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by skrtskrt
605 days ago
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It is bad all around, the inaccuracies start waaaay before you get to something you could call an "edge case". I'm 5'11, 180 lb male, that counts as overweight. I'm 18% bodyfat. You wouldn't even note me as being particularly athletic looking if you walked by, I'm right in the middle of the bell curve for "guy who works out sometimes".
There's no way it should be flagging someone like me as overweight. |
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I went to a new primary care doctor and who said I was a bit overweight. I had the same initial response of "oh come on!" and general exasperation with the state of medical care.
The thing is, he really wasn't wrong. From an epidemiology perspective it is simply better to be leaner if possible. The fact that I didn't "look fat" isn't really relevant; I was still carrying excess adipose tissue.
I already had a DEXA scan booked and was planning to do a cut before that exam. I lost about 10 pounds over the next 8 weeks through basic caloric deficit and moderate exercise. It wasn't exactly fun but it also wasn't that difficult, and the results were far more impactful than I expected.
Yes, I looked noticably lean with more muscle definition. I also went down a pants size and felt better in general. My blood work, especially lipid panel, was better than ever.
All this is to say that, while BMI charts certainly have flaws, and all individuals are different, most of us can still improve our health and longevity prospects by shedding excess fat. And that probably is leaner than we might expect.