When you go to the doctor for a well visit, getting on the scale and having your weight compared to your height is part of the experience. The resulting number is your BMI or Body Mass Index. This number will tell you if you are classified as underweight, normal, overweight, or obese.

This standard has been used for decades, but it has come under fire since as early as the 80s. The problem with the BMI system is that it's not always a marker for health. A sumo wrestler for example, is obese but often fitter and in better health compared to normal people.

Body builders and athletes with a lot of muscle can also run up against the BMI, because having a lot of muscle puts you into the overweight or obese category—even though you're in great shape.

In 2009, Canadian researchers made a proposal for a new system that could more accurately portray the health of the people doctors were examining. This new system, deemed the Edmonton Obesity Staging System Tool, would look beyond the numbers to check heart health, lung health, and also mental health to check the overall health of the person being examined.

A more comprehensive approach

The EOSS system provides a more comprehensive look at weight, and helps make it easier to diagnose whether someone is actually in poor health, or if they are simply heavier than most. 

According to the American Heart Association, your waistline is a better indicator of health than your BMI. Your waistline should be no more than half your height for the lowest risk of heart disease and other chronic illness.

The EOSS system has been praised as a more modern tool that will allow doctors and their patients a more clear view into health. That doesn't mean however, that BMI will no longer be used.

According to Sandy Amoils, MD, a physician at the Alliance Institute of Integrative Medicine in Cincinnati had this to say about the BMI: “The BMI is quick and easy to look up, and if it’s much higher than 25, it does indicate a weight issue and gives you a good idea of how serious it is. But for most patients, the BMI is just a number on a chart. I find that measuring the patient’s waist in the office has much more of an impact and is much more motivating when it comes to weight loss.”

BMI has its place, but it shouldn't define you or your health. If you feel good about yourself and your body, and you have no chronic illness, there's no need to worry about your weight. Many people are in fact being encouraged to ditch their scales entirely and instead focus on what really matters—healthy heart, healthy lungs, and a healthy body.

With so much of the world focused on thinness as a measure of health, it's a refreshing change to know that there is no perfect “look” for good health.