Let me tell you about two conversations (and one rude remark) I had recently:
I was discussing an upcoming knee replacement with a neighbour. He is about 5' 5", very rotund and in his late 60's, and he said
"They won't do the surgery until my BMI is lower. They want it below 40. But the thing is, when I was 20 I used to play rugby, and I just don't think they're taking into account the muscle on my legs from back then."
I was telling a friend of mine, who is a personal trainer, about this conversation. His background is in boxing and martial arts, having been county champion about 3 years ago. He now trains athletes and is in excellent shape himself. He's over 6' tall and in his early 20s, and he said:
"I went to the GP recently about some symptoms I was having and he said that with my BMI being technically overweight, my issues were down to being too fat. I asked if he was kidding so he asked what I ate. I told him that, because of how I train, I have to eat around 6000 calories a day to maintain my muscle, and he told me I should cut it down to 2000."
Now for the rude remark. I was telling my mum about both of these conversations, when an extended family member, who is roughly half my height but weighs more than me and recently had open heart surgery, interrupted and said
"These two stupid women..."