Yesterday I officially fell into the "healthy" range on the BMI scale. I'm 5'8" and weigh 164 pounds (114 down so far). That's not an earth shattering number, and for many that would still be considered heavy, but it's nice to be able to say according to the charts, "I'm normal".
But who believes those things anyway?
Yeah I know the whole BMI chart is controversial. I'll admit I've recently wrote "I don't need a chart to tell me I'm healthy, my body tells me I am."
Am I any more healthy now than I was last week? Nope.
Does the chart take muscle mass and body frame type into consideration? No.
Am I more healthy than a lot of people that weigh 164 pounds? Yep.
Could I be in better shape? Yes.
So, whats the point of that darn chart? Here's my opinion:
It is an easy tool to predict future health problems in a specific group of people. Most people don't have access to calipers and other tools to measure body mass, but anyone can plug in two numbers to get a range. If you are "X" tall and you weigh "Y" amount then you are: normal/overweight/obese. Co-morbidity's such as hypertension, diabetes and strokes (to name only a few) go along with the unhealthy weight ranges. For the population as a whole, its a decent tool to predict future health problems, but when you start using it on a case by case basis it's a little less effective. Kind of "there's an exception to every rule" kind of thing.
Right now, I don't have a "goal weight". I have fitness and health related goals with the assumption that more weight loss will follow.
(By the way Dr. J, thanks for inspiring this post!)
And a quick side note:
I recently received an email from a very sweet reader that thought everyone might be interested in what I eat day to day. I don't usually post my meals because quite frankly, I eat very simply and that would bore most people. :) Tonight I threw together a meal as a "cleaning out the pantry" kind of thing.
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
Now, there are tons of great recipes out there (google them), but I went the super easy route since I didn't have any dried black beans. Of course, using fresh ingredients are always best but sometimes you just work with what you have.
I used one box of the most super delicious Dr. McDougall's Ready To Serve Black Bean Soup. Have you guys tried their soups? So yummy all by themselves, and very convenient. Just pop open the box, warm and serve. You can find them at Whole Foods/Publix/HEB and tons of other places just CLICK HERE.
Anyway, along with the soup I emptied one can of plain black beans, a can of diced tomatoes, some water and two sweet potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes. I tossed all of that in the crock pot and let it simmer away. I didn't add any salt since canned ingredients come with plenty of that. It's done when the potatoes are tender.
It was so good, and so filling. I will definitely be making this again. Perfect for a winter day. (Not that we even have winter here in Florida)
How do you feel about the BMI chart? Do you use it as a guide for your goal weight?
Don't forget to enter my giveaway, it ends Friday. CLICK HERE