Every health class we have ever sat through, whether it was in high school or college, made us calculate our Body Mass Index. It is based off of only your height and weight, so it completely disregards strong bones and good muscle tone. So you can only imagine there are many issues with the BMI Scale that can really make someone self-conscious.

In high school, I played lacrosse year round and had other sports keeping me busy. I was in shape, but still was considered “overweight” in the eyes of the BMI Scale. Luckily, my parents knew the BMI Scale was a joke and told me I had nothing to worry about, but some people don’t know that it’s a joke, and it can lead people to turn to eating disorders and other means of unhealthy weight loss.

According to the BMI scale, a person who is 5’5” and weighs 150 pounds is overweight, as well as a person who is 6’2” and weighs 195 pounds, but what about athletes, bodybuilders, and power lifters? The ideal weight for a male bodybuilder who is 6’2” is 220 pounds, which is still considered overweight on the BMI Scale. Meanwhile, these athletes train with heavy weights day after day, have very minimal body fat, and are in better health than a person who does not work out, but is considered a normal weight.

Just because you are at a “normal weight” on the BMI Scale doesn’t mean you are healthy. This can give people a false sense of security when it comes to their overall health, and although you are “normal” on the scale, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a high percentage of body fat or other health issues.

You have probably heard someone tell you, “a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat,” but a pound of feathers weighs just as much as a pound of bricks. The difference is that a pound of muscle is about 18 percent denser than fat, and one pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat. So pound for pound, muscle and fat weigh the same, but this is why you cannot solely base your health on the number on your bathroom scale. You can be in great shape, but weigh more than if you are out of shape.

If you are concerned about your health, there are plenty of other methods. There are no right measurements for good health, but measuring your waist circumference is a pretty good way when it comes to gauging your overall health. You can also use body calipers, which takes measurements from your waist, shoulder blade, bicep, and tricep. The measurements are combined into a single number and are compared based on your sex and age.

What to take away from this: do not use the BMI scale as a basis for your overall health. Look in the mirror, choose healthy options, work out regularly, and finally, do not become discouraged by the number on your bathroom scale. Remember that if you are living a healthy lifestyle, the number on the scale no longer matters.