Do I Look Fat?

There are events in your life that deliver blows to your ego and self-esteem, and like everybody else in the world, I've had my fair share of them. In most cases, like everyone else in the world, I can just roll with the punches, but one event in my life I'll carry with me forever …

The year was 2002, and being reasonably fastidious about my health, I went to my family doctor to get the results of my annual physical. My doctor started off, as expected, with good news: "Well, your blood pressure is great, your cholesterol levels are remarkably low for someone your age, your blood sugar is fine …" Then he drops the bomb on me: "But, you really should lose some weight, because according to the BMI [Body Mass Index] you're obese."

My jaw hit the floor. Obese!? I was horrified! I was shocked and appalled!! I was shaken to the core of my being!!!

I replied, as calmly as possible, "So, where the heck am I putting all this weight? In my butt where I can't see it?"

He replied, "You do carry it well, but technically you are obese."

Thanks to this, I have developed a complex.

For a little background information about me, I'm five-foot-seven-and-a-half inches (171 centimeters) tall, and I tip the scales at anywhere between 189-194 pounds (86-88 kilograms). Admittedly, I am not a buff, male supermodel. I enjoy occasional beer and donuts, like your typical Canadian male, but I'm quite fit. I'm an avid cyclist, having put over 5,000 kilometers (3,125 miles) on my bicycle in the past three years. I have also been almost religiously practicing tai chi for the past three years – and trust me, it looks easy, but it definitely is not. At the time, I was also swimming over 1,600 meters (approximately one mile) three times a week.

Nonetheless, at the time of this physical, I was 193 pounds (88 kilograms), which put me at 29.9 on the BMI chart and, lo and behold, at the low end of obese. Right on the line in fact. If I were to lose a single pound, I would simply be "overweight." To become "normal weight," I would have to lose upwards of 30 pounds (14 kilograms). If I were to lose this amount, I would look unhealthy, and probably be unhealthy. So I decided to do some research.

The BMI is a height versus weight calculation, based on statistical averages collected for adults over 20. The actual breakdown for each category is different for gender, to account for the fact that women usually have a higher body fat percentage than men. However, what the BMI doesn't take into account are things like muscle mass, body type, bone density, etc. The BMI is designed for use as a tool to indicate possible weight problems, and therefore to indicate potential health risks. However, the BMI shouldn't be used as hard fact about your actual fat percentages, etc. For example, a guy who is a competitive body builder will be considered obese or worse, because his BMI will be so high. (It makes you wonder when articles in magazines, and newspapers claim that 64% of all adults in the USA are overweight or obese! No wonder fad diets are so popular.)

So, if your doctor says you are obese based on BMI, remember that it's only rough indicator, and nothing to develop a complex about. Now that according to the BMI I'm only "overweight" I feel much better.

Discuss This Article

Have something you'd like to say? Tell us what you think! Read and post comments for this article.

Find a Job

Choose your career:

MedHunters is the world's biggest healthcare job board. Our job directory has 16,980 jobs with 2,412 hospitals and other direct employers.

We want you to find your next job on MedHunters. Need Help? Call us at 1-888-884-8242, email us at info@medhunters.com or sign up now.