The BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both men and women. Your primary physician, the surgeon and the insurance company will all use this measurement to determine if you qualify for any sort of weight loss surgery. This measurement alone is not the final determining factor by any stretch of the imagination. Typically if you're BMI is 30 or higher and you are 100 pounds or more overweight, you qualify for the surgery. Other health factors that would be alleviated by the weight loss such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea are also considered when you are being qualified for the surgery. Your BMI may not be over 30, but if you have any of these health conditions, you will probably be qualified for the surgery.
Anyway, when I really started looking seriously into the surgery, I weighed 420 pounds. At 6 feet tall, that made my BMI 57.0. That made me Obese class III. I'm fairly certain that's another way of saying "Morbidly Obese". I calculated this morning based on my current body weight of 299 pounds and my BMI is now 40.5. I'm still that Obese class III, but I'm much closer to dropping into the Obese class II now. By the way, Obese class III is the highest measurement they bother with.
Now the BMI is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. For example, my goal weight of 200 pounds would make my BMI 27.1 and I would still qualify as overweight. To be at a normal BMI, I would have to get down to 183 pounds which would make my BMI 24.8. The smallest I've been as an adult was 175 pounds, and that was right out of Basic Training. I looked like a concentration camp victim. The BMI does not take into account things like skeletal and muscle structure.
Anyway, here's the link to the BMI calulator that I use: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Do Svidanja!
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