29 August 2012

"Sorry Miss, But You're Overweight"


For a while now, I have been teetering dangerously (ooh er) on the edge of being a healthy weight and being, dare I say it, over weight. My weight has stayed steady for a couple of years now and sure there have been times when I've wished I could shed a few pounds, there have also been times when I have shed a few pounds and there have been even more times when I've put a few on. But that's how my body goes and we get through it together and carry on on our merry little way. 

Until today that is when a great big, fat, over weight bomb was dropped on us, my body and I. So, this is what happened..

I went to see the nurse over a pesky cough I've had for ages and so she took my blood pressure like a good nurse should, asked me my height and to then step onto the scales. My blood pressure was fine, my height is below average but I've known this for a while and my weight...well, my weight went a little something like this:

Nurse takes weight measurement. Nurse takes BMI chart. Nurse looks at weight in correspondence to height and then looks confused. Nurse looks at me confused, wrinkles her brow, then shakes her head and looks at re-aligning her measurements on the chart again. And then comes the talk I've been waiting for, the one that I know the scales have been trying to tell me for a long while now, "For the love of God Melita, just put that doughnut down and stop stuffing your face already. Can't you feel us crumpling under your chubby, blubbery mass? Can't you see the needle spinning countless times, around and around, for crying out loud just STOP EATING! We judge you Melita, we judge you." Reality?

Nurse, "Erm, Miss Kiely, it says on this chart that you are over weight as your BMI is slightly over 25". Oh god, the words I had been dreading and preparing a speech along the lines of, 'BUT I'M ONLY A SIZE 10 AND A SIZE 8 ON A GOOD DAY, IN A GOOD SHOP! HOW CAN THIS BE?'  

But I needn't have prepared such a speech because before I had the chance to exclaim such confusion and outrage she threw her chart aside and cried, "But screw the chart. I am looking at you now and you, my dear, are not over weight!" And then we laughed and did a happy dance and slagged off the ridiculous chart that claims that somebody who is a size 10 and a size 8 on a good day, in a good shop is over weight. We slammed down our fury at a chart that embeds insecurities into so many young women and men (hey boys, we know you feel it too) when it does not take into account muscle to fat ratios, whether you exercise or smoke or drink or do drugs. 

And d'ya know what, I could have kissed that nurse today (Sandra, I think her name was) for throwing that chart aside and telling me to ignore it and that I was not overweight and that in fact, I was pretty damn healthy. And I could punch you in the face Mr maker of BMI charts, because fuck it; I am fine exactly how I am. 

21 comments:

  1. I'm exactly the same as you! I think my BMI is 22 last time I went on the wii fit but I subsequently stopped using it as I think its complete shit.

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  2. the chart is awful and far from accurate! what an amazing nurse!

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    1. she was so lovely, away with the chart, becca! x

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  3. Wooop! I would probably be overweight too as I'm only 5'4 and am a good size 10 (never an 8) this nurse sounds lovely! Screw that chart. xx

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    1. that's the predicament i found myself in! a size 10 is a good size to be, it's completely absurd for this chart to tell us that we're "overweight" because of it! x

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  4. This made me giggle, fantastic post!
    I'm definetly over weight because I'm 5'2 and a size 12, but I'm happy the way I am, & learnt to love my curves (its not like I never exercise, I actually enjoy running!)
    That nurse is amazing & this really is one of my favourite lifestyle posts I've read in ages!
    xxx

    www.littleboblab.blogspot.com

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    1. thank you so much, kerys! i was talking about this with the nurse, saying how i go swimming and jogging and she was just like 'pft, don't listen to the chart then because you're obviously healthy!' so i'd take that on board for yourself! we're all different shapes and sizes, which is why i think this chart is such a joke to paint everyone with the same brush. people are so fixated by numbers but that doesn't mean they're always right! your comment has really made my day, so kind of you :) xx

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  5. As long as you feel happy and in a healthy way medically weight should never be an issue. I'm eat what I want and when, and I wouldn't have it any other way! xx

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    1. i think so too! life is too short to never have a piece of cake and i sure won't let an inaccurate chart tell me i can't have it! x

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  6. Haha no problem, this really is fantastic, you're style of writing is lovely. Its a lot more personal that straight reporting style. Shows your personality.
    & you're totally right! Women need to stop looking at figures and numbers and just find the right healthy balance for them :) not what Drs charts tell you is right
    xx

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    1. bless you for thinking so, really means a lot to hear such lovely things :)
      and yes, 7 billion people in the world cannot fall into the same boundaries, it's just impossible! and i think if you are smart enough about it, your own intuition will tell you whether or not you need to lose weight for the sake of your health. i can always tell whether i've gained or lost a few pounds even before i step on the scales from the amount i've eaten/exercised up until then! and if it's gone down, fab! and if it's gone up, then i'll have fewer roast potatoes with my sunday lunch ;) xxx

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  7. Argh I get SO paranoid when I check these charts! I feel healthy so why should I be so threatened by a chart?!

    What a lovely nurse! Great post btw :)

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    1. thank you, carina! i've always felt paranoid but thank goodness for this nurse who has made it click in my brain that it is ridiculous to base your health on a 'one chart fits all' measurement. it's just not gonna work! x

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  8. I love this post. I have always worried because the chart puts me in the overweight area and I know I could lose a few pounds but I work out 4 times a week which to me is much more important and healthy than starving myself. I think the Wii fit is even worse than this chart. It depresses me so much I don't use it any more. As everyone is individual and different with a different body shape, frame and muscle mass I don't see how you can generalise to this extent.

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    1. thank you. 4 times a week is a great amount of exercise to partake in, much more than the majority of people i'd imagine. it just seems like a confidence knocker and people take it for gospel when as you and others have said, you can't put everyone into the same category. would a 6 foot, 18 stone body builder and a 6 ft 18 stone sumo wrestler be of the same level of health? of course not! that's why i'm glad that there are nurses like sandra to give us girls some much needed perspective! thank you for reading and commenting :) x

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  9. BMI charts are probably useful in re-enforcing to obviously overweight/obese people that they need to lose weight for the good of their health, but otherwise - and I'm no expert - I think they can be an inaccurate measure of weight because they don't take into account other factors such as muscle weight etc. You are quite clearly a normal, healthy weight and it was brilliant of that nurse to be so lovely about it! I used to be really quite obsessed with the numbers on the scale and would constantly be looking up my BMI but now I try to steer clear of such unhealthy habits. My weight fluctuates on a day-to-day basis so it was a pretty pointless activity, so now the only way I measure myself is simply by seeing if my clothes still fit! If the answer's yes, then there's nothing really to worry about :)

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    1. oh absolutely, i think that although it's definitely flawed it is useful for those who clearly are overweight and fall into the higher over categories and enables them to see it. i think it's just inaccurate for younger girls who are a normal weight and size and encourages them to become so fixated on these numbers- i know i have been! but like you, if my jeans feel that little bit too snug i know to lay off but if i can do the button up with relative ease then it's a good day! x

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  10. That is actually the most ridiculous thing! How can a size 8-10 person be classified as overweight? BMI is recognised now as being a highly inaccurate measurement - I could go on about this all day (anti-diet person here!) but BMI does not distinguish between body fat and muscle. BMI, if i remember correctly, is just weight/(height)^2, so you could be the most muscular and fit athlete in the world but according to your BMI you would be classified as overweight because of muscle weight!! Ok, /endrant... xxxx

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    1. that's what the nurse said to me! i think it's just a bit vague and i think slim, healthy people get too hung up about it, which is a shame :) xx

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  11. I really love this :) Screw those charts really.

    I'm a small girl and until this year whenever I weighed myself I was underweight on the BMI scale, but i'd be living a healthy lifestyle and stuffing my face at every opportunity.

    It kinda sucked because people would be mean to me about it, but screw them. I have boobs now :D

    http://completedisbelief.co.za

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  12. so crazy, I know I am a little 'rounder' in certain areas but I am in no way overweight I dont think, yet the chart tells me I am borderline too heavy! crazy! but then I am 5'2 too....

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