Body mass index

[ailbhe]

I just did a quick check.

Currently, I'm a healthy "weight", even according to the BMI people, who are insane and not terribly scientific.

If I were two stone lighter, I'd be clinically underweight. If I were two stone heavier, I'd be *barely scraping* overweight, according to the BMI people.

But I'm expected to join in conversations where the assumption is that weight loss is always a good thing, and something we should all strive for?

What's the stats on preteen anorexia again?

Comments

[tiggsybabes.livejournal.com]

Kate went through a phase when she was 4 of stating that she was fat. I assume someone at nursery was making comments (another child I hope!) It was so frustrating as she is average sized & shaped & I didn't want to make the issue worse. I also didn't want to say fat is bad & skinny is good.

[barakta]

I had a chat with my excellent old GP about BMI and she said she didn't think it was medically useful. It's designed for populations - i.e a whole country of people, NOT individuals. My GP reckoned the only time she ever used it was iff someone had a BMI of below 17 or 18 which was one of many warning signs for anorexia or other health problem.

[sierra-le-oli.livejournal.com]

Thank you for staving off my rant. :-)

[ailbhe]

The BMI people are, as previously stated, insane. And unscientific.

[da-pol.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely overweight - probably even obese - BMI of 37+, however I don't mind ever since you pointed out to me that Linnea admiring my gut and then going "You've got a *big* fat tummy" was a term of endearment.

[moustachios.livejournal.com]

There's a woman at work who talks about her weight every other time I see her. (It's gotten worse since Christmas, too, as apparently she's "gained so much" that family members have commented. She marvels at how I "stay so slim", even though her waist is a good four inches smaller than mine.)

I worry about her sometimes.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Last time I was weighed (at the doctor's), I was exactly the same weight, to the pound, as I was at the same time the year before.

In between the two measurements, I had started cycling a minimum of 50 miles a week and climbing at least once a week. My 'comfortable cycling gear' has become about four gears higher, my arms and legs are much stronger, and I can run further without becoming out of breath.

I get the same sort of conversation, too (although thankfully not from complete strangers, and definitely not from my doctor). It's hard to know what to say.