this guy was diagnosed as having too high a BMI index
is that code for too many syringes in his locker
No offense slugman, but thats a pretty ignorant comment! I'm in the same boat as he is. High BMI, but I'm in good shape. When I was in college I was acused often of being on steroids. As an athlete I was even tested!!!!!! Four times my senior to be exact. At 6-2 260 at the time I was accused of it more than once. Get's on your nerves. Not all big/muscular people juice up!
There is an exception to the Body Mass Index (BMI) recommendations if you are an athelete. Of course, not all atheletes would qualify for this exemption -- long distance runners, bicycle racers, tennis players may all want to be under their BMI overweight thresholds. On the other hand, your picture shows a case in point: someone who apparently has little body fat, lots of muscle mass, and calculates to be "overweight." Probably an NFL running back would exceed this limit.
It is hard to stay under this limit. But when I am under the limit (and I just get under by about a pound and then I stop busting butt to try to reduce further) I feel very healthy, energetic, and alert. I feel less healthy, energetic, and alert when I weight 10 or 15 LBS over this threshold. I'm 48 and can stay under this limit only through self-denial at the table and exercise: it ain't easy staying under the BMI limit.
The point of the BMI is long term health. Being a little overweight -- 15 LBS -- isn't going to kill you today or next year. It may increase your risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart attack by a significant percentage over 30 years. This is the point and interest in the BMI.
If you look like the guy in the picture above, don't worry about your BMI. If you can squeeze a wad of flesh between your thumb and index finger from around your waist -- you know who you are! -- maybe you better think about reducing to your BMI "normal" weight threshold.
The body mass index works only for people of roughly average build and average height. It's especially biased against tall people of with broad builds. I am an example of this.
I am 75.5" tall, and according to the "one-size-fits-all" BMI chart, I should weight between 165 and 190 lbs to be in the optimum weight category. When I graduated from boot camp I was in the best shape of my life, was very thin and muscularly built (but not quite as pumped up as the guy in the pic), and I weighed 204lbs. If I were to follow the chart and get down to 190 I'd have had to actually lose lean muscle mass to do it, because my body fat % at 204lbs. was probably 6-8%.
I personally believe that the BMI is BS unless you are 5'4" to 5'10" and a light to medium build. If I weighed 165lbs, I'd make Ghandi look buff.
In Arkansas, kids have to have BMI's before they go to school. My daughter had one a few weeks ago and was "diagnosed" as underweight, I believe in the lower 10% of her age group. Why ? They don't care why, its a stat and had she been over BMI we would I believe had to had counceling etc
Burns my asz. The "why" of my little girl being underweight is obvious - she's very active, she doesn't get coke and candy and trash food often so her diet is great, but most importantly ? Mom is 5' 2" and 112 and Daddy sis 5'9" and 160 - not big people, below average, thin built and why would her genetics be any different ?
the huge BMI lie (body mass index)
