For some, the need to lose weight is clear. Those whose body weight places them into the obese or morbidly obese categories are well aware that they are carrying too many pounds. But what about the borderline overweight? Is that ten pounds over the ideal weight raising your risk of health complications? Are you just 'big-boned'? How do you decide if you really need to lose weight - and how much you need to lose?
Doctors have a number of different ways to measure the need to lose weight. Long gone are the years when they relied on an insurance company chart of 'ideal weights'. The most commonly used measure is the Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI measures your weight relative to your height. It is generally an accurate representation of muscle-to-fat ratio, though there are some limitations.
1. It may overestimate the BMI of an athletic person, because muscle is denser and weighs more than fat.
2. It may underestimate the BMI of an older person, or others who have low muscle mass.
There are many BMI calculators available online that will allow you to check your own BMI. The table for determining risk factors associated with obesity is:
Below 18.5 - Underweight
18.5 - 24.9 - Normal
25.0 - 29.9 - Overweight
30.0 and up - Obese
If your BMI is above 25.0, your doctor or other medical professional can advise you on the best weight loss plan for you. You should know that there are great benefits to losing even a moderate amount of weight. Some of those include:
* Lowering your risk of diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, a weight loss of as little as 10 pounds can decrease the chances of pre-diabetes developing into diabetes by 58%.
* Lower your risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association states that coronary problems are directly correlated to weight. By losing weight to bring your BMI to within normal ranges, you significantly lower your risk of developing heart problems.
* Reduce your risk of arthritis and pain from arthritis. A number of forms of arthritis are related to weight. Losing weight substantially decreases the strain that additional weight places you your knees, hips, back and ankles.
Are you motivated to get started? Here are three ways that you can start losing weight today:
Get active.
If you do nothing different in your life but exercise for one half hour daily, you will lose 5-7% of your body weight per year.
Cut out white breads and sugars.
Substitute whole grains for refined flours and sugars, and you'll automatically reduce the number of calories that you consume daily.
Eat more fresh vegetables.
Fresh vegetables, especially raw, are a significant source of many of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs daily. They're high in nutrition, while low in calories. By increasing the amount of fresh vegetables that you eat and reducing the amount of processed, refined foods, you'll cut calories and carbohydrates significantly.
Showing posts with label BMI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BMI. Show all posts
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
What is BMI: The Truth Revealed
With all the talk about it these days, you might be wondering, “What is BMI?” There's no magic to it, no secret formula, even though sometimes the way it's talked about it sounds like some sort of mantra for weight loss and health. BMI isn't a meditation or an exercise or diet plan, it's simply the measure of your body mass. It compares your weight and height, and boils that ratio down to a number. Depending where your number is on the scale, it tells you if you're underweight for your height, overweight, or obese.
So what is BMI, in general? BMI, or body mass index, is a tool of body mass measurement that was created in the early 1800s by Adolphe Quetelet. This is why sometimes you might see BMI referred to as the Quetelet index. Adolphe Quetelet was mathematician, statistician, and an astronomer, among other things. He developed the BMI while working on social physics. The BMI is still used today with very few variations on his original invention.
What is BMI, specifically? BMI doesn't measure body fat, but instead compares a person's weight and height to estimate a healthy body weight for that person's height. It's widely used to determine if someone is technically overweight or obese. Though it's the not the final tool in diagnosing obesity or overweight, because it's not without its flaws for certain body types, it's still in use in the medical community.
The formula for BMI is simple: Take your height in meters squared (your height times itself) and then divide your weight in kilograms by that number. For example, if I'm 5 feet tall, that's about 1.5 meters. 1.5 squared (1.5 times 1.5) equals 2.5. If I weigh 120 pounds, that's about 54.5 kilograms. So I need to divide 54.5 by 2.5 which gives me a result of 21.8 as my BMI. So what does that number mean? A BMI of 18.5 or below indicates that an individual is underweight. The normal weight range is from 18.5 to 24.9. Overweight people will calculate a BMI of 25 to 29.9. A BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity. Someone five feet tall weighing 120 pounds falls into the normal weight range.
Where BMI fails is with extremely muscular people. It doesn't distinguish between muscle and fat, instead using total weight as the measure. So according to the BMI, bodybuilders are likely to measure as obese which is inaccurate. Most athletes like wrestlers, footballs players and any athletes with a large amount of lean muscle are going to measure as overweight or obese. But for most people, BMI is a fairly accurate measure of their level of underweight or overweight.
Now that you know the formula, you know that BMI is as simple as a single math problem, and a single number. Next time you're faced with the question, “What is BMI?” you'll know there's no magic to it, it's simply a measure of a person's body weight compared to his or her height.
So what is BMI, in general? BMI, or body mass index, is a tool of body mass measurement that was created in the early 1800s by Adolphe Quetelet. This is why sometimes you might see BMI referred to as the Quetelet index. Adolphe Quetelet was mathematician, statistician, and an astronomer, among other things. He developed the BMI while working on social physics. The BMI is still used today with very few variations on his original invention.
What is BMI, specifically? BMI doesn't measure body fat, but instead compares a person's weight and height to estimate a healthy body weight for that person's height. It's widely used to determine if someone is technically overweight or obese. Though it's the not the final tool in diagnosing obesity or overweight, because it's not without its flaws for certain body types, it's still in use in the medical community.
The formula for BMI is simple: Take your height in meters squared (your height times itself) and then divide your weight in kilograms by that number. For example, if I'm 5 feet tall, that's about 1.5 meters. 1.5 squared (1.5 times 1.5) equals 2.5. If I weigh 120 pounds, that's about 54.5 kilograms. So I need to divide 54.5 by 2.5 which gives me a result of 21.8 as my BMI. So what does that number mean? A BMI of 18.5 or below indicates that an individual is underweight. The normal weight range is from 18.5 to 24.9. Overweight people will calculate a BMI of 25 to 29.9. A BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity. Someone five feet tall weighing 120 pounds falls into the normal weight range.
Where BMI fails is with extremely muscular people. It doesn't distinguish between muscle and fat, instead using total weight as the measure. So according to the BMI, bodybuilders are likely to measure as obese which is inaccurate. Most athletes like wrestlers, footballs players and any athletes with a large amount of lean muscle are going to measure as overweight or obese. But for most people, BMI is a fairly accurate measure of their level of underweight or overweight.
Now that you know the formula, you know that BMI is as simple as a single math problem, and a single number. Next time you're faced with the question, “What is BMI?” you'll know there's no magic to it, it's simply a measure of a person's body weight compared to his or her height.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Truth About Mothers and their Daughters' Resemblance on BMI Charts
Is it true that mothers and their daughters' resemblance on BMI is a sure thing? It's easy to assume that a daughter might take after her mother's eating habits and have a similar BMI as her mother, for many reasons. But they might not be the reasons you'd think. But first, let's make it clear what BMI is.
BMI or body mass index is nothing more than the measure of a person's weight in relation to her height. A person's weight in kilograms is divided by a person's height in meters, squared (which is simply a person's height times itself—if I'm 1.5 meters tall, I would take 1.5 times 1.5). The resulting number is her BMI. A normal BMI is anything from 18.5 to 24.5, and 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, with anything above that considered obese. A BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight. BMI is a good general measurement for most people, although very muscular people usually measure as overweight or obese because BMI doesn't distinguish between muscle weight and fat weight.
So, back to mothers and their daughters' resemblance on BMI, does it guarantee that a daughter will be overweight if her mother has a high BMI? Will a normal weight mother raise a normal weight daughter? Will the daughter be underweight if the mother is too skinny? While nothing is certain 100% of the time, there are some factors that push those answers more toward a yes than a no.
Genetics do play a part in a person's tendency toward staying thin or gaining weight. Hereditary factors like body type are impossible to change. Tendency toward a slow metabolism can be boosted by exercise, good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, but genetics will help determine how easy or difficult keeping a high metabolism may be for a daughter.
The environment is a huge factor. When a mother is overweight, for example, and she generally cooks for the family, the family eat what she eats to a large degree. So it's easy to see why mothers and their daughters' resemblance on BMI is often very similar. Living with a person, especially someone with the influence a mother has on a daughter, also tends to shape a person's attitudes. So if the mother is very active, eats healthy and stays physically fit, it's more likely than a child, especially a daughter, will do the same. Conversely, a mother who is overweight, rarely gets exercise and doesn't seem overly concerned with weight loss or health is likely to bring up her daughter with the same outlook. In both cases, it's no surprise that their BMIs might be similar.
So not only do the attitudes about food and fitness filter down from mothers to daughters, the type of food eaten, and even the amount of food eaten, can filter down, too. Mothers and their daughters' resemblance on BMI charts is no coincidence, and only shows the need for families to be aware of their health and fitness even when children are small.
BMI or body mass index is nothing more than the measure of a person's weight in relation to her height. A person's weight in kilograms is divided by a person's height in meters, squared (which is simply a person's height times itself—if I'm 1.5 meters tall, I would take 1.5 times 1.5). The resulting number is her BMI. A normal BMI is anything from 18.5 to 24.5, and 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, with anything above that considered obese. A BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight. BMI is a good general measurement for most people, although very muscular people usually measure as overweight or obese because BMI doesn't distinguish between muscle weight and fat weight.
So, back to mothers and their daughters' resemblance on BMI, does it guarantee that a daughter will be overweight if her mother has a high BMI? Will a normal weight mother raise a normal weight daughter? Will the daughter be underweight if the mother is too skinny? While nothing is certain 100% of the time, there are some factors that push those answers more toward a yes than a no.
Genetics do play a part in a person's tendency toward staying thin or gaining weight. Hereditary factors like body type are impossible to change. Tendency toward a slow metabolism can be boosted by exercise, good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, but genetics will help determine how easy or difficult keeping a high metabolism may be for a daughter.
The environment is a huge factor. When a mother is overweight, for example, and she generally cooks for the family, the family eat what she eats to a large degree. So it's easy to see why mothers and their daughters' resemblance on BMI is often very similar. Living with a person, especially someone with the influence a mother has on a daughter, also tends to shape a person's attitudes. So if the mother is very active, eats healthy and stays physically fit, it's more likely than a child, especially a daughter, will do the same. Conversely, a mother who is overweight, rarely gets exercise and doesn't seem overly concerned with weight loss or health is likely to bring up her daughter with the same outlook. In both cases, it's no surprise that their BMIs might be similar.
So not only do the attitudes about food and fitness filter down from mothers to daughters, the type of food eaten, and even the amount of food eaten, can filter down, too. Mothers and their daughters' resemblance on BMI charts is no coincidence, and only shows the need for families to be aware of their health and fitness even when children are small.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Calculating BMI, Made Easy
Before we start calculating BMI, let's discuss what BMI is, and what it isn't. BMI, or the body mass index, is a tool that's used to determine whether or not a person is at a normal weight for his or her height. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by mathematician and scientist Adolphe Quetelet. Though it's been almost 200 years since he created the BMI, it's used today almost exactly as he outlined.
While BMI isn't the final word in whether or not someone is at a normal weight, it's one of the first tools often used to determine if someone's overweight. Because the BMI doesn't distinguish between weight from fat and weight from muscle (other tools must be used to determine the actual amount of fat) it doesn't work well for very muscular people like athletes. But for most of us, BMI is a pretty accurate measure of whether we're underweight, a normal weight, overweight or obese.
Calculating BMI isn't difficult once you understand the formula. The basic formula is weight divided by height squared, or kg/m2. You simply take your height in meters and square it which means you take the number of meters times itself. Then divide that number into your weight in kilograms. So a person who's five-and-a-half-feet tall stands about 1.7 meters. To get 1.7 meters squared, you simply multiply 1.7 times 1.7, which equals 2.89. Now, convert weight to kilograms.
So if someone weigh 200 pounds, that's about 91 kilograms. To determine the BMI of someone about five-and-a-half-feet tall who weights 200 pounds, or who stands 1.7 meters tall who weights 91 kilograms, we divide the weight by the height squared, or 91 divided by 2.89. That gives us the result of about 31. This individual is classified as obese. How do I know that?
A BMI of 18.5 or below indicates an underweight person. The normal weight range is from 18.5 to 24.9. Overweight people will have a BMI of 25 to 29.9. A BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity. So a person with a BMI of 31 is in the obese range, but not by much. By calculating BMI again with different weights, you can see that the person would only need to lose 5 kilograms, or about 11 pounds, to no longer be obese, but merely overweight. And a loss of 19 kilograms, or about 42 pounds, will put this person within a normal weight range. Calculating BMI to determine how much weight one should lose can be a big help for someone who's not sure.
Calculating BMI can be made even more simple if you're not sure how to convert to kilograms or meters. Simply take your weight in pounds times 4.88. Then divide that number by your height in feet, squared. So a 200 pound person who is 6 feet tall: 976 divided by 36 = 27.1. After calculating BMI, it's clear this person is within a normal and healthy weight range.
While BMI isn't the final word in whether or not someone is at a normal weight, it's one of the first tools often used to determine if someone's overweight. Because the BMI doesn't distinguish between weight from fat and weight from muscle (other tools must be used to determine the actual amount of fat) it doesn't work well for very muscular people like athletes. But for most of us, BMI is a pretty accurate measure of whether we're underweight, a normal weight, overweight or obese.
Calculating BMI isn't difficult once you understand the formula. The basic formula is weight divided by height squared, or kg/m2. You simply take your height in meters and square it which means you take the number of meters times itself. Then divide that number into your weight in kilograms. So a person who's five-and-a-half-feet tall stands about 1.7 meters. To get 1.7 meters squared, you simply multiply 1.7 times 1.7, which equals 2.89. Now, convert weight to kilograms.
So if someone weigh 200 pounds, that's about 91 kilograms. To determine the BMI of someone about five-and-a-half-feet tall who weights 200 pounds, or who stands 1.7 meters tall who weights 91 kilograms, we divide the weight by the height squared, or 91 divided by 2.89. That gives us the result of about 31. This individual is classified as obese. How do I know that?
A BMI of 18.5 or below indicates an underweight person. The normal weight range is from 18.5 to 24.9. Overweight people will have a BMI of 25 to 29.9. A BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity. So a person with a BMI of 31 is in the obese range, but not by much. By calculating BMI again with different weights, you can see that the person would only need to lose 5 kilograms, or about 11 pounds, to no longer be obese, but merely overweight. And a loss of 19 kilograms, or about 42 pounds, will put this person within a normal weight range. Calculating BMI to determine how much weight one should lose can be a big help for someone who's not sure.
Calculating BMI can be made even more simple if you're not sure how to convert to kilograms or meters. Simply take your weight in pounds times 4.88. Then divide that number by your height in feet, squared. So a 200 pound person who is 6 feet tall: 976 divided by 36 = 27.1. After calculating BMI, it's clear this person is within a normal and healthy weight range.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Body Mass Index (BMI): Are You at a Healthy Weight?
The body mass index, or BMI, helps clarify an important distinction between being overweight or being obese. If you weigh too much, you're obviously overweight. But if you have a very high proportion of body fat, you're obese. Based on your body mass index, your doctor or other health professional will classify your weight as healthy, overweight, or obese.
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the BMI "describes body weight relative to height and is correlated with total body fat content in most adults". In almost all cases, this means that the BMI will accurately reflect your weight and proportion of body fat as a function of your height and weight when categorizing you as healthy, overweight or obese.
Calculating your approximate body mass index is relatively straightforward, although you'll probably need a calculator just to save time. To get your BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703. Next, divide that result by your height in inches. Then divide that result by your height in inches one more time.
As an example, let's say you weigh 180 pounds and are 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Multiply 180 by 703 to get 126,540. Next, divide this by 70 (70 inches is the same as 5' 10") to get 1807.7. Now, divide 1807.7 by 70 one more time. The result -- 25.8-- is your approximate BMI or body mass index. If you don't have a calculator handy, you can get the same result using the free interactive BMI calculator.
If the above example sounds you, you might be surprised to learn that you're ever so slightly heavier than your doctor might like. A BMI from 18.5 up to 25 is considered healthy, from 25 up to 30 is classified as overweight, and 30 or higher is obese.
Generally, says the NHLBI, the higher a person's BMI, the greater the risk for health problems. In addition to causing your BMI to skyrocket, excess body fat is a well recognized health risk. Men and women with waist lines in excess of 40 and 35 inches, respectively, are much more at risk for health problems like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Like every rule of thumb, this one also has it exception. Body builders, for example, often have a body mass index above 25 and sometimes even above 30. In this case, however, the higher BMI reflects the fact that body builders have more muscle mass without having more fat.
Finally, there's still only one sure way to lower your BMI if you're overweight or obese: Eat less and exercise more. Your body will burn more calories than you eat and your body mass index will go down over time.
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the BMI "describes body weight relative to height and is correlated with total body fat content in most adults". In almost all cases, this means that the BMI will accurately reflect your weight and proportion of body fat as a function of your height and weight when categorizing you as healthy, overweight or obese.
Calculating your approximate body mass index is relatively straightforward, although you'll probably need a calculator just to save time. To get your BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703. Next, divide that result by your height in inches. Then divide that result by your height in inches one more time.
As an example, let's say you weigh 180 pounds and are 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Multiply 180 by 703 to get 126,540. Next, divide this by 70 (70 inches is the same as 5' 10") to get 1807.7. Now, divide 1807.7 by 70 one more time. The result -- 25.8-- is your approximate BMI or body mass index. If you don't have a calculator handy, you can get the same result using the free interactive BMI calculator.
If the above example sounds you, you might be surprised to learn that you're ever so slightly heavier than your doctor might like. A BMI from 18.5 up to 25 is considered healthy, from 25 up to 30 is classified as overweight, and 30 or higher is obese.
Generally, says the NHLBI, the higher a person's BMI, the greater the risk for health problems. In addition to causing your BMI to skyrocket, excess body fat is a well recognized health risk. Men and women with waist lines in excess of 40 and 35 inches, respectively, are much more at risk for health problems like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Like every rule of thumb, this one also has it exception. Body builders, for example, often have a body mass index above 25 and sometimes even above 30. In this case, however, the higher BMI reflects the fact that body builders have more muscle mass without having more fat.
Finally, there's still only one sure way to lower your BMI if you're overweight or obese: Eat less and exercise more. Your body will burn more calories than you eat and your body mass index will go down over time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)