For a while, I've held this blog, not really knowing what to do with it. I kept it after creating it when I wanted for something different from I Can Has Catboy?, my blog focused on otaku and college life. While there are many things that I can shape to fit the focus of that blog, where would I put the things that don't fit; what I want to say that doesn't have anything to do with college, anime, or nerdiness? This is where.
Razz Berry Beret. The title is dirived from Prince's song title, Raspberry Beret, about a girl who was a bit different. Articles you'll find in this blog will be about anything and everything, but the main goal will be to spread the love of Different.
~She walked in through the out door.~
There will seldom be a topic more sensitive and difficult than this first one, which is weight. More specifically, the BMI index.
BMI (Body Mass Index) is an individual's weight divided by their height squared. (For a complete, in-depth description, see the regular English wikipedia article, here. It actually does a decent job of laying down the facts.)
Weight divided by height squared. That's it. It doesn't take into account how much of that weight is muscle, or how dense an individual's bones are. You can garuntee that a heavy weight champion is charted as 'overweight' when a BMI is used to measure their health. But no doctor would say that they're too fat and need to lose weight to stay healthy... Though that may be out of fear.
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| OMG Hulk Hogan was SOOO fat. His BMI was 31.5!!! |
If you read the wiki article, you'll see that BMI was never intended to be a measure of health, but that is how it is being used. I went into the doctor's office the other day and couldn't see my regular doctor. The issue was my recent back pain. My normal doctor's advice would probably be to use better posture, but this doctor said that with my BMI of 39.5, I was severly overweight and needed to go on a low calorie diet. (I could write a whole nother post about calorie diets, but I think Ragen over at Dances With Fat wrote a better one here.) This doctor didn't ask me how much I exercise or whether I've been eating my vegetables. He saw a larger woman and a high BMI number and assumed that was the problem.
Unfortunately, this is how it is with most doctors, and ones who advise differently are a rare jewel. If you have a high BMI (and look like you might have it) most doctors will equate almost ANY problem with your weight.
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| You say you've been feeling sick lately? Maybe you should eat less junk food, you fatty! |
In conclusion, don't buy into the BMI bogusness. Measure your health by what nutrients you're getting and how much you exercise. Your weight ain't got much to do with it.
Walking out through the in door,
Cap'n Kyrie
