Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast

Instead of Body Mass Index (BMI), Use THIS...

Dec 12, 2023

07:39

Snipd AI

The podcast discusses the limitations of using BMI as a measurement of weight and health. It suggests alternative tests like BMR and TDEE. The importance of muscle gain and body recomposition in weight loss progress is emphasized. Alternative methods to measure overall health are explored, including metabolic testing, blood ketone and blood sugar devices, VO2 max test, HRV heart rate variability test, and CAC test.

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

BMI doesn't differentiate between fat and muscle composition, leading to inaccurate health assessments.

Alternative tests like metabolic testing and biomarkers provide a more comprehensive evaluation of overall health and potential future risks.

Deep dives

The Limitations of BMI

One of the main problems with BMI (body mass index) is that it doesn't distinguish between fat and muscle composition. For example, athletes with a higher muscle mass may be classified as overweight or obese, even if they are metabolically healthy. BMI also fails to determine overall health, as individuals can be overweight but still metabolically flexible. Instead of relying solely on BMI, other measurements like BMR (basal metabolic rate) and TDE (total daily energy expenditure) offer a more accurate understanding of calorie burn and energy consumption. Tools like the keto calculator can help determine appropriate calorie and macronutrient intake for weight loss, taking into account individual metabolism and energy needs.

Introduction

2min

Understanding Weight Loss Progress and Body Recomposition

3min

Evaluating Internal Health and Longevity: Blood Ketone, VO2 Max, HRV, CAC, and Metabolic Testing

3min

Let’s talk about the problems with using BMI (body mass index) as a weight or health measurement.

One of the biggest problems with BMI is that it doesn’t tell you how much fat you have versus muscle. It also can’t give you much of an idea of what's going on with your overall health.

Other common measurements:

• BMR (basal metabolic rate): Measures how fast you’re burning calories

• TDEE (total daily energy expenditure): Measures the quantity of energy being burned

• Keto calculator: Measures BMR and TDEE and can tell you how many calories and how many macronutrients you should consume in a day based on your BMR and TDEE

Many times, people look at how much weight they lose per week as a measurement of how healthy their metabolism is. However, this isn’t a good idea.

A big principle to consider is: get healthy to lose weight—don’t lose weight to get healthy. In the process of exercising and getting healthy, you’re going to gain muscle.

Muscle is heavier than fat. This means that some weeks you may not lose any weight, but your clothes are still going to feel more and more loose.

Instead of a BMI test, there are many other helpful tests you can do to help measure your overall health.

One of the best assessments of overall health is the metabolic test. This test can look at your metabolic pathways in real-time. It can provide great data to help professionals understand what could happen down the road, so you can do something about it now.

Keto Calculator