Everybody But Michael Jackson Must Be Fat

#1
My wife and I recently went to the Amador County Fair. They had one of those fitness booths where they estimate your Body Mass Index (BMI). They told me that I was carrying 67 pounds of fat! I almost choked, and not on a chili dog.

I am almost 6"2" and weigh about 232 pounds. I don't have love handles or man-breasts. I can easily see my belt. When I weighed 222 pounds, I was dunk-tested at 14 percent fat. I think that my ideal weight would be about 215 pounds, and that makes me about 17 pounds overweight. I am 59 and have not weighed 215 since I was 25 and working six days a week, 12 hours a day, on a farm.

I was visibly shaken at the Fair. Then I read this Internet article:

http://www.bmiscale.com/

According to official government weight tables, President Bush, probably the most physically fit President in United States history, is overweight. I believe that he jogs six days a week! According to the official charts, Karl Malone, Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and most current Hollywood heart-throb are fat. I noticed that Michael Jackson and Mick Jager were not on the obese list.

The woman at the Fair said that I should weigh 180 pounds or so. I have not been that light since I was about 18 years old. I started today on my quest to return to my Spring 1971 weight, 215 pounds. I doubt that I will get it done. Now, if I could only grow hair and get stronger.

I have a theory. Humans are not the same. Michael Jackson and Shack may be roughly the same specie, but the variation between individuals is huge. Duh. I think the fitness geeks are using a Cro Magnon chart and some of us are Neanderthals.
 

HndsmCelt

Hall of Famer
#3
BMI is a very crude tool for calculating ideal weith and does NOT take muscle mass which is more desne than fat into account. That being said Americans are as a nation very over weight and it IS killing us.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#7
HndsmCelt said:
BMI is a very crude tool for calculating ideal weith and does NOT take muscle mass which is more desne than fat into account. That being said Americans are as a nation very over weight and it IS killing us.
Not only does it not take into account muscle mass, but it doesn't even take into account build. Manute Bol at 7'7" tall is judged at the same scale as Shaq or Andre the Giant. Just stupid in a lot of ways.

I've used this example before, but Karl Malone and Arnold Schwartzenegger from his competive bodybuilding days are both overweight accoring to the BMI. America has plenty of fat people. No need to inflate that even further with an immensely simplistic scale.
 

HndsmCelt

Hall of Famer
#8
Bricklayer said:
Not only does it not take into account muscle mass, but it doesn't even take into account build. Manute Bol at 7'7" tall is judged at the same scale as Shaq or Andre the Giant. Just stupid in a lot of ways.

I've used this example before, but Karl Malone and Arnold Schwartzenegger from his competive bodybuilding days are both overweight accoring to the BMI. America has plenty of fat people. No need to inflate that even further with an immensely simplistic scale.
Yup
 
#11
Bricklayer said:
Not only does it not take into account muscle mass, but it doesn't even take into account build. Manute Bol at 7'7" tall is judged at the same scale as Shaq or Andre the Giant. Just stupid in a lot of ways.
Few things do. At 5'11" and 155 lbs, I would technically be considered overweight on most scales. But I'm tall, relatively muscular, and I'm big for a woman -- broad shoulders, big frame -- and if I were even a couple of pounds lighter, I'd look freakishly skinny.

However, I've got a friend who is maybe an inch or two shorter than me and has such a slight frame that her 125 lbs is downright plump.
 
#12
SlimKid15 said:
Sure is. Did you catch that specail about him on discovery channel?
I missed it, unfortunately. But something tells me that I'll have plenty of opportunities to catch a re-run. One of the benefits of cable channels.
 
#13
GoGoGadget said:
I missed it, unfortunately. But something tells me that I'll have plenty of opportunities to catch a re-run. One of the benefits of cable channels.
Yeah im sure your right. Its worth watching if you do get a chance. Has some pretty interesting stuff about him.