Numbers have also captured how we view health. Our doctors ask us to be within a certain BMI, or body mass index. Using our height and weight, BMI scores us as being “normal weight,” “overweight,” or “obese.” Like grades, it’s helpful for quick and rough analysis. But the metric doesn’t capture our true physical or mental health status or all the intricacies of weight that can affect our health. For example, how much of that weight is muscle, where the weight is stored, or why we might want to be at a certain body weight in the first place. This often applies to other broad health metrics,
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