Surviving past 80: Obesity & the confusion generated by BMI

The CDC has come out with their latest report on obesity among Americans, and the news remains dreadful. Roughly 40.3% of adults are obese - suggesting a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30 or greater.

Despite the bad news, there are a good number of adults out there who are victims of the BMI charts - which, by the way, are little better than the height/weight charts of yesteryear. I am one of those victims. At 5'8" and 160 pounds, I find myself barely within the "normal" range - and damn close to the "overweight" grouping with a BMI of 24.3. Yet, my body fat measurements put me in the "fitness" category - even at the age of 80.

I have been in the fitness industry for 32 years and have worked with roughly 2,000 clients. My 45 12-week fitness challenges during that period taught me much. I would weigh in folks every two weeks, but more important - I would also measure body fat with calipers.

Clients with a relatively-low weight would often show a greater-than-expected body fat percentage (BF%). And many of those with a somewhat-high weight measured a lower-than-anticipated body fat percentage.

The low wt./high BF% group were obviously low on muscle, higher on fat than expected - and disappointed in the caliper measurements. Conversely, the high wt./low BF% crew carried more muscle, had generally firmer bodies - and were pleased with the caliper measurements.

Strong, muscular athletes, often designated as "overweight" or "obese" by BMI standards are victims of the system. Even visually, they weigh more than one would estimate. They are truly fit, despite the elevated weight.

The above chart is the one I use. As an example, one of my present clients who is athletic and a ski instructor, recently weighed in at 160.4 pounds, and she is 5'6" tall. That puts here at "overweight" by BMI standards. But my caliper measurements put her at 19.0 % body fat - comfortably within the "athlete" category - where she belongs.

BMI is an easy-and-handy tool for the medical profession and others, but it doesn't work. It is flawed. Time to move on from it.

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