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this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2026
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Fastest way to decrease your BMI is to lose a leg. The fastest way to increase it is to lose two.
Not all mass is fat, and not all mass is the same.
BMI is a general guideline that offers a reasonable approximation of body mass at the population level. That it also offers a reasonable estimate on the individual level, when all other factors are taken into account, is a plus.
Medical practitioners aren't out there widely telling otherwise obese people with missing limbs that they're a perfectly healthy weight or that all mass is fat.
When you read unverifiable anecdotes about a dumb doctor telling a power lifter that they are obese, don't take it as gospel. When your doctor tells you that you're a perfectly healthy weight because you're missing a leg, even though you don't exercise, eat like shit, and have a 50 inch / 125 cm waist, that's when you start asking questions and find a new doctor. Most of them aren't like that.