So tired of hearing about "BMI"

[BirdOPrey5]

If I ever hear a scientist, doctor, or personal trainer type even mention "BMI" (Body-Mass-Index) I immediately tune them out.

For those not sure, BMI is a chart that supposedly links your ideal weight to your height - and ONLY your height.

You can calculate it here: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

It takes absolutely nothing else into account including muscle-to-fat ratio, body type, age, or even pants size.

You could be Mr. Universe with 1% body fat and if you follow BMI you'd probably be considered morbidly obese.

According to BMI Shaquille O'Neal is OBESE and over half the NBA is overweight:
Study of BMI not kind to NBA players, either

Yet this is the scale used when we hear studies about how many Americans or American Kids are overweight.

This is the scale used when "researches" apply for federal grant money to study why a group of people are overweight.

And the research always concludes "more research" (code for more money needs to be spent) is needed.

They need to throw out BMI- it is a fraud designed by researches to drain public and private research money on problems that have been greatly exaggerated.

Not to mention how many mothers must be out there endangering the well-being of their kids because some doctor told them their kid's BMI was overweight even though the kid is a perfectly healthy weight.

Any true scale of someone's ideal weight needs to consider things like muscle mass, body type, and physical girth- this dumbed down number does more harm than good.

My $0.02.

 

[Kevin]

I think it is like anything else; it was a guide established based what was known at the time. The same thing happened with the "Food Pyramid".... the pyramid that you & I know that was taught to us as kids is no longer what is being taught to kids today since the understanding of what a "balanced" diet is has changed.

These days I definitely need to lose a lot some pounds but I've always been heavy. When I was younger some doctors were always on my case about losing weight but in my 20's I was told by my then doctor that a person can be heavier then what the average is and still be healthy. I know realistically I will never in my life be at the ideal weight & BMI that is the accepted standard but if I can at least go back to what I used to be, I'll be OK with that.

 

[BirdOPrey5]

The food pyramid was later for me... I was still taught the "4 Basic Food Groups."

 

[Kevin]

The food pyramid was later for me... I was still taught the "4 Basic Food Groups."

You know something, you are right.... I couldn't remember which one was actually drilled into my head as a kid (which might explain a few things ) so I had to look it up. The pyramid would've been introduced widespread well past my childhood days.

 

[BirdOPrey5]

I remember a comic, I think it was Archie, where the dumb guy (whatever his name was) explained how Cheeseburgers were the perfect food because it contained all 4 food groups.