Posted on 06/15/2023 11:42:04 AM PDT by DallasBiff
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The American Medical Association is clarifying the role of a person's body mass index, also known as BMI.
The group is urging doctors to de-emphasize its use when assessing health and obesity of patients and acknowledge that the measurement has been used for "racist exclusion" and has caused "historical harm."
The main concerns the AMA said it's found with the BMI system is that it does not account for body composition, muscle mass, racial differences and genetics.
The recommendation comes after an AMA report recognized issues of racist exclusion because BMI is based primarily on data collected from previous generations of non-Hispanic, white populations
(Excerpt) Read more at abc7.com ...
More than 40 years ago when I went to the University of Washington my weight was spot-on for my height. A couple years later my sister had to gain weight to be accepted to the UW because she was underweight. One of my high school friends who was quite large told me he had to lose 80 pounds to get into the UW. He was pretty much a genius but considered too fat.
Most students were not aware of weight standards since back then hardly anyone was overweight so they never heard about it. When I tell people that now everyone seems to think that policy was racist and discriminatory. The Washington state tax payers did not want to be paying half the fare for fat or almost anemic people because they were not a good investment. That was back when tax payers had a little sense in Washington state.
If you read the article, they talk about using resting metabolic health as an indicator.
Boy, am I having fun with that right now.
5’ 11”, 254 (down from 296)
My BMR - basic metabolic rate, or the number of calories I burn just existing - is 2135. My resting metabolic rate, which gives me credit for a little moving around, is 2375.
What has my doctors totally stumped is how I can eat 1500 calories a day and not lose weight.
We have done this on pre-packaged food under observation - absolutely no cheating - under long term conditions.
I have good muscle tone. I can do 50 sit ups, curl 50 pounds 12+ times with either arm, bench press 175, leg press 350+.
My resting heart rate is in the low to mid 40s. Blood pressure is normal to low normal.
Unfortunately my insurance will not pay for a full endocrine work up, but basic thyroid tests have been normal.
So before you go “just put down the fork” keep in mind that some heavier people REALLY can’t help it.
If your BMI is 30, you’re a fat ass no matter your race.
If it’s 40, you need a wheel barrow.
Doctors vary. The first pediatrician we used was teaching at a university. Every visit led to a battery of tests. Eventually we suspected the Dr./Prof. was financing their studies with our insurance. I don’t think we have a single blood draw since we changed Dr.s.
No arguing with you but what would you replace it with for a simple ballpark estimate? I use the “pinch an inch”, but my family has the eat anything and stay wirery genes. It hasn’t been an issue until I hit my 50s.
“”Oh, my BMI(body mass index), is now racist.””
What isn’t????? WHY do black women have such big rear ends? I’m serious. Is that OUR fault?
We have learned how to add muscle and increase bone density- progressive weight training and enhanced nutrition. About a decade ago, I happened across a series of photos of Charles Atlas in his prime. At that same time there were a half dozen guys in my gym that looked better than him.
I have a picture of my grandfather's college football team. The players look like a bunch of thin high school kids.
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Ask your weight at the earliest age in which you were full height. That may be 17 for some and 21 for others. For most of the population, maybe 99%, that is your optimal weight. You can’t really be healthy beneath that weight. You also will have a hard time ever getting to that weight as well. And that’s not all fat. You need to develop larger muscles and thicker bones just to carry the fat around. I am not obese but I am around 45 pounds over that weight. I have been 20 pounds more than that. I could probably fast for 90 days getting back to that weight. Something I would never do. But I am carrying around 90 days of extra fuel. Some Americans have a full years worth, and more.
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