Tuesday, May 25, 2021

BMI aided my weight loss but "My 600-lb Life" shows BMI fails obesity issue

 The BMI (body mass index) scale is coming under fire again and it probably should. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was discovering that my BMI made me morbidly obese. This spurred me to weight loss which is good. But to fix the larger issue of obesity, the BMI scale fails. The reality TV show "My 600-lb Life" demonstrates how. 


"My 600-lb Life" shows overweight people trying to lose weight with gastric bypass surgery. These people have extreme examples of obesity but they are not uncommon. According to the body mass index scale, 70% of the world is obese and more are overweight. 

But is that just because an arbitrary number deems us overweight? Is it in someone's, or many someones (cough, doctors, cough) best interest to have obese patients that they can help lose weight or provide gastric bypass surgery for? That there's a branch of healthcare called "obesity medicine" shows two things: lots of people are overweight and weight loss is lucrative! 

So how is this the BMI scale's fault? Maybe I'm attacking a straw man but it seem that the BMI helps and hurts the wrong people. Being labeled obese pushed me to lose weight but because I once had obesity, doctors still treat me like I'm overweight. My former GP now runs an obesity medicine clinic and wanted me to join (pay her to help me lose weight). After congratulating me on weight loss and acknowledging that I am at a good weight! 

Cuz that damn BMI scale still says I am overweight, but only just. It kinda drives me crazy stressing over it. Sometimes I diet to extremes, just to get that stupid number down. I wear a size small. I've trimmed fat and look a normal size. And the BMI only looks at mass, not fat. So why am I trying to hit a random goal? Because I'm one of those people who takes BMI too seriously. Now that I'm not obese, it hurts rather than helps

And it hurts people on "My 600-lb Life" BMI but in a different way. Obesity accesses them to disability, caregiver assistance, Medicaid and food stamps. Which they abuse to get further overweight. Their overeating and then obesity treatments, gastric bypass surgery etc., are funded by taxpayers. So there's no real motivation to lose weight and a lot of reasons to stay obese. 

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