A friend wrote and asked me to say something about body mass index (BMI). Last week, I saw a report on CNN (you may have seen it trumpeted elsewhere), about using BMI to determine whether or not you are obese. This raised a ruckus, because it is a more stringent standard than the typical height-and-weight chart that has long been used to classify people as being "normal" or overweight.

Your BMI is calculated by dividing your body weight (in kilograms) by the square of your height (in meters). Confused? Have your BMI determined for you here! If you're like me, you will get (or just got) the message that you are slightly overweight, and that this can lead to heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.

Welcome to the club. Depending on which textbook I'm looking at, anywhere from 85-90 percent of our population falls into the category of mildly obese. Guess what the treatment is? Moderate calorie reduction, changes in food selection so that less fat is consumed, and regular, moderate exercise.

This information has to be placed in the proper context. BMI does not factor in the percentage of body fat a person has on their frame. The CNN report showed how many lean, muscular people could be classified as obese. Football players are always a good example.

Other factors need to be considered, too. I have gained weight since I began my current full-time job two-and-a-half years ago. I don't have the time to cycle 40 miles per day, five days a week any more. (No, I'm not kidding. I really did used to do that.) I was very concerned about that when I had my last checkup. My cholesterol was slightly higher than the previous time I had it checked. But my HDL (the "good" cholesterol that protects against heart disease) level was off the charts. Considered with the facts that I have no family history of heart disease, I'm a non-smoker, and my parents are both approaching seventy (my father's parents lived into their nineties), a heart attack is not something I need to worry about.