Body Mass Index (BMI) : Not a good tool for you
May 04, 2023MY BODY COMPOSITION IS ‘UNHEALTHY’
According to a recent health check I had done.
Which I can only assume is calculated on BMI because it did not indicate how the results were measured.
The formula is BMI = kg/m2, where kg is a person's weight in kilograms, and m2 is their height in metres squared.
BMI does not consider a person's lean body mass (muscle), fat mass, and bone density.
So why is BMI results like this dangerous??
Imagine I had a terrible relationship with my body and with food.
Seeing results like this and being told you are “unhealthy” and classified as “overweight or obese” can spiral women into a dark hole of disordered eating, body dysmorphia and eating disorders.
What would be a better tool?
DEXA - but they aren't easily accessible by everyone and can be costly.
(Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is a means of measuring bone mineral density using spectral imaging).
If you ever get a health check done and have a reading from BMI that puts you into a category I mentioned above and you are concerned or worried about this, please seek further advice and source a DEXA scan for a better and more accurate reading of body composition ( lean body mass, fat mass and bone density).
I encourage the girls I coach, particularly those that enter into “build phases, " to get DEXA because scale weight doesn’t show how much muscle you have gained!