Is the Body Mass Index (BMI) really a good measure of health? For decades, BMI has been used in doctors’ offices, schools, and even insurance policies as a quick way to label people as “underweight,” “normal,” “overweight,” or “obese.” But here’s the truth: BMI was never designed to measure individual health – and using it this way can be inaccurate, misleading, and even harmful.
In this article, we’ll explore why BMI is flawed, how its origins have shaped today’s weight stigma, and what better measures of health we can use instead. If you’ve ever been told to “just lose weight” based solely on your BMI, you deserve a more thoughtful, weight-inclusive approach to your well-being.
A Brief History: Where Did BMI Come From?
The Body Mass Index was invented by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian mathematician and statistician – not a doctor, not a health professional. In the 1800s, Quetelet created what he called “Quetelet’s Index” as a way to describe the average man for population studies, not for individual health assessments.
“If the average man were completely determined, we might consider him as the type of perfection; and everything differing from his proportion or condition, would constitute deformity or disease…or monstrosity.”
– Adolphe Quetelet, A Treatise on Man and the development of his aptitudes
Even more concerning? His research was based entirely on white, Western European males. He described anyone who deviated from this “ideal” as being in a state of deformity or disease. BMI, later popularized by Ancel Keys in the 1970s, was never meant to guide medical care on an individual level – yet it became widely adopted, in part because it was simple, quick, and useful for insurance companies.
4 Reasons BMI Is Problematic
#1 BMI Enforces Eurocentric and Exclusionary Standards
Because BMI was designed around white European men, it ignores natural variations in body composition across different sexes and ethnicities. For example:
- Research shows BMI often overestimates fatness and health risks for Black individuals, while underestimating risks for some Asian populations.
- Men and women store fat differently, yet BMI applies the same cut-offs to all.
#2 BMI Doesn’t Distinguish Between Muscle, Fat, and Bone
BMI tells you nothing about your lean muscle, fat distribution, or bone density. Athletes with more muscle mass are often labeled “overweight” or “obese” despite being metabolically healthy. People with larger frames or denser bones (a positive thing!) are also unfairly classified.
#3 BMI Pathologizes Natural Body Diversity
BMI cut-offs have contributed to labeling certain body sizes as diseased (“obesity”) even when individuals are engaging in health-promoting behaviors like balanced eating and regular movement. This fuels weight stigma in healthcare and beyond.
#4 BMI Ignores Health-Promoting Behaviours
Despite its convenience, BMI oversimplifies health. Quick questions about your nutrition, movement, sleep, alcohol intake, or smoking history would provide far more insight than an outdated equation ever could.
When weight is treated as the primary marker of health, it leads to harmful outcomes like fad dieting, weight cycling, and increased stress — all of which can harm long-term health.
A Better Approach to Health
If you’ve been told to “just lose weight” without anyone asking about your habits, I’m deeply sorry. Your health is not defined by a single number. In my practice, I use a weight-inclusive approach, focusing on:
- How you feel in your body
- Your energy levels and sleep quality
- Stress management
- Sustainable, enjoyable nutrition
- Movement that feels good for you
Because weight is not a behaviour — but nourishing your body is.
Final Thoughts: Moving Beyond the BMI
BMI might be quick, but quick doesn’t mean accurate. It’s time to shift our focus from restrictive numbers to meaningful, individualized health care. Whether that’s through better screening questions, compassionate nutrition support, or a more inclusive view of health, we can do better.
Looking to learn more about weight-inclusive health? Explore my other resources on intuitive eating and meal planning without dieting.
References:
Angela Lemond:,Why BMI Is Flawed and the History Behind How the Scale Came to Define Obesity. Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/bmi/bmi-flaws-history-other-ways-measure-body-weight/
Frank Q. Nuttall, Body Mass Index: Obesity, BMI, and Health: A Critical Review. Nutrition Today. 2015; 50(3):117-128. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4890841/pdf/nt-50-117.pdf
Garabed Eknoyan, Adolphe Quetelet (1796–1874)—the average man and indices of obesity, Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, Volume 23, Issue 1, January 2008, Pages 47–51,https://doi.org/10.1093/ndt/gfm517
Sylvia R. Karasu, Adolphe Quetelet and the Evolution of the Body Mass Index (BMI). Retrieved fromhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-gravity-weight/201603/adolphe-quetelet-and-the-evolution-body-mass-index-bmi
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