Body weight and height – is there a relation! If so, how much should I weigh? Body weight is often associated with increase in fat in your body, but in many cases it can also be due to increase in muscles mass on your body.
This is true especially for bodybuilders who are on a special diet to increase the muscle mass in their body. Concerns about being overweight are genuine most of the times, but there are some phases in life where weight gain is essential like in case of women when they are pregnant. How much you should weigh really depends on numerous factors. Although excessive weight is undesirable and often poses many health risks, it may not always be life threatening.
But to avoid any health risk it would be wise to keep your weight in check as that would not only make you feel more energetic and active, but also prevent many serious diseases including various cardiovascular (heart) diseases that may creep during the later years in your life.
Are there any tools that can determine my body weight? Three major tools or methods to determine if you are overweight or obese:
- Body weight compared to your height
- Your waist size
- If you have any preexisting heart related or cardiovascular ailments or are risk at for one.
Body weight and height comparison
Body Mass Index (BMI) is typically used by professionals to give you a quick indication of your body weight status. BMI is calculated as follows:
- BMI = weight in kilograms/(height in meters squared) OR
- BMI = (weight in pounds/(height in inches squared ))x 703
For example: if your weight is 160 pounds, and your height is 68 inches (5 feet and 8 inches), then your BMI will be
BMI = ((160/68*68)) * 703 = 24.32 
The following cutoff values are used to determine your health status that is whether you are underweight or above a normal desired weight.
- 18.5 or less: Low BMI (underweight)
- 18.5 to 24.9: Medium BMI (normal weight)
- 25 to 29.9: High BMI (overweight)
- 30 and above: Very-High BMI (obese)
Based on the above BMI values, your weight is considered to be "Normal". But even a slight increase can put you in the category of being overweight. You can relax and maintain your body weight if you don’t have any health ailments, but its best to get yourself checked by a professional if you have any other ailments or feel tired or fatigued most of the times.
Note that a muscular person with high BMI may not always indicate that he/she is overweight, since the excess weight may be due to muscle mass rather than fat.
Waist size is also used as an effective method to determine your health statusExcess abdominal fat can not only affect your appearance, but also put you at risk for different health ailments. Iliac crest (top of upper right hip bone) is marked first to measure the waist circumference and the measuring tape is passed at this level around the abdomen.
If your waist size is over 40 inches (men) and 35 inches (women), you may be at risk for various health ailments including cardiac problems.
What about body fat?Since excess body fat in overweight individuals is an area of concern for most of the weight related diseases, measuring the body fat directly can be useful. Body fat can be measured by various methods like measuring the fat under the skin using skin calipers, ultrasound and infrared devices, bioelectric impedance analysis and measuring the density and size of the whole body. These methods are only reliable and accurate when performed by a well trained professional and equipment.
Cardiovascular ailmentsIn order to promote optimal health it is essential to lose weight even for moderately overweight individuals to decrease their risk for cardiovascular and other weight-related diseases. Consider losing weight on a serious note if you are over 40 years of age, and have high total cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, hypertension, any coronary heart disease, sleep apnea and type-2 diabetes.
Should I try to lose weight and excess fat? Weight loss becomes essential for you if your BMI values and waist circumference is high to prevent a risk for developing a health ailment. If you have the following conditions, seek professional advice:
- If you have normal health and BMI is over 30
- If you have a risk or a history of heart disease, cholesterol problems or if you smoke and your BMI is over 25
- If your waist size is over 40 inches (men) and 35 inches (women)
How can i shed the extra pounds and reduce my fat?Losing weight is a totally separate and vast topic.
But here are some tips that may help:
- Eat a healthy balanced diet comprising of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole cereals, grains and its products, pulses, beans, sprouts, and low fat or fat free dairy products.
- Never skip your meals or go on a strict diet like fasting for days or on any fad diets for quick weight loss.
- Avoid binging and starving, eat smaller meals when you feel hungry but focus on healthy foods instead of junk.
- Cut down on fast foods, fried foods, refined foods, processed foods, bakery foods, carbonated beverages, sodas and sweets as far as possible.
- Cut down on red meat, organ meats, and shell fish, instead choose de-skinned chicken, fish and egg whites.
- Drink more water - at least 10 glasses per day spread evenly throughout the day. To avoid binging at meal times you can drink a glass of water 20 minutes before consuming a meal.
- Eat your dinner at least 2 hours before you go to bed.
- Get a brisk walk for 30-40 minutes a day (without interruption), at least 5 days a week.
These are by no means a complete set of instructions to lose weight, but can serve as good starting points. These lifestyle changes will not only help you to decrease your weight but also help to manage your stress which is often a culprit for many ailments.
So your question about "How much should I weigh" has a very long answer but this information should help you get a feel on what you need to do next to keep your weight in check and stay fit and healthy. |
