BMI Is Overrated

Dear Doctor,

What do I have to do to convince you that the Body Mass Index (BMI) doesn't apply to me?

The BMI says that I'm obese. Sure, I am overweight. And, I am on a journey to lose weight, especially since the sleep doctor said it's my best chance for curing the sleep apnea. But, obese? No way--I wear a size 14, after all. (It's no wonder that girls and women have warped self images!)

I have set an aggressive target to lose 25 pounds over the next 1-2 years. That will take me to the weight of my 20s, and my weight in 2000 after hiking 750 miles of the Appalachian Trail in 3 months while eating too few calories. (I said it was an aggressive target, didn't I?)

At the end of that hike, 22 pounds lighter than I am now, I looked and felt slim and healthy. But, even at that weight, the BMI will still call me "overweight." To squeak into that elusive "normal range," I have to lose 34 pounds. That's just to get to the highest end of the range. I suppose I should lose 40 pounds to get into the range with a little room to spare.

Doc, that ain't happenin'.

The BMI might be a fine tool to assess the population as a whole, but stop using it on me as an individual.

It's not that I'm not interested in being healthy. If you want to talk about my percentage of body fat, cholesterol, or blood pressure, let's get down to business. Just put that dadgum BMI chart away.

Thanks,
Em