Is Body Mass Index or BMI a Real Measure of Obesity or is It Flawed?
August 31, 2008
Body Mass Index (bmi)A Misleading measure of Obesity
Many professionals use body mass index also known as bmi as a measure of excess fat or obesity, but the system is totally flawed and misleading. So...
Dont use body mass index, otherwise known as bmi, as a measuring stick to see if you are overweight or obese, because its totally misleading.
Yes if you are obese, the body mass index measurement will tell you that you are obese, theres no doubt about that, however...
You could be only a bit overweight and the bmi tells you that you are obese.
Also...
You could be totally normal and the body mass index could tell you that you are overweight. So...
Why is bmi used?
Thats a good question!
First, its convenient. Anyone can take your height and weight, look on a chart and label you as obese or overweight.
Secondly, it allows weight loss clinics to sell a lot of memberships, and allows even non professionals to sell a lot of weight loss products.
So... bmi charts make it real easy to fool a lot of people, so its important you understand how it works.
What is Body Mass Index (bmi)?
Quite simply body mass index, is an index of your body mass relative to your height.
The bmi is calculated by taking your weight (in Kilograms) divided by your Height (in meters) squared. Simple isnt it? :-)
But dont worry, there are lots of charts and automatic calculators available online where you can use Pounds and inches and get to your bmi, and...
A body mass index of 18.5 or less is considered underweight, and normal is between 18.5 & 24.9. From 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, and a bmi of 30 or greater is considered obese, so...
Lets say that you have two people who are 5 6 tall and both weigh 192 Lbs.
On the body mass index, both of their bmis would be 31 and both would be considered to be Obese.
However...
The problem here is that Weight is used to make the calculation, and thats what throws these numbers out the window, and heres why...
One person could actually be Obese, and the other could be a very fit body builder and weight lifter who was pure muscles with less than 2% body fat!
And yet, on the BMI scale they would both be considered Obese
Ridiculous isnt it?
Now these two examples are opposite extremes, but I hope you understand the point. A more normal example would be...
Lets say that you decide to join a Gym to lose weight. You work out for months, lose 45 Lbs of fat, and put on 45 Lbs of Muscles.
You have gotten much fitter, and improved your health a great deal, but when you calculate your body mass index... Youre still Obese
Thats when most people just give up! However...
You may even have reduced your percentage of body fat quite a bit over time, but the bmi will Not Reveal that Success to You
Whats wrong with that picture?
First of all, why use a measuring system which wont even reveal to you, what little Success you are having? Its hard enough to stay motivated on any weight loss system, without not even being aware of what little success you are having.
Please realize that...
Im just using the Gym Example to make a point, because most of the exercise routines that are done in Gyms are actually very bad and inefficient for burning fat. Its a lot of hard work, and a lot of sweating for very little results, because...
Most of the exercise routines, which people do in Gyms and on exercise equipment, burn mostly sugar and very little fat. Thats Right.
Oh yes youll build muscles, but its mostly sugar burning muscle mass and not fat burning muscle mass, and thats especially bad for a woman, because...
You can actually build enough muscles that you start to look like a Guy, but youll still be fat, on the other hand, if you do the right kind of exercises like we teach in the free Slim America weight loss Project, then...
You can turn your body into a very efficient fat burning machine, lose all the excess fat, and still look slim and sexy.
The choice is yoursfat loss with this kind of simple system is permanent!
So you can forget all about body mass index or bmi, because its very misleading and can be very depressing, even when you are having some success.
Its much better to use a measuring tape, because that will tell you The Truth
Have a Great Life!
Armand Dupuis is a Personal Trainer, Lecturer, Teacher, &Permanent Weight Loss Specialist, who has been a SeriousResearcher into Human Consciousness for 5 Decades.
Mr. Dupuis has presently specialized his Teachings, intoa powerful permanent and free Weight Loss System, andInformation is available on his Web Site.
http://www.slimamericaweightlossproject.com/ea
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