What's your Japanese BMI?

Every year, usually in the spring, Japanese employees go through a series of rigerous health checks at their workplace. I think I mentioned something about the one at my job a few weeks ago (first the chest X-rays in a van a few months back and then standing in line holding a cup full of urine the second time). Well, all of us have been getting our results back recently and there has definitely been some concern based on what those results say.

Ok, first of all...don't worry, nobody is seriously ill (and I got an "A" on my health check so I'm doing pretty well... woohoo), but one thing that has been concerning people is the matter of weight.

Japan is supposed to be this uber healthy place where you shed pounds automatically by way of just living here, but I am here to tell you folks, it just ain't so. In fact, there is a lot of fried food (and carbs) in the diet, so while some people do lose weight (I have lost some, but based on the running) many people (talking foreigners, especially) tend to actually gain weight after some time in Japan.

Most of us would agree that gaining weight in itself is not a good thing... but it's even worse when not only are you 5 kilos heavier and your jeans from home are tight... but then all of a sudden you get your health check results back to discover you are obese and didn't even know it! Yes, that's right... according to these health charts we're all getting back, it seems quite a few of us are due for a diet if we plan to live here.

So Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women, right? Common index worldwide, but I just learned something interesting about Japan...

It seems that here in Japan, a normal Japanese BMI is 18.5-22.9. Overweight Japanese BMI is 23.0-24.9.

In comparison, in the west (and on International standards): Underweight is under 18.5 (ok, so the same... but most of my coworkers fall under this one), normal weight is 18.5-24.9 (yes, normal) and overweight is considered a BMI of 25-29.9. Obesity is a BMI of 30 or greater.

So basically anything slightly overweight is the Japanese equivilent of obesity. I am all about positive body images, but considering Japan just passed laws saying that only X number of people in each office can be over a certain weight or the company will get fined (YES, despite the fact that some people have different body sizes/shapes) and you will now be penalized by the national insurance system for being overweight... they really take these things seriously. Hard to ignore... yikes!