7 reasons why I hate the scale of BMI

If you search for "BMI" on Google, the first site that appears is the National Institute of BMI (body mass index) US health calculator. The site says "body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women." Except it is not. Body mass index is a simple calculation height and weight; it has nothing to do with body fat If we can deduce that if someone weighs more, they carry more body fat, it is not always the case..

The Canadian Diabetes Association describes BMI a little better. Their website states "BMI is not used for muscle builders, long distance athletes, pregnant women, the elderly or young children. This is because BMI does not take into account if the weight is performed muscles or fat, just the number. "

On a larger scale, perhaps BMI may be helpful. BMI can show general trends in body weight of countries and could be useful for statistics. But BMI loses its value when measuring an individual. Even when BMI is used properly for a person: as a measure of height relative body weight, I still do not like. Here's why:

1. There is another number. Even when used within its limitations, BMI is just another number. And knowing that it is just a number, like the number on the scale (because basically that's all it is), it is easy to get caught up in this issue. Some can undermine all changes, positive and healthy you make.

2. It is inaccurate to more people than just the extreme athletes or muscle builders. BMI does not take into account bone density and muscle mass. I can easily name many customers Ascend who are very fit and very healthy, but are considered overweight according to the BMI scale. They are body builders; they are strong individuals, clean and healthy. If they have lost enough weight to become "normal", then they would become unhealthy. Some people are naturally small; some people naturally have a solid construction and carry more muscle mass. Some people wear a size 8 shoe; some people wear a size 10 shoe.

3. It puts unnecessary labels on people. Even if you are aware of the pitfalls of the scale of BMI, it can still hurt when the online calculator spits out the words "overweight" or "obese". In fact, the label 'normal' is not very effective either. Congratulations. You are normal.

4. BMI can put unnecessary stress on a healthy individual. Many people already struggling with negative self-image and reading that you are "overweight" despite being healthy could promote more poor self-image.

5. No one really knows how much you are supposed to weigh. I know that many people are very fit, healthy people who have a larger body size, or carrying a little extra fat. I know people who are very unhealthy skinny.

6. It is useless. If you need to lose weight legitimately, it is likely that you already know. It is also likely that a careful health professional would be able to assess whether their patient really needs to lose weight without using a BMI calculator. If this is true, what is the point of using the BMI at all?

7. It can lead to feelings of defeat. Imagine knowing that even if you lose 50 pounds, you'd still be considered "obese." Or knowing that learning to "normal" is an unrealistic goal, even in the best circumstances. If someone legitimately need to lose weight, weight loss can have a positive impact her health. Back to point 5: what is the point of using the BMI at all?

BMI is commonly used as a measure of the health and prediction of diseases related to lifestyle. Although it has some utility to measure the statistics on a large population, it is not an effective way to assess health at an individual level. In fact, the impact of the use of BMI could even be harmful. If you think you would benefit from losing weight; Talk to your doctor or health care professional. Remember that any changes in healthy lifestyle or weight loss (if you need to lose weight legitimately) can have a positive impact on your health. Disregard that says an online calculator and focus on being healthy.