I DO NOT LOOK LIKE THIS.
Inspired by this post by moominmuppet, I decided to post my own fat rant. My beef? The BMI (Body Mass Index.)
This is what I "look like," according to BMI (Bulimia's Main Inspiration) calculations.
The source of this particular chart is a bariatric surgery firm, but the BMI (Buy My Invasive surgery) is the standard accepted by the vast majority of doctors to determine if someone like me is in imminent danger of dying due to being fat. According to this chart, I should be keeling over any day now from all manner of horrific fat-related illnesses.
I think the illustration above unintentionally captures the absurdity of summarily categorizing people's health, self-esteem and general well-being based on an equation a second-grader could figure out. People aren't homogeneous masses of tissue to be illustrated in flat, black-and-white graphics. Doctors know damned well the BMI (Beauty Mitigation Indicator)is applicable only as a very general guideline. As an all-encompassing diagnostic tool, it's outdated, unreliable and far too simplistic. It completely fails, for instance, to take into consideration that muscle is three times heavier than fat, judging bodybuilders as "obese." Yet, this self-esteem destroying scale continues to be used, promoted as the be-all end-all of physical well-being.
I'll admit, I do have a few weight-related issues. My cholesterol is higher than it should be. My back hurts, and losing weight would alleviate pressure on my messed-up disk. Losing a few pounds wouldn't hurt. It probably wouldn't help that much, either. I eat fairly healthy, I don't binge, and I'm pretty active. Depression is apparently a weight-related issue, but contrary to popular belief, my self-esteem is not inversely proportionate to my size. (I've got bigger things to worry about than my thighs.)
I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that the BMI (Bring Me Ipecac) is stupid, and doctors need to stop promoting it as scripture. Keep up with encouraging healthy eating habits and exercise. Prescribe a little weight loss before handing out pills that cause anal leakage. But doc, don't diagnose my entire being on the basis of a two-digit number.
This is what I "look like," according to BMI (Bulimia's Main Inspiration) calculations.
The source of this particular chart is a bariatric surgery firm, but the BMI (Buy My Invasive surgery) is the standard accepted by the vast majority of doctors to determine if someone like me is in imminent danger of dying due to being fat. According to this chart, I should be keeling over any day now from all manner of horrific fat-related illnesses.
I think the illustration above unintentionally captures the absurdity of summarily categorizing people's health, self-esteem and general well-being based on an equation a second-grader could figure out. People aren't homogeneous masses of tissue to be illustrated in flat, black-and-white graphics. Doctors know damned well the BMI (Beauty Mitigation Indicator)is applicable only as a very general guideline. As an all-encompassing diagnostic tool, it's outdated, unreliable and far too simplistic. It completely fails, for instance, to take into consideration that muscle is three times heavier than fat, judging bodybuilders as "obese." Yet, this self-esteem destroying scale continues to be used, promoted as the be-all end-all of physical well-being.
I'll admit, I do have a few weight-related issues. My cholesterol is higher than it should be. My back hurts, and losing weight would alleviate pressure on my messed-up disk. Losing a few pounds wouldn't hurt. It probably wouldn't help that much, either. I eat fairly healthy, I don't binge, and I'm pretty active. Depression is apparently a weight-related issue, but contrary to popular belief, my self-esteem is not inversely proportionate to my size. (I've got bigger things to worry about than my thighs.)
I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that the BMI (Bring Me Ipecac) is stupid, and doctors need to stop promoting it as scripture. Keep up with encouraging healthy eating habits and exercise. Prescribe a little weight loss before handing out pills that cause anal leakage. But doc, don't diagnose my entire being on the basis of a two-digit number.