Absurd Math Rant

I take issue with how healthy weight is defined. And it’s not just cuz I’m a bigger girl. Let’s look at the numbers, shall we?

According to most of the charts that a google search popped up with, a woman of my height should weigh 114-144 lbs. i weigh more than that, of course.

But i have this spiffy body composition scale that gives you all sorts of info. Some important stats about me:

Fat free body weight – 115.8lbs

Muscle mass – 109lbs

Bone mass – 7lbs

Body water – 39.4% (low. Target range is 45-60%)

Now, i know that what follows is not exactly researcher grade mathematics, because muscle and bone contain water, so a fraction of that 39% is already accounted for. But ya know what, i’m going to assume it’s not. Because i can. (for the record, the ‘right’ results are even more ridiculous.)

If i were to have the same body water percentage, that puts me at 161lbs (=115.8*1.394 = 161.425). So even mildly dehydrated, i would still be overweight even if i had 0% body fat.

If i had 0% body fat and was “properly hydrated” at 45% body water, i would be at 167.9. My fat free body weight which doesn’t include any water makes it into this so-called ideal. The reality is, i would have to be both anorexic and severely dehydrated to fall within this completely fucking retarded yet wildly accepted ‘ideal range’.

Yes, i know the scale could be off with the bone mass and muscle mass and water percentage and all that. but being ‘off’ doesn’t explain away the fact that this is wrong on so many fucking levels.

Somebody make this make sense, please.

And still, somehow, we sit here wondering why people hate their bodies, and become obsessed with dieting. These charts are everywhere, and nobody bothers with the fine print of how it varies by individual, frame size, yadda yadda. Especially not kids, which is where it matters most.

How do we not see how fucked up this is?