Big T’s Catch Of The Day: Let’s ban the BMI

OK, the holidays are over. Many of us ate and drank too much and packed on some extra pounds. Millions of Americans are starting some kind of diet this week, and after a few short weeks (days?) millions will fail.

If you want to be totally discouraged about how you’re doing, calculate your BMI, or Body Mass Index. It’ll either depress you, or drive you to anorexia, because I, along with a growing number of people in and out of the medical profession, think the BMI is bogus.

You know what the BMI is. It’s that chart the smug nurse in your doctor’s office uses when you come in for a checkup. The one that uses your height and weight, and produces a number that tells you whether you’re fat or not.

According to the BMI, I’m overweight. The BMI says I should tip the scales somewhere between about 140 and 180 pounds. Are you kidding me? At 6’1″, I’d be dead at the lower end of that range.

I’ll totally cop to carrying some extra pounds, but I feel good about where I’m at for a 50-something guy. The BMI doesn’t take into account a lot of things, including fat vs. muscle, age, and body type. It also doesn’t say if you’re an otherwise healthy person with healthy habits.

Many say just measuring body fat is a much better indicator of your overall health. I’d go for that. Or how about what they’re trying in Britain? Health officials there are targeting men 35-60 years old, and asking them to do a simple test: Can you look down and see your private parts? If your belly is in the way and you can’t, then you have a problem. They call this health affliction “blockage.”

The BMI was created by a guy in Belgium in the mid 1800’s, but maybe it’s time we try something a little more accurate and better suited for our time. What do you think?