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97 posts

March 1, 2011

Today, most weight control authorities believe that getting on the scale to determine your weight and then looking at where you fall on some arbitrary chart may be more harmful than helpful. Determining weight status in such ways may lead many to think they are overly fat when they are not, or that they are okay when, in fact, they may be at risk. A number of measures exist for calculating body content, and some provide a very precise reading or calculation of body fat. Others are less sophisticated but are based on factors that h been identified as key indicators for assessing body com

Body mass index: The New Standard
As you know, BMI is an index of the relationship of height and weight. It is one of the most accurate indicators of a person’s health risk due to excessive weight, rather than “fatness” per se.
Although many people recoil in fright when they see that they have to convert pounds to kilograms and inches to meters to calculate BMI, it really is not as difficult as it may seem. To get your kilogram weight, just divide your weight pounds (without shoes or clothing) by 2.2. To convert your height to meters squared, divide your height in inches (without shoes) by 39.4, then square this result. Sounds pretty and it actually is. Once you have these basic values, calculating your BMI involves dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared.

BMI = Weight (in lbs) : 2.2 (to determine weight in kg)
(Height [in inches] : 39.4)2 (to determine height in meters squared)

Healthy weights have been defined as those associated with BMIs of 19 to 25, the range of lowest statistical health risk. A BMI greater than 25 indicates overweight and potentially significant health risks. The desirable range for females is between 21 and 23; for males, it is between 22 and 24. A body mass index of over 30 is considered obese. Many experts believe that this number is too high, particularly for younger adults.
In addition, although maintaining a healthful weight is reasonable for those already within the weight guidelines, these standards may be almost impossible for people who consistently exceed the target weights and who have difficulty keeping off any lost weight. Constant failure may lead them to stop trying. The secret lies in establishing a healthful weight at a young age and maintaining it – a task easier said than done. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages a weight gain of no more than 10 pounds after reaching adult height and endorses small weight losses of one-half to 1 pound per week, if needed, as well as smaller weight losses of 5 to 10 percent to make a difference toward health.
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