Did anybody see this episode of Penn & Teller's Bulls@#$ show? Hubby watched part of it last night and said it was very interesting. Apparently, Brad Pitt and Michael Jordan would be considered overweight according to the BMI. And George Clooney would be considered obsese! It comes on Showtime again tomorrow night and he set it up to record for me. I will try to watch it, but I must confess....their rough language may get the best of me!

I just set up to record it - thanks for the heads up! Sounds interesting at the least.

I don't have Showtime. Shucks, that sounds like something I'd like to see. Geroge Clooney? Obese? I think not.

BMI is very much a numbers game, and half of that game you can't control. We can only alter the weight side of the equation. So, that means that many people who weigh the same or close to the same amount will have different BMI's.

Case in point: My 6'2" brother who weighs about 275 is considered obese, whereas I am morbidly obese at 5'5" and 281 pounds. I have to get all the way down to 239 to be considered just "obese." At my height, I won't hit the "overweight" range until I get below 180 -- more than 100 pounds less than I weigh right now! Even worse, a "normal" weight range for me is between 112 and 149. What the ????

On the other hand, at my current weight, I would be considered normal if only I could grow two feet taller.

Not only that, but BMI does not take into account lean body mass vs. body fat. A person who weighs 150 could be very fit or very fat (body fat % wise), but the BMI would register the same. That's why I really don't place a lot of value in BMI, but instead go by body fat measurements.