Is a Normal BMI really healthy?
on 5/3/10 10:11 am - ~Somewhere in~, PA
I was looking at CNN with Dr Gupta and he was mentioning that just having a normal BMI does not automatically make you the picture of health, I know for myself when I was at my lowest weight which was about 20 pounds still heavier than a normal bmi, the smaller I got the LESS I was eating, my band was pretty tight at that point and I have to be honest, I was eating hardly NO food and I am sure I was deficient in many things, also on top of all that at my age, I had to exercise 1 hour each day to maintain that low weight in additional to NOT EATING hardly.
Was this really healthy? I would have to keep my calorie intake to about 1200 or less per day and exercise 6 days per week to MAINTAIN being overweight, I wonder what it would take to maintain a NORMAL BMI
...would I suffer bone problems and osteoporosis when I got older, vitamin deficiency from not really eating, most doctors mentioned that YOU MUST get nutrition from food and not from taking vitamin supplements it's not healthy long term and I AGREE.
I am 5 years post op and I only take on centrum multi vitamin per day and that is ALL I take for now (knock on wood) no high blood meds or anything...my very thin friends who are all at a normal bmi and have been all their lives are pretty sickly...they all are on high blood meds and borderline diabetics.....
This is why I never cared about getting to a normal bmi after wls...coz at about 190 I felt GOOD, looked my best and could run high tensity on the treadmill at the gym for 1 hour.....
So is it very important for you to stay at a normal BMI after weight loss surgery?
Here is a link to this article.....http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100174522
I worked out regularly even at 285 lbs, both cardio and strength, no problem. I also had high blood pressure decades before becomming obese. My build is muscular so I do not believe I am naturally inclined to be a light weight. Loosing every pound is a battle because in my opinion, I'm just built to be on the heavier side.
Despite this, for me a normal bmi is important. I had high blood pressure at an early age. From the first time my bp was taken it was elevated. I was always overweight; sometimes a little sometimes a lot. If I can maintain a normal bmi just maybe for the first time I will have my bp totally under control.
Pushing for a normal bmi feels like fighting nature. I don't know if being inclined to be fatter causes high blood pressure but I do know loosing weight did not cure it. I'm still a few pounds from a normal bmi so time will tell. But I do believe if you have hereditary factors like type 2 diabetes or hypertension lurking in your dna, its worth pushing for the lower bmi.
MSW Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass: Eat sensibly & enjoy moderation
Links: Are you a compulsive eater? for help OA meets on-line Keep Coming Back, One Day At a Time Overeaters Anonymous
L
V'N MY RNY. WORKING FOR ME BECAUSE I WORK FOR IT.
BMI is a useful measure to give us ballpark ranges, but it doesn't tell the complete story. It only gives us a height/weight ratio. BMI doesn't provide any information about percent muscle or body fat.
I take BMI numbers with a grain of salt. My BMI (27) says I'm overweight, but I wear size 7/8 jeans and medium tops. I'm not skinny. I look like an average-sized woman and I'm healthy.
