Body Mass Index (bmi) A Misleading measure of Obesity
Don’t use body mass index, otherwise known as bmi, as a
measuring stick to see if you are overweight or obese, because
it’s totally misleading.
Yes if you are obese, the body mass index measurement will tell
you that you are obese, there’s 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?
That’s a good question!
First, it’s 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
it’s 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 calculated by taking your weight (in Kilograms) divided
by your Height (in meters) squared. Simple isn’t it? :-)
But don’t 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 bmi’s 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 that’s what throws these numbers out the
window, and here’s 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 isn’t 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... “You’re
still Obese”
That’s 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”
What’s wrong with that picture?
First of all, why use a measuring system which won’t even reveal
to you, what little Success you are having? It’s 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...
I’m 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. It’s 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.
“That’s Right”.
Oh yes you’ll build muscles, but it’s mostly sugar burning
muscle mass and not fat burning muscle mass, and that’s
especially bad for a woman, because...
You can actually build enough muscles that you start to look
like “a Guy”, but you’ll 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 yours. But that’s not all. With a simple system
like this, all you do is a special kind of easy walking, and
you’ll burn more fat, than with any other kind of exercise.
Actually, if you get out of breath you’re doing it wrong, so how
much easier can it get, but that’s not all...
The fat loss with this kind of simple system “is permanent”!
So you can forget all about body mass index or bmi, because it’s
very misleading and can be very depressing, even when you are
having some success.
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