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Obesity guidelines should not be a yardstick for morality
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This year the Institute of Medicine reissued guidelines for the amount of weight a woman should put on during pregnancy. In 1990, similar guidelines were issued, but since then, quite a bit has changed in the health profile of Americans, and this is the first time we've seen an upper limit on the weight obese women should gain.
Based on BMI, these are the IOM's guidelines for pregnancy weight gain:
- Underweight: 28 - 40 pounds
- Normal weight: 25-35 pounds
- Overweight: 15-25 pounds
- Obese: 11-20 pounds
A BMI, or Body Mass Index, of 30.1 and up signifies obesity. The problem with the BMI is that it only looks at weight and height--not at body composition. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat. Brett Favre, for example, weighs approximately 225 pounds and is 6 foot 2 inches. If you plug those numbers into a BMI calculator, this results in a measurement of 28.9, which indicates he's overweight. Lots of folks wish they could be that kind of overweight. More sensible appraisals of obesity come from body fat percentage assessments and the combination of BMI with waist-hip ratio measurements.
One of the concerns about obesity now has to do with conception itself. A Michigan State University study finds that obese women are less likely to conceive and carry to term successfully. Yet, according to the IOM, one-fifth of American women are clinically obese at the time of pregnancy.
While this is all a matter for concern, the most troubling aspect of the obesity controversy--whether in regards to pregnancy or not--is that fitness is now being viewed in terms of righteousness. How often do we couch our efforts towards health and weight loss in moral terms? "I was bad: I ate a piece of pie today." It seems that this has become the new interpretation of morality in the 21st century, as sexuality defined morality in the 20th century and good works and church-going illustrated it in the 19th century.
Pregnancy is the time to be as healthy as possible. However, it is not the time to diet. If you are obese and you find yourself exceeding weight gain limits, talk to your physician or other health care providers. They can assist in structuring your weight gain goals through healthy eating and healthy exercise. Don't let the 'fat police' decide whether you're a worthy person anymore. Your pregnancy can be a time of birth for you, as well.
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