004: "No Matter What I Do, I Cannot Achieve a Normal BMI"

May 13

If you’re among the group of women who believe they can’t achieve a normal BMI, you’re not alone. But did you know that there is a serious flaw in the BMI chart? We’re exploring that in this episode of Life Coaching for Women Physicians.

Listen to Episode Here

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The Chief Complaint: I Can’t Achieve a Normal BMI

The BMI chart has a purpose. As a tool for the general population, it’s a decent overview of how over/under/normal weighted someone is. But you know what it doesn’t do? It doesn’t take into account our individual body types, muscle mass, or health.

I have worked with women who are a normal BMI weight, but they don’t have good body health. I’ve also worked with women classed as overweight and even obese who actually achieve excellent body health. What I’ve determined is that everybody is different and we just need to embrace ourselves as the unique individuals that we are.

I’m a big advocate of learning to eat intuitively. That means listening to your body when it comes to when what, and how much you eat. Your body knows what it wants to eat and it will tell you what foods make it feel the best. It even lets you know when you don’t need to eat any more food!

I would also recommend finding out what your body type is. There are three main body types and you can also be a combination type. By determining this, you can start embracing your individual self and honoring how you can best take care of you. Figuring this out can also help you with your long-term health goals.

Find a way to make exercise work for you. So many women fall victim to exercising solely to reach that “normal” body weight on the BMI, but I encourage you to exercise because it’s good for your overall health. The only aspect I would strongly suggest, though, is to build a strength training element to your regular routine.

Homework

What’s your body type? Ask yourself if you’re willing to accept a body composition that isn’t optimal in order to achieve a lower number on the scale? Let me know in the comments below!

In This Episode

Why the BMI chart is flawed
What happens when we embrace ourselves as unique individuals
Why your BMI might not determine how fit and healthy you are
How to become an intuitive eater
How you can start embracing your individual body type
Why you should include a strength training element in your fitness routine
How determining your body type can help you figure out your long-term goals

Quotes

“I used to think that there was something wrong with me because I wasn’t sitting pretty right in the middle range of the BMI. I’ve spent years thinking that something was wrong, that my body was broken.” (6:23)

“Nobody ever told me that it is okay to weigh more than everyone else and you can still be very fit.” (14:59)

“There is not one body type that is more favorable or better than the next.” (17:41)

“You cannot become an intuitive eater if you aren’t willing to trust yourself. When you trust yourself, what you’re saying is that you know how to feed your body.” (22:38)