Do you monitor your child's body mass index (BMI)? Given that the government is requiring that the BMI of all citizens be rated within the next four years, and that schools in some states are monitoring BMI ratings, it might not be a bad idea. I don't think it will be long before the medical treatment for which we're eligible will depend on BMI - and a lower BMI does reduce the likelihood of some medical complaints.
I have not heard this! Sigh.. control everything, why not we don't have brains and can't think for ourselves..... No I don't, AND I don't think BMI is the end all be all of health either.
That's a little scarey. What does it mean that the government is "requiring that the BMI of all citizens be rated"?
Yes, I have recently started to monitor it. I don't expect for the US regulations to impact us though.
It's mandatory and part of the stimulus package signed into law a year ago. Certain information about every US citizen - such as your height, weight, and BMI - will be stored electronically and made available on a national health information exchange. Putting the politics aside, knowing the BMI of family members is a good idea.
If you can look at your kids I don't think you need to know the BMI. I think our society is to stuck on numbers and "normals". That just rubs me wrong. I mean my dad has a great BMI # but he smokes 3 packs a day and eats at fast food at least twice a day sitting on his hind quarters driving a truck. BMI doesn't mean anything. Its a number and we are people who think numbers like that mean something. When We know if our kids are healthy, or eating to much junk food, playing video games all the time or outside running around. I mean we have brains and need to use them, not let somebody else use it for us. Another example is my ds has been on the underweight part of the BMI his whole life. But he is perfectly healthy and not underweight, just skinny and very active.
Oh, brother. I fear for the world my kids will be left to live in. :roll: My BMI used to be terrible until I had gastric bypass. I feel great! But I am large boned and my BMI according to height/weight charts is still bad. (not sure what my actual body fat percentage is these days) No, I don't monitor BMI, although we keep an eye on overall health. I anticipate my children having the same trouble I do as far as numbers being deceiving. How does the BMI work for football players? C'mon. People need to use their heads and get away from one-formula-fits-all for figuring health.
The doc monitors our kids at each checkup and actually had the nerve to tell me my son is fat. Um... no. His height is 97%+, his weight is 95%+, and his head is way, way, way off the chart. He's been that way since the day he was born. There's not a speck of fat on him. He's all muscle. Still... she told me to limit the amount of dairy he gets. Huh? Last I checked, dairy was good for strong bones and stuff.
Indeed! I couldn't agree more. Whatever happened to common sense? Here is the link to the CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/
Doesn't it all depend proportions anyway?!?! I mean, our youngest DS is short, stubby legs, but doesn't look fat AT ALL (both of our boys look really skinny) but when we get him checked they say his weight and height are Off the charts for his age. Nothing I can do about it, that's just the way he grows. PLUS, I'm not very concerned about my child's BMI, sure...if they start to look like the Stay-Pufft Marshmallow Man then I might start looking into it, but I think if you know what they are eating, and keep giving them healthy foods and exercise then whats the big deal?!
If you are fat, we don't need you in society, better off to cull you from the herd. Just withhold the gov controlled health care from those kind. There's not enough wealth to spread to everyone anyway, so why waste it? well that is the feeling I have...
But let me put the shoe on the other foot. As much as 10 percent of medical costs go towards treating problems that result from obesity. Isn't it wise to encourage everyone to exercise and eat right? I agree that it's not the government's job to do that, but maybe health insurance policies could offer a discount for those with a BMI that is healthy - just like non-smokers get a discount on life insurance and those wearing a seat belt used to get a discount on car insurance. It's wise to teach our children good habits as part of their education and to encourage them to stay healthy - as much as it's in their control.
Close all the fast food places and take all the pre-made boxes of "stuff" out of the stores, problem solved???
The difference between a discount for non-smokers and a discount for healthy BMI is that not everyone with an unhealthy BMI has done it deliberately. Some people who are overweight are that way because of a medical condition, others may have tried changing the way they eat and how much exercise they get and still don't get a better BMI. As for my children no I do not measure their BMI and I do not intend to.
I would be more likely to support discounts for healthy lifestyle....BMI should be factored in with Cholesterol, Smoking, Drug use, etc. Each item should be part of an equation of overall health. Not one magic number that tells your future.
People need to be aware that the only factors used to find BMI are height and weight. How assinine is that? Even the website mentioned earlier admited to it being an indicator. For a majorityto exist, there has to be cases which do not fall into the majority. I was going to go on and on with the pathetic attempts that big goverment has taken to make their job easier, but I am getting too worked up inside to even think straight. This is what happens when people opt for the government to take care of them. You get lazy people wanting to put less time into thinking so they come up with something that fits the "majority". Blah, blah, blah.... Another way they could control obesity to some degree is to make junk food unavailable on food stamps. But you won't see our government taking those steps because they are counting on a large welfare dependent voter base to relect them so they can get a free ride from taxpayers, too. ;( Edited to include....And another thing. Why don't they just wipe out the y chromosomes. The y chromosome is an early indicator of wreckless behavior leading to early death. Y chromosomes lead the way in heart disease, high blood pressure, cirrhosis of the liver, epilepsy and athlete's foot. I say, if you want to hunt down a target group, choose the people that carry a y chromosome and problem solved.
Nazi Germany? Aren't we already there? The Government called the other day. Carl turned in the Long Census form, but left half the blanks empty. So they called wanting to fill them in. One question was how many bathrooms we had in our house. He told them point blank that it wasn't any of their business, and he had no intention of answering any more of their questions. I'm a bit concerned about what will become of that!
