By Kimberly Garcia
It’s that time of year again. Time for many of us to set New Year’s resolutions to live healthier, reduce stress or slow our spending. For those of you who have had a recent doctor’s visit or received your child’s BMI report from school, you may be setting goals to help you or your family lose weight.
BMI, also known as the Body Mass Index, is a measure of body weight based on a person’s weight and height. You have most likely seen the BMI chart many times at your family doctor’s office. BMI is strictly determined through a calculation in which a person’s body weight is divided by the square of his or her height. It is a tool utilized to help health professionals determine if an individual is getting too thin or too heavy for their body type.
With that being said, the Body Mass Index is a tool. It is not a tell tale sign as to whether you are at a healthy body weight made up of lean body tissue or thin bones and body fat . It is simply a marker to look at, but sometimes as individuals and health and fitness professionals, we have to dig a little deeper to determine what the weight showing on the scale is made up of.
For example, let’s say there are two females (who I’ll refer to as woman number one and woman number two), ages 55 and older and they are slightly overweight according to the BMI chart. The doctor may ask them to lose 10 pounds or they may each decide to on their own. Woman number one decides to go back to how she used to lose weight, eating very little food, drinking a little more coffee and possibly cutting out whole food groups such as carbohydrates. Woman number two decides to start strength training two to three times per week, increase her water intake and reduce simple carbohydrates such as cookies, cakes and chips. Both lose 10 pounds and now fit into the norms of the BMI chart. Which woman is healthier? Which one has lost lean healthy muscle mass and is possibly on her way to having osteoporosis? Does the BMI chart tell us?
This is where we have to be careful. Weight loss and normal numbers on the BMI chart, does not mean “HEALTHY”. They can actually mean the very opposite. Our bodies are our vehicle for life in which we cannot replace and just like our car, they need fuel, regular maintenance and good care to run efficiently. If we as individuals lose weight in unhealthy ways such as crash dieting, over exercising and/or taking weight loss pills, up to fifty percent or more of the weight we lose is healthy muscle mass, tissue and bone. This is healthy tissue we need to protect our joints, give us energy and to improve our quality of life as we age. This type of weight loss tends to lead to chronic health conditions and the likelihood to gain weight back more rapidly. We have to be careful to only use the charts and the scales as a tool, but not an end all, be all as to whether we are valuable and healthy.
Although your weight may fall in line with the BMI chart (or slightly out of line), it is very important that you assess your overall body composition determining how much of your scale weight is lean body mass and how much is body fat.
For example:
A man 6ft tall weighing 200lbs, will show as overweight according to the BMI chart, but what if he is 170 pounds of lean body tissue and only 30 pounds of fat? This puts him at only 15% body fat and is considered a FIT body according to the American Council on Exercise.
Another young girl who is 5’ 5” and 120 pounds on the scale, shows within normal weight range and passes her annual physical exam with flying colors. Yet, she exercises an hour per day, six days per week, restricts fat intake and her body fat is only 12%. This body fat percentage is too low for a female to maintain for a long period of time and will lead to digestion issues, hormonal issues, loss of menstruation and possible bone loss, yet the BMI chart would lead you to think she is healthy.
So as we enter this New Year and the urge to start dieting falls upon us, stop a moment and think about what you want long term and think about what your body needs to feel its best. Don’t be tempted to judge your health or how you look based on what the scale tells you or the Body Mass Index. Look at the numbers and use them as a motivation to live healthier for life. Do not compromise your health and quality of life to lose 10 or more pounds. Make a commitment to start making choices that will improve your overall weight, body fat, energy and lean muscle mass. The true choice to fuel your body with foods that give it life will be long lasting and will help you pass all of your health tests with flying colors, not just the weigh in or the BMI chart.
For more information on how to determine your body fat percentage visit a local fitness trainer or look for body fat calculators on sites such as www.livestrong.com and www.active.com. To calculate your BMI visit www.cdc.gov .
