041Fitness columnist Nadine Lahana gets candid about the bathroom scale, BMI and the dangerous effects fixating on them can have on mental health.
There was a time, long ago, that I too got into a serious relationship with my bathroom scale!
We were inseparable.
A love-hate relationship that both complimented and cheapened my daily existence.
When clients first come to me to start my Nutrition Program, they are usually broken by a system that uses numbers to depict their value, it takes hours of counseling just to enable a change of mindset.
It is unusual for me to even begin talking about Nutrition until we’re about 8 sessions in and have moved from Math to Mindfulness.
First, we must divorce those habitual daily practices that serve to MAKE or BREAK us.
Here’s why the number system is flawed…
WE ARE SO DESPERATE TO LABEL OURSELVES so that we can begin from ‘somewhere.’
If I recognize that
I AM “thin” or
I AM “normal” or
I AM “obese”
I have an idea of the work I need to put in.
But the system is flawed!
BODY MASS INDEX..
What if I was to tell you that many of my muscle-clad Triathletes, swimmers and CrossFit junkie clients measured up as “obese” using a system that completely neglects to consider FAT weight vs BONE and MUSCLE weight?
A SYSTEM SO FLAWED, it has now been pretty much dissolved by the American Medical Association who have called for Doctors to stop using it as a measuring tool for overall health!
A person’s value can shift so easily from “normal” to “obese”
It is incredibly damaging.
If you are looking to get started on a weight loss program, ask yourself first..
“What am I weighing?”
HERE’S WHAT HITS THE SCALES..
✔️ Fat mass
✔️ Muscle mass
✔️ Bone mass
✔️ Hydration fluctuations
The only way to get a true indication of FAT loss is to implement a body composition assessment.
This is why, I encourage skin fold caliper testing as opposed to bathroom scales.
Even the caliper’s not without flaws but it certainly puts into perspective what we are weighing up on. I mean, do you want to lose bones? Organs? Muscle? Or just fat?
THE BUTTON UP TEST…
In all honesty, unless you’re competing in some sort of National or global sporting competition and need to fall into a specific weight division, I would go by the simple ‘button up’ test. Can you still do it up or can’t you?
Gerry Dutton, from the Trading Standards Institute, says: “Since 2003 it’s been illegal for hospitals or GP surgeries to use domestic bathroom scales in medical situations: they’re inaccurate, hard to read truthfully and vary with a person’s standing position.”
It’s good to be mindful of your health and wellness.
Just try not to get yourself confused with formulas that don’t fit.
Nadine Lahana
Cert. Nutrition & Wellness Coach
Canfit Pro Canada 🇨🇦
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