Since the beginning of time, women have been judged by doctors regarding their BMI. Are you getting migraines? Not feeling generally well? Have brain fog? Then it’s probably because you’ve “overweight,” according to many doctors. Now, a Washington woman is speaking up because she’s sick and tired of doctors stating that skinny equals healthy. As she says, “BMI is an outdated way to measure health,” and quite frankly, she isn’t wrong.
TikToker Hannahs_version (Hannah) shared on TikTok that she had a doctor’s appointment recently. Her doctor took a look at her computer screen and immediately focused in on Hannah’s BMI. Now, BMI (body mass index) is considered to be an inaccurate measure of a person’s health in modern times. It was used in the 1830s on European men, but, for some reason, women are targeted by their doctors far too often concerning BMI. This is exactly what happened to Hannah at her appointment, as she explained.
According to Hannah, her doctor only focused on telling her she was “obese,” and should make weight loss her focus. Her doctor pointed at the part of her screen where Hannah was 18 years old and said she was doing “really well” with her weight at this point. Are we not supposed to change between the ages of 18 and 26? Hannah said her doctor seems to think what she weighed at 18 was her “pinnacle of health.”
However, she said she was a binge drinker in college and ate fast food every weekend. She wasn’t exercising regularly, either. So, was Hannah really healthiest at 18 when her BMI was low? That sounds far-fetched, to say the least.
Now, Hannah said she walks regularly, watches what she eats, and prioritizes protein and fiber. She even points out that she weighs more than she did at 18, but she’s also far more healthier. “I don’t that’s fair,” said Hannah, pushing against the idea that doctors should be using BMI as a measurement.
As one commenter said, she’s dealing with the same thing. She commented, “I’m overweight, but have lost 46 pounds in 4 months without changing a single thing in my life. I went to see my GP yesterday and he told me I ‘shouldn’t question a good thing,’” one commenter said, admitting they were dealing with the same issue. This is a big yikes, as any unintentional weight loss is not always a ‘good thing’ and could mean a real health issue is lurking.
Another person suggested to Hannah, “Ask her to document in your medical records that she focused 100% of the appointment on your weight and chose not to discuss your health concerns or order the appropriate labs,” which is excellent advice.
With doctors, you often have to advocate for yourself, including demanding that a specific treatment be tried. In the end, Hannah said her doctor “missed the mark” with this appointment, and she’ll be finding another one.
