5 BMI Myths You Need To Stop Believing

I remember the first time a doctor calculated my body mass index. I was 13 and up until that point had been one of the skinniest kids in my class. But then puberty struck, my hormones went haywire, and I packed on 20 pounds in just a few months. My BMI put me squarely in the “overweight” category. The doctor handed me a food journal and said not to worry—as long as I kept track of every single thing I put into my mouth I could drop those 20 pounds in no time.

Well, I didn’t. As I got older, my BMI just got higher. Now, at 25, I’m what the BMI scale considers “obese.” I eat a mostly healthy diet, walk everywhere, and do yoga as often as I can. I know people much skinnier than me—people with “normal” BMIs—who literally cringe at the sight of a vegetable. Yet, most doctors would tell them they were perfectly healthy and put me on a strict diet.

Excerpted from prevention.com

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