How Can BMI Be Inaccurate and Misleading?
You may not have heard of body composition before, but you’re probably familiar with BMI.
What’s the difference? Body Mass Index (BMI) is a popular method used to assess the health of an individual by comparing the amount of weight they carry to their height. Despite the widespread use of Body Mass Index in clinical practice, BMI has many limitations and is a poor tracking tool for weight change because there’s no way to identify if changes in your weight are in fat or muscle. When you set out to get healthier, you likely focus on losing fat and gaining muscle. The weight scale and BMI cannot tell you how much of your weight loss is fat, muscle, or body water, but body composition can.
What’s the difference? Body Mass Index (BMI) is a popular method used to assess the health of an individual by comparing the amount of weight they carry to their height. Despite the widespread use of Body Mass Index in clinical practice, BMI has many limitations and is a poor tracking tool for weight change because there’s no way to identify if changes in your weight are in fat or muscle. When you set out to get healthier, you likely focus on losing fat and gaining muscle. The weight scale and BMI cannot tell you how much of your weight loss is fat, muscle, or body water, but body composition can.
Why Is Body Composition Important To Measure?
Measuring your body composition will tell you your own body’s unique makeup and help you identify areas to work on to improve your overall health and wellness. You will know whether you need to gain more lean mass or lower body fat percentage to achieve a healthy body composition and better health.
