Originally Posted by DataJunkie
Yup.
Cyclists tend to find BMI about as useful as a nail in the tire. We are just shaped oddly
It is also worthless for regular persons as well.
I went to my doctor and asked him to tell me what a good weight would be.
Cyclists are oddly shaped??? Compared to the average fattie, maybe so. Out here in sunny California, I'd guess most of the serious cyclists I see on centuries are in the 22-24 BMI range.
FWIW, BMI is a reasonable surrogate for "fatness" for most folks (i.e., if your BMI is 30, it's probably not because you're built like The Rock
). That said, body fat percentage and waist-hip ratios are probably even more useful measures. The advantage of BMI is that it's easy and quick to calculate (and, statistically meaningful for most people).
What did your doc tell you would be a good weight for you? And, what did he base his answer on? (I'd bet his answer was your weight at BMI=25).