Limitations of BMI, weight loss is not the same as fat loss, and techniques for measuring weight in women.
The study results show that body mass index (BMI) is not only limited, but also not applicable to everyone, such as teenagers under the age of 18, professionally trained athletes, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and frail or sedentary elderly people.
When people step on the scale and see they've lost weight, they're happy and think their weight loss efforts have paid off. Others, after trying to lose weight for a while and finding their weight hasn't changed much, think they've failed. These people equate weight loss with being thin, believing that being lighter means being thinner, which is a misconception. The Body Mass Index (BMI) was originally designed as a statistical tool for public health research. When we needed to know if a disease was related to obesity, we could convert a patient's height and weight into a BMI value and then find a linear relationship between the value and the incidence rate. With technological advancements, body fat percentage is more accurate than BMI in truly measuring whether a patient is obese; BMI can only be used as a reference value. In addition, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and visceral fat are also indicators of obesity.
Factors influencing a person's weight include not only the amount of body fat, but also other factors such as bone size, muscle mass, body water content, and current health status. Even external factors like geographical location, climate, and season can affect weight. For example, after long-term exercise, while weight may not change, you might find your body becomes more toned, with less fat and a slimmer waist because exercise increases muscle mass and reduces fat. In the first two weeks of exercise, your weight might even increase because muscle mass is greater than fat. Therefore, weight does not accurately reflect body fat percentage. In other words, being overweight does not necessarily mean you have too much body fat or have gained weight; obesity is not the same as being overweight, and weight loss is not the same as weight loss. Using body fat percentage to determine obesity is the most objective and accurate method. Body fat percentage refers to the proportion of fat tissue in the total body composition; the higher this percentage, the more obese a person is. Therefore, our goal for weight loss should not be weight loss, but rather fat loss.
BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measure of body mass based on height and weight to determine whether a person is normal, overweight, or obese. While objective, it has limitations. It doesn't take into account a person's body fat percentage. Therefore, a person with a high BMI may not actually be obese. For example, a bodybuilder with a high proportion of muscle mass might have a BMI over 30. If their body fat percentage is low, they are not considered obese and don't need to lose weight. For instance, if you weigh 70 kg and have a 10% body fat percentage, it means your body contains 7 kg of fat and 63 kg of non-fat components such as bone, muscle, organs, and blood.
Even if your body mass index (BMI) is within the healthy range and your face is slim, why is your stomach still flabby? That means you have too little muscle and too much fat – the so-called "puffy man" – indicating high body fat. Only a healthy body fat percentage is considered truly beautiful. It's not enough to be thin; you also need muscle. Muscle is an important part of the human body. Thinking that thinness equals beauty without building muscle is wrong. Building muscle might increase your weight, but it will result in a smaller waist, a smaller face, a more toned figure, and a noticeable change in body shape. How do you determine a healthy physique? First, look at your body fat percentage, then your visceral fat content. BMI is an indicator closely related to total body fat, and this value can be measured using a body fat analyzer. A good physique leads to happiness in your later years. The following chart shows the changes in bodily functions after a 5% decrease in BMI.
How can women determine their true weight?
A woman's weight is affected by her menstrual cycle; she tends to gain weight before her period and lose weight afterward. Therefore, it's best to weigh yourself only once a month, on the morning of the day after your period ends, after defecating and wearing a bra. This will give you your true weight. At the same time, you should also measure your waist circumference and calculate your waist-to-hip ratio.
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### Article 18