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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]BMI is garbage psuedo-science.

Eat healthy foods.  Do exercise you enjoy.  Get good sleep.  Stop worrying about the scale.[/quote]

BMI is NOT garbage pseudo science.  and it's not "worrying about the scale."  It's quite a wide weight range at which a person is considered in a healthy range for their height.  I've been both near the top and the bottom of my BMI weight range.  The look is quite different, but both are healthy weights.

You are not at optimal health if you are below or above the scale.[/quote]

NP here: No really, the BMI is pseudo science. Do you even know how it was developed? Go listen to The Maintenance Phase podcast. There’s an episode devoted entirely to the BMI. [/quote]

DP. I think the truth lies somewhere between you two. BMI is largely an arbitrary number that only works when evaluating the population level and as a general evaluation of health. But should never be the sole way we evaluate an actual individual because there are so many variables that can make it less valuable. Muscle content, previous weight history (hey, an overweight BMI is GREAT if the person had been morbidly obese for most of their life!), bone density, whatever, this can all impact how valuable BMI is when discussing a specific individual.

That said, while might not be an exact science at determining where exactly health starts to be impacted and decline, its clear that that happens. No one sees a 600 pound person and can reasonably think they have a good quality of life. No one sees that person and believes that their weight is not dramatically impacting their health. So coming up with some metrics that help people to see when they are edging towards a lesser quality of life is important.

I have gone from 210 to 160 in the last year and a half. And at 210 all my health indicators like labs were great. I was not 'unhealthy' in any way other than my weight. I didn't feel restricted at all. I decided to do IF because I didn't like how I looked in photos from a wedding. That was the only reason. I thought I was a-ok health wise, I skied, kept up with my kids, jogged, walked, I did stuff! But today I see with an alarming clarity how weighed down I was, literally. I move so much easier, I don't get winded going up the stairs, I can keep up with my kids in a way I didn't even realize I was lacking. I too thought BMI was junk science and I was totally fine. Until I went from morbidly obese to overweight and marveled at the difference in how I felt. I expected that the only thing that would be that different was how I look. But that has actually been perhaps the least important benefit.

Anyway, you're both right, BMI is imperfect, but it serves a purpose, a nagging number to let you know you're letting it get out of hand. A nagging number in the back of your head not letting you ignore it. There are so many reasons people gain weight, so many reasons they can't lose it. I'm committed to not being one of those people who lose weight and become someone who hates fat people. But past me was really wrong about some things, and I see those things I was wrong about reflected in posts like this. [/quote]

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