BMI

Very interesting article one of my friends posted on FB. I have never been a fan of BMI numbers and especially not for insurance companies to base someone being able to get surgery when then obviously need it. Here's why. I'm interested in what others think.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=105721125873&h=p6Y Lb&u=KhgvI&ref=nf

Good article.  BMI has been a point of annoyance to me - originally my surgeon tried to turn me down for surgery because my BMI was too high without even meeting me - I had to insist on a face to face to show him that BMI had no reality when applied to me (I'm half polynesian, with a body frame that's larger than your average circus tent).  Even should I eventually reach the weight goal they set for me, I'll STILL have a BMI of obese.  

I hate that stupid chart. I remember when I was like 155-160 I thought I looked pretty good and the BMI chart said I was overweight. Pssshh...and we wonder why teens struggle with their weight. I hear all the time from my partners daughter and her niece (they are both 15) say how 'fat' they are. One weighs 135, the other 125.

And since I actually shrunk 2 1/2 inches my BMI went from 22 to 24 ...yeah that was a little discouraging, but whatever. 

Ooo!  I shrunk too....was 6'4", now am only 6'2".  What the hell's up with that?  Will the height come back after you lose the weight, or am I permanently short now?

I dunno ...but I've been having a lot of back and hip problems that started around December. I went for a bone density test last week and that looked good. I'm concerned though. The lady who checked me in and took my weight and measurements didn't even know how to adjust my height difference with how much I've lost and so on into the computer. Then when I was in the room with my surgeon one of the girls knocked and said "did Brooke tell you she shrunk in height?" ..........it was like they had never see that before or something.

Now wait a second people...I can't shrink!!!  I'm only 5'4" for #$%@ sake!!  I used to be 5'5" until two years ago when doctor announced I was 5'4".  What the hell...<walking off grumbling about dwarfism>

Raven, I thought that was a good article. I will share it at my next support group meeting. As the author points out, BMI was set to give a standard way to measure obeseness. There are many factors that do not play into this simplistic formula. I think it is merely a generalization and the medical community needs to only use it as one input into diagnoses. It just demonstrates that insurance approval or denial is based heavily on this number. It should use it as a factor but rely more heavily on the person's general state of health and prognosis. Insurance carriers (I work for one.) are very actuarial based.  They looks for  that magic number on which to base decisions. That way they can not be challenged or the decision deemed unfair.  A number in print with an accompanying clause is what insurers like to see. -- Tom

You know what's sad is that many doctors just blindly rely on the scale and react automatically without taking anything else into consideration.......they've become the bank tellers/DMV people of the health industry and people should be very afraid of them.

yeah......I think you also have to factor not only how much body fat you carry around.....but your overall health period.  By these charts, I am still obese and at my GOAL  I'll be obese........I really think it's the CDC's way of making the waifish supermodels fit into society and make everyone beat themselves up because they aren't thin enough to see through yet!  GRRRR