Written by Amelia Heimerman, Dietetic Student

The Body Mass Index (BMI) has been the holy grail of determining one’s ideal weight for years, but the American Medical Association recently stated otherwise. In June 2023, delegates at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association House of Delegates adopted a new policy that evaluates the “problematic history” with BMI and explores alternative measurements to indicate one’s health status. With the BMI being dismissed as a reliable factor for determining ideal weight, how can you figure out how much you should weigh?

What is BMI

We’ve all heard the letters “B”, “M”, and “I”, but what exactly do they mean? Body Mass Index, or BMI is defined as “a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square height in meters” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). In other words, the BMI solely considers your height and your weight: underweight (values below 18.5), healthy weight (18.5 to 24.9), overweight (25.0 to 29.9), and obese (values above 30.0).

Since a person’s Body Mass Index is calculated by a simple equation, this method is an inexpensive and easy way to assign someone to a weight category. These reasons are why it continues to dominate clinics, hospitals, and websites. 

The Problem with BMI

This simple equation and its “ideal” values did not just come from thin air, though. The BMI calculations and number ranges were determined from data collected from previous generations of non-Hispanic White populations (Center for Disease Control). Therefore, BMI does not account for differences across race and ethnic groups.

This measurement can potentially overestimate the amount of fat for bodybuilders, high-performance athletes, and pregnant women due to it only considering height and weight (Better Health Channel Australia). This flaw clearly exhibits the Body Mass Index’s inability to account for different body compositions based on sexes, genders, and age-spans. 

BMI as a Tool

Although it has its flaws, the American Medical Association does not push toward the dismissal of the Body Mass Index as a whole. The Association encourages physicians to use BMI in conjunction with other risk assessments like

• Visceral fat measurements

• Body adiposity index

• Body composition

• Relative fat mass

• Waist circumference

• Genetic factors

• Metabolic factors

Online BMI Calculators

These only request only height, weight, and waist circumference that is found using a measuring tape. Outside of those two measurements, the remaining five can be difficult and expensive to obtain making it nearly impossible to find your exact, ideal weight.

The Bright Side

Although having an exact number to aim for can be helpful, it is extremely difficult or even impossible to derive. There are plenty of other factors that aren’t measured by the scale that can indicate whether your weight is healthy.

The American Heart Association suggests that people who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke regardless of whether they have other risk factors. In this situation, weight loss can potentially lower those risks. Obesity is also correlated to straining one’s heart, raising blood cholesterol and blood pressure, and increased risk of diabetes (American Heart Association). As the pounds drop, blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and risk of diabetes will follow suit to improve one’s health. Outside of these examples, losing weight can help with managing bodily pain, improving motility, decreasing triglyceride levels, improving mood, improving sleep, improving insulin resistance, and lowering risk for cancer (Piedmont).

These benefits are either felt by you or measured by your doctor and serve as markers of progress toward the ideal weight for YOU! Therefore, rather than pining over one number on the scale, consider holistic wellness factors like healthy blood labs and improved sleep, motility, and mood to motivate you during your weight loss journey.

If you’re looking for more research-backed weight loss advice from nutrition professionals, visit this link to learn more about The Millennial Nutritionist and its services!