SUMMARY: Sarcopenia is a disease characterized by a decline in skeletal muscle mass, strength, and physical performance, leading to a loss of functional capacity. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM) is one of the most used measurements to detect skeletal muscle mass loss; nevertheless, its assessment is expensive. Under this context, indirect anthropometric measurements include calf circumference (CC) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (SMI). However, these measurements may not be very sensitive in older people with different body mass index (BMI). The aim of this study was to determine the influence of BMI on indirect measurements of ASMM in overweight and obese older people. This study included 57 participants aged 60 years and over from the city of Los Angeles, Chile, divided into two groups according to nutritional status, overweight (OW; n=33; Men=8; Women=25; age, 72 ± 6 years; BMI, 27.54 ± 1.54 kg·m-2) and obesity (OB; n=24; Men=5; Women=19; age, 72. ± 6 years; BMI, 33.70 ± 6.22 kg·m-2). The results showed that 36 % of the variations observed in CC measurements are explained by BMI (p<0.05). Conversely, the variations in SMI are not explained by BMI. In conclusion, BMI in older people can affect CC results, but not SMI. These results contribute to the decision-making process regarding the use of SMI as a better method for the indirect measurement of ASMM in overweight and/or obese older individuals.