The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[DogMa]

From a story we're running on BMI (part of a series, actually):

If the body mass index is accurate, then actor Mel Gibson, boxer Mike Tyson and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger all fall into the obese category.
Other seemingly fit folks — including San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds and Texas Rangers designated hitter Sammy Sosa — would be considered overweight by BMI standards. Even Hollywood hunks Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Will Smith are, by BMI standards, overweight.
And there lies the problem with the BMI, used to calculate body fat based on height and weight. While it’s a handy tool, it is often inaccurate because it does not take into account the role that muscle plays in the equation. Since muscle weighs more than fat, athletes could end up with a BMI higher than 25, which puts them in the overweight category. They may be more fit than fat, but their BMI will say otherwise.
The BMI became popular in the 1950s and ’60s when insurance companies used it to classify their clients’ health risks, said Phillip Ross, an exercise specialist for Carter Rehabilitation and Fitness Center at Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth
“It’s not a good indicator of how much body fat a person has compared to lean body mass,” he said. “A 5-foot-6 body builder who is extremely lean but weighs 230 pounds will fall into the overweight category under the body mass index.”
On the other hand, someone with a normal BMI may assume he’s healthy even though fat is piling up around the waist. Excessive weight around the abdomen is more dangerous than fat spread out around the body, several studies have shown.

[MerryMary]

Seems logical ... sometimes we get too focused on what the charts or scale says, don't we? Would that we were as focused on reading our bodies!