We used to not be in such a crisis:
Overweight:
Body Mass Index (BMI) is defined as the ratio of weight (in kg) to height (in meters) squared and is an inexact measure of body fat, though it supposedly establishes cutoff points of normal weight, overweight, and obesity.
Old definition: BMI > 28 (men), BMI > 27 (women)
People under old definition: 70.6 million
New definition: BMI > 25
People added under new definition: 30.5 million
Percent Increase: 43%
The definition was changed in 1998 by U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
http://easydiagnosis.com/secondopinions/newsletter17.html
BMI doesn’t account well for muscle. Well muscled people can weigh more for their height than normal. This will give them a higher BMI.
I do believe our military personnel have more muscle than average americans. I don’t trust the numbers used in this article.