What's your resting heart rate?

[malkin]

I think they use BMI because the data are all available for a large population sample.

Is your insurance set up so your premium changes with your BMI?

[Anelia]

The ONLY thing that matters when paying my health insurance is the salary I get. For example if an obese 57-year-old person with two heart attacks, heavy drinker and chain smoker receives half the money a 23-year-old elite athlete receives, the unhealthy person will pay half the insurance. I know we live in a crazy country and we have to be a little nuts to survive.

[zoom-zoom]

Even though I am clinically overweight (by maybe 10#s, not a lot) my BP is generally in the 110/60 ballpark. Cholesterol is amazing--my HDL/LDL ratio is about 1:1, triglycerides <40 (I recall they were about 35, last time I was checked). I can't recall my heart rate. At the doctor it's usually 60ish. I'm sure it would be much lower if I checked first thing in the AM while still in bed.

My PCP is awesome. He has never once said anything to the effect that I should lose weight. He knows I'm very active and my non-weight #s paint a more accurate picture of my health than does the BMI. The BMI is just a screening tool, not a diagnostic one.

[Brandi]

Mine is in the low 60's to mid 50's depending. I am also considered over weight even though most is muscle. But they don't judge you on that do they? Not fair. I think a doctor should be the one to determine weather you are over weight or not and that is what the insurance company should go by. Same with my hubby they said he was 10 pounds over weight. We are both short stocky people who are like a brick house not a flabby marsh mellow!