Here is why your logic failed. (this is an excerpt from an article on BMI I like):
The CDC says on its Web site that "the BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for people." This is a fundamental error of logic. For example, if I tell you my birthday present is a bicycle, you can conclude that my present has wheels. That's correct logic. But it does not work the other way round. If I tell you my birthday present has wheels, you cannot conclude I got a bicycle. I could have received a car. Because of how Quetelet (200 year old mathematician that created BMI) came up with it, if a person is fat or obese, he or she will have a high BMI. But as with my birthday present, it doesn't work the other way round. A high BMI does not mean an individual is even overweight, let alone obese. It could mean the person is fit and healthy, with very little fat.
this works the other way around. You can't say she has a BMI of 17, and conclude she is underweight... basically, FAIL
I don't think you read my post very carefully. If your wife is taking her minimum caloric intake required I have nothing to say about her BMI. I explained my problem with Magalo's attitude in my first post:
"I wouldn't say anything if you were eating like your friend. But you said you are obsessed with your weight & checking scales all the time - you are here on a dieting website when you're already small. These are all bad signs & point towards eating disorders."
I can't be supportive of a 17 year old girl who is still growing limiting her calories to 1200-1500 calories a day when she is perfectly healthy. If she was like her friend 5'3 & 95lbs & eating properly - I would accept that BMI would not apply to her.
She says she needs 1700 cal a day - I don't know if I agree with this # for a highschool girl but I'll accept it because she might be absolutely 100% the laziest person who does nothing. But she is eating 500 calories less than what she needs every single day - given that she has had to diet herself down to 104lbs (healthy) from 120lbs (also healthy), it is ridiculous to try to get her body down past the healthy BMI.
I am a medical student & I've seen people like Magalo who do this - it starts with severe calorie limiting like what she is doing & then it gets worse. This girl is fixated on a certain number (100lbs) - that scares me even more.
There is a certain mindset that people who are in danger of slipping into eating disorder - obsessing over the scale, fixating on a certain weight, calorie limiting when she is already dieted herself down to the minimum healthy weight. Magalo has said she has done all of this - her BMI being 18.4 & the minimum for an average body type is just one part of the equation.
I don't think Magalo has anorexia right now because she's still eating a "reasonable" amount (although not enough for her body) & she is not exercising herself to death. But severe dieting like this can often become an ED.
I doubt she's actually going to listen to this - I can't support her goals & I think it's the community responsibility to atleast try to explain our point if we see something that doesn't make sense. If she chooses to ignore me, that's up to her. If you choose to say that I 'FAIL' for pointing out the obvious, that's up to you.
I think it would be a lot more reasonable if she picked up her calories to 2000 & then burnt off 500 calories by biking for 1.5hrs. She would still lose weight but she would be much healthier & trimmer.
If you can find one doctor who will condone what she is wants to do at her weight, I won't say anything else.
As for my personal weight loss goals - I don't like fat all the extra fat hanging off my body; 2 years ago, I could hike 10hr days in canyon country without getting winded. Now, I can't walk 1.5hrs without breaking into a serious sweat. My energy level is a lot lower than it was & my clothes don't fit right. If you think it's vanity for me to want to feel healthier & more comfortable in my own body - I really don't know what to say... I thought we were all here for that reason.
