Being overweight and the use of CPAP

I would like to approach a delicate subject for some people (including myself). The issue with being obese and the use of CPAP. Which I suffer from. I do not know if this has ever been done on this forum. My goal is not to insult or embarrass any one but I think it will bring to light some correlations that may exist. I have include a BMI table to help with this.

Thank you all for your help

Please use the table below to make your decision

I can't vote! But my BMI is 31.

My BMI is currently 44. I'm having RNY gastric bypass in three weeks. I'll be very curious to see if my OSA goes away once I've lost weight.

I voted. I'm 5' 6" and about 210 lbs - that scores 34% BMI, which makes me obese. Most of it is muscle, though

**edit** changed 110 lbs to 210 lbs

Well, I don't have any muscles to speak of. How is BMI calculated and what is it? I checked a couple of sites.
Mine seems to be around 42. (I'm on the borderline of being underweight; I'm thankful for all that I do have)

BMI stands for Body mass index. It does not account for muscle mass. It is a tool to measure obesity. But I am sure it is not the only one.

Eutychus being 5'6'' or 66 inches and weighing 110lbs make you BMI of 19 pretty good BMI. Thank you for your interest.

Mebake wrote:Eutychus being 5'6'' or 66 inches and weighing 110lbs make you BMI of 19 pretty good BMI. Thank you for your interest.

oops, see my edit on original post... I'm 210 lbs, NOT 110 lbs

Well there is a fat pad behind your throat and when you are overweight it pushes out and obstructs you airway. So losing weight does help. Especially if you have a small chin. The smaller chin you have the farther back your tongue is positioned obstructing your flow of air. Before I had all my surgeries the insurance company wanted this face ex-ray where they measure your face structure , and I had what they call a underdeveloped chin. The combination is a probable sign you are a candidate for apnea especially when your overweight. I understand that after a gastric bypass you can expect to lose 1/3 of your weight. I bet you notice a big difference. Great choice in being proactive in your health and life.Six months from now when you look in the mirror you are going to see a happier person and in a lot better health.

nate fry wrote:I understand that after a gastric bypass you can expect to lose 1/3 of your weight. I bet you notice a big difference. Great choice in being proactive in your health and life.Six months from now when you look in the mirror you are going to see a happier person and in a lot better health.

If you do it properly you can expect to lose quite a bit more than that.

And don't presume to tell me how I'm going to feel in six months.

Sorry to presume how you feel. I had all the apnea surgeries , lost 22 pounds and feel wonderful. I am on your side.

Mebake wrote:BMI stands for Body mass index. It does not account for muscle mass. It is a tool to measure obesity. But I am sure it is not the only one.

And that is one of the places where BMI, Body Mass Index, falls down. It does not take into account people who are stocky or who are otherwise well-muscled.

The brother of a friend of mine was in the Navy. He went for his annual physical, and came up with a BMI of something like 43, and the doc immediately said, "You have to stop stuffing yourself, and lose some weight, boy!" And the young man said, "I want the percentage of actual fat. (He was VERY fit, was a diver, did a lot of exercise.) Test was reluctantly done, and they discovered that he actually needed to ADD some fat, because all that mass was muscle. But on BMI, he was VERY obese.

Kiralynx wrote:

Mebake wrote:BMI stands for Body mass index. It does not account for muscle mass. It is a tool to measure obesity. But I am sure it is not the only one.

And that is one of the places where BMI, Body Mass Index, falls down. It does not take into account people who are stocky or who are otherwise well-muscled.

The brother of a friend of mine was in the Navy. He went for his annual physical, and came up with a BMI of something like 43, and the doc immediately said, "You have to stop stuffing yourself, and lose some weight, boy!" And the young man said, "I want the percentage of actual fat. (He was VERY fit, was a diver, did a lot of exercise.) Test was reluctantly done, and they discovered that he actually needed to ADD some fat, because all that mass was muscle. But on BMI, he was VERY obese.

Absolutely!
Another thing the "charts" don't take into consideration is "bone structure" (or mass). At a weight of about 210 (I'm 6' 1"), I would be (and have been) "skin and bones". Well, that was about 25 years and quite a few pounds ago, but I don't consider myself "obese". I have very low cholesterol numbers but I know much thinner people who have HIGH cholesterol numbers.

These stupid charts were invented for insurance and medical categorizations and they don't give a complete picture of a person's health.


Den

Forget the charts and just use a mirror! Those of us who are carrying a few extra pounds will know the truth when we look into a mirror. Muscle mass and bone structure aside, there just ain't no hiding fat if one is willing to be honest with themselves.

I have a BMI of 21 and exercise regularly, but a doctor who knows I have apnea mentioned the various things that can help make apnea better, including weight loss. I looked at him and said "well, that's probably not my problem," and he said "every little bit counts." I thought about trying to lose a few pounds, but if I have any extra padding it's on my bum, and i don't think that's affecting my breathing!