omad(one meal a day) been stalled out on keto at 210 about to break into 199’s. Lost almost 10lbs in 3 weeks. Doing keto and omad. Been drinking Diet Pepsi(don’t do this it’s just my preference and crutch that helps me), coffee with only (stevia) sugar free sweetener, and lots of water during my fast. Be sure to get some salt on your food also cause you’ll lose electrolytes during the fast. Or put a teaspoon in a cup of water during the fast. I’m never hungry ended going 36 hours the other day. Felt really good. Try it out.

 

Yeah, BMI is inapplicable to physically fit muscular types.

BMI *is* a joke because it saves 1 minute of tape measuring vs. the fairly accurate Navy Body Fat Percentage system

The problem with BMI is that it gives the same mid-to-high 20's scores both to beer guts and slim guys with six packs (which is where it's really noticeable)


Buuut... it also means that if slim six pack guy packs on a dozen pounds, he goes straight into the "obese" pile.

 

You dont even know how to strap a load of rock, but you know all about BMI? Im gonna call you KR Jr.