Why You Should Ditch Tracking Your BMI

Written By Elizabeth Harris

Did you know that BMI is a deeply flawed measure of health?

In this episode, Tara, Elizabeth and Maria break down what BMI (the Body Mass Index) gets wrong — how it harms and what you can pay attention to instead.

The history behind BMI is very interesting. The Body Mass Index was created by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician, and sociologist. He devised the basis of the BMI between 1830 and 1850 as he developed what he called "social physics".

BMI does not tell us anything about health - and in fact, BMI can be very bad for mental health and create a lot of weight stigmas and shame. 

Topics discussed in this episode:

  • The history of BMI.

  • Why you should ditch tracking your BMI.

  • Examples of how BMI can be harmful.

  • What you can pay attention to rather than BMI.

“Weight and health are not the same thing, and BMI is not really that useful.”

Thanks for listening - if you feel so inclined, we’d really appreciate a 5-star rating and review on Apple podcasts so that others may discover this show…

Let’s rebrand wellness together!

Elizabeth, Tara & Maria

Let’s connect and keep the conversation going!

Tara De Leon, Master Personal Trainer

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tara_de_leon_fitness

Maria Winters, LCPC, NCC

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coaching_therapist/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/MWcoachingtherapy

Website: www.thecoachingtherapist.com


Elizabeth Harris, MS, RDN, LDN

FB: Health and Healing with Intuitive Eating community

https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthandhealingwithintuitiveeating

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ElizabethHarrisNutrition

Email: [email protected]

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