In addition to using ED names such as Binge Eating Disorder (BED), we're going to talk about underweight, anorexia, overweight, obesity--what do these words mean?
I'll use the term "fat." I like the word, and Fat Pride people have reclaimed it, the way gay people reclaimed "Queer" for Queer Nation. Fat is not a pejorative when I use it here. I'll most often be referring to both the overweight and the obese, for while they have very different health problems, lifestyle problems, and other problems, they also have something in common--they're discriminated against. They should be allies in the fight against the attacks on fat people, and someday, that may come.
Note that I'm not saying fat is good--on the contrary, it can be at the very least unhealthy. For the obese, it's always unhealthy--in fact, it's a matter of life and death. But we aren't cruel to cardiac patients and people with irritable bowel syndrome and we shouldn't be cruel to the obese. Sometimes I think that the last people on earth it's okay to make fun of are smokers, the overweight/obese, and people with a mental illness. It makes me sick, and it hurts those who suffer. I'll try not to get too political in this blog, but discrimination and oppression are always a part of being fat, and can't be ignored.
But "fat" isn't a medical word. For accuracy, we have to go to a measuring tool called the Body Mass Index, or BMI. It's a formula which uses your height and weight to give you a number--the BMI--which is then compared to a chart. Here's the chart I'll use:
Emaciated = UNDER 15 BMI
Anorexic = Under 17.5 BMI
Underweight = Under 19 BMI
Normal = 19 - 24 BMI
Overweight = 25 - 29 BMI
Obese = +29 BMI
Here are two good places for BMI calculators:
CDC
NHLB
You'll see that the chart I'm using is different from the two used by the two calculator sites. That's because I prefer the expanded chart, which includes anorexics and some bulimics. I'll be talking about them, too, later, and we'll need the expanded chart for that.
Since I don't know you, I'll use me as an example. I'm 5'4" tall. My normal weight, according to the BMI, would be 108-145 lbs. That's a large range, much larger than the old charts used to be. From 146-174 lbs., I'd be overweight, and obese at 175+. Morbid obesity sets in at 100+ lbs. over normal weight, which I'd take as the highest normal weight of 145 lbs., for a total in my case of 245 lbs. In the old days, that would be the lowest weight at which some form of bariatric surgery would be contemplated. In today's medicine, it would be considered at a much lower weight. I disagree with that, but we'll get to it later.
There are problems with the BMI as far as determining weight labels, however. For very frail people, such as the elderly, the lighter weights might not actually be underweight. With osteoporosis, bones are more "lacy;" that is, not as dense, so the person will weigh less. For extremely flabby people, with little or no muscle tone, the same holds true. For athletes, with lots of muscle and bone, they might have a high BMI yet still not be overweight.
Let's get one thing clear, however. I've seen a lot of overweight people call themselves athletes and deny the BMI as being accurate in their case. An athlete is not someone who walks five miles a day, or plays an hour of tennis a day, or bikes for four hours a week. That's a fit normal person. That's who the BMI was designed for--average muscle to fit muscle. An athlete is Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The chance that you're 79 years old, or an athlete, if you're reading here, is very, very, small. For you and me, the BMI is accurate.
Use one of the calculators today and learn your BMI. It will help to determine your ED, too. A compulsive overeater is not going to have an anorexic BMI. Not many bulimics are underweight, either. In fact, they can be overweight, as can binge eaters, who are sometimes obese.
I've received permission to link to two blogs I like a lot. These belong to obese people who are working very hard to lose weight, and so far have been quite successful. I have no doubt that either one will reach her/his target weight--a normal BMI. As soon as I figure out how to add the links, I'll put them up. Yeah, I'm a little on the stupid side.
That's it for today. I promise that later, it won't be so dry, but information comes first. That way, we can soon get down to business.
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