Health and Men

Body Mass Index

by Scott on August 25th, 2007

Body Mass Index is a calculation of your body mass based on your height and weight. Basically it is supposed to indicate whether you are under, over, or normal weight for your height. I have a problem with this basic calculation. Ok, I am 5′7″ and weigh about 160. The BMI says that I am within normal weight. about a year and a half ago I was a chunky 177. It said I was overweight then. My problem with this is what if I weighed  a solid 175 with a 10% body fat. This a pretty lean body fat percentage and I would be pretty stacked as far as muscle mass for that height. Would this mean I am overweight at this weight and height?

I think calculators like this are just a bare-bone basic analysis good for giving you an idea where you stand because it can not calculate body fat percentage and muscle density. Body fat percentage and muscle density play  big part in determining if you are under weight, overweight, normal, or obese. Lets say a person at my height weighs close to 200 pounds. Now if the muscle density is high and body fat percentage is low. They are obviously not obese however I don;t think this is a healthy weight for a person of my height and obviously that person has either worked hard to get fit at that weight or they are hittin’ the juice. To check your BMI and get an idea where you stand click this link (MSN BMI Calculator)

Image Source: MSN.com

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