All it takes sometimes is one little word to undermine all the success you have accomplished. That’s what has happened to a friend of mine. Long story short, she made the decision to get healthy and she lost 50 pounds. 5 – 0. I’m so proud of her because she made a commitment to herself and stuck with it. Then the other day she had a doctor’s appointment and he told her that according to her BMI she was obese.
Yep. That little word packs a mighty powerful punch.
As quickly as that word slipped out of his mouth, all that my friend had accomplished disappeared. She could only focus on the word “obese”.
Of course I told her that she’s done an amazing job and that she should be so proud of herself for what she’d done. I told her not to focus on that word. Just keep going forward and that BMI scale can kiss her ass.
On Sunday, my friend put her dog in her car and went on a long hike. It was a good one because she was sore the next day. I was glad to see that she was rebounding from the trauma of that one little word.
I’m 22 years older than my friend and I’ve found that certain words can play with my head, but I’m finding that their effect has a shorter lifespan. I guess some things do get easier as we age.
Secrets of a Healthy Chick 
BMI is a horrible indicator and really needs to stop being used! I was actually talking to a nurse about it this past weekend. BMI says bodybuilders are obese as well as others when ianyone can look at them and see that they are fine. And the doctor should have noticed the significant weight loss and been more encouraging. I can see why that hurt! I’d recommend she get a different doctor!
Congrats on her wonderful weight loss! 50 pounds lost is a great accomplishment!
Exactly, Carli. My friend still has a few more pounds to lose and I’m a little concerned this event will set her back. But she did take that hike, so I’m hopeful she will bounce back from that horrible conversation and focus on all she’s accomplished and what she will accomplish this year.
Gracious! That stinks! Was the doctor not aware of all she’d accomplished?
You are so right. It only takes one well aimed word…
Stopping by from SITS.
Yes, the doctor did know what she’d accomplished. Isn’t that amazing? Thanks for visiting today.
I agree with the other comments! I don’t like how the medical world is always changing the indicators anyway! Good for your friend, and good for you too!
Thanks for visiting Laurie. You’re right, not all indicators are applicable to every person. There is so much to take into consideration and that’s never easy or fast. So I guess it’s easier to use tools like BMI across the board. Thanks for visiting!
I hope your friend will bounce back. It’s surprising that the doctor didn’t notice how much weight she had lost and congratulate her on that accomplishment. Clearly, she is motivated to get healthy! Negativity is rarely helpful.
I know. She’s been with that doctor for awhile. You’re right, negativity rarely helps. Thankfully she has a lot of good friends. Thanks for visiting!
BMI is not accurate! Go with body fat level instead measuring tape. I had lost a lot of weights too but I’m also not skinny because I packed on more muscles. Your friend is doing fantastic and should be encourage for an awesome efforts and consistency she put into trying to be healthy. Awesome to have a dear friend like you to help her too. Don’t worry about the numbers on the scales too, I had stopped weighing myself because of that 😉
You’re so right, Maureen. I won’t even look at the BMI scale because I know it won’t reflect an accurate picture of my weight. Thanks for visiting.
Visiting from SITS. It’s amazing how much pain one word can cause. And that we allow words to play “mind tricks” on us.
It is amazing how one small word can ruin our day, week or even longer. I still have those “mind tricks” but they don’t last as long as they used to. I guess that’s a bright side of getting older. Thanks for visiting!
You are so correct about how a label, especially one that is so serious, can be damaging. Your friend should be commended and it sounds like you helped her focus on her considerable accomplishment.
Over from SITS!
She has done an amazing job on following through on her commitment. And I am very proud of her. Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great weekend!