Seattle PI, October 29, 2007. In a great article Bob Condor reported today on researcher and physician Dr. David Flum of the University of Washington and his research on the Body Mass Index (BMI). Dr. Flum explains that the BMI is not an accurate determination of obesity– it is a measure of weight to height and that is does not take into account muscle mass vs. fat.

Dr. Flum says that “One of every five Americans eats at least one meal per day in the car,” Flum said. “Most of those meals come from fast-food franchises. There are fast-food meals with 1,400 calories (way more than half of a healthy amount for the day) and up to 800 of those calories come from unhealthy fats. If you can make one change in the way you eat, I would recommend not eating fast-food or treating it as the very occasional splurge.”

Dr. Flum also suggests walking 10,000 steps each day making your heart and cardiovascular system more fit. “Here’s the thing about walking,” Flum said. “Some people get discouraged because they don’t lose weight when they begin a walking program (forgetting that they are not gaining weight any more either.) Your longevity and your quality of life go up.”