The BS of BMI.
I was just going over my medical history in the MyChart app. I was skimming through my reports and randomly found my BMI (which I don’t even know when or who concluded this number). It stated, and I quote, ”moderate risk for heart disease due to BMI of 25.2.” Shocked, I looked at a reference chart online.
Underweight: Less than 18.5
Healthy weight: 18.5–24.9
Overweight: 25–29.9
How was I labeled overweight? I am 5’10”, and weigh 176 pounds. So I cross checked using my Dexa Scan. Body fat was 22.9%. Skeletal muscle mass 72.8% Then I looked up ideal body fat percentage for a woman my age. The interweb said 19-28%. So let’s do the math, shall we? Oh wait—let’s NOT do the math. It’s obvious people! BMI has some BS attached to it. And ladies, please hear me out: as a personal trainer, I will NEVER base anything we do solely on your BMI score. It is possibly the least adequate measurement for establishing fat loss goals (especially if you’re thick like me). So what is actually helpful? Get this: How you feel physically, mentally and emotionally feel. Ask yourself, how is your digestion? Do you have acne? Do you get consistent, quality sleep? Do you have energy throughout the day without fatigue? Does your body optimally function when you tell it to sit, squat, stand up or walk around the grocery store? All of these questions are 1,000% more helpful to explore when investigating your metabolic health status. Yes, weight can be a risk factor but please, don’t ever default to BMI to make a single conclusion about yourself or anyone else. Don’t waste your time with it and I won’t either! #endrant
