If you’re wondering if there’s a “healthy weight,” here’s the truth: There’s no perfect, ideal number you should aspire to.
Your healthy weight depends on a number of factors, and there’s no way we can all fit the same mold.
With that said, everyone has a good weight – or better yet, a healthy weight various – can work to reduce the risk of weight-related problems. Here’s how to estimate yours.
How to Find Your Healthy Weight
Age, height, gender, bone density, muscle to fat ratio, and general health can all affect how much you weigh.
Although there is no one way to calculate your healthy weight, there are four methods that health professionals use:
While these measurements won’t give you a magic number to achieve, they can be used as a guide to determine a healthy weight.
(Though, again, this isn’t an exact science – it’s also important to pay attention to other things, like your energy, how your clothes fit, and how well you feel.)
What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?
Body Mass Index (BMI) is the ratio of body fat to a person’s weight and height.
Doctors can use your BMI as a screening tool to determine if you are at risk of developing a condition diseases related to obesity such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and shortness of breath.
To Calculate your BMIdivide your weight in pounds by your height in inches, and multiply the result by 703. (Or just use BMI calculator online.)
The following number predicts where you sit on the weight spectrum:
- Underweight = BMI < 18.5
- Normal weight = BMI 18.5-24.9
- Obesity = BMI 25-29.9
- Obesity = BMI of 30 or more
You can get an idea of your ideal weight for your height by asking this BMI chart from the National Institutes of Health.
However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says BMI is not a reliable method measuring body composition, which is very important, because it only measures “overweight” and not excess fat.
Being overweight is not always a bad thing. The person who they pack a lot of musclefor example, they may have a high BMI even though their body fat is very low.
This is why it is important to consider other tests, such as waist circumference and body fat for boys.
What is Absolute Waist Circumference?
Absolute waist circumference is the best time to measure your waist in inches. This measurement should be taken an inch or so from your stomach, says the nutritionist Eric Feigl-DingPhD.
“People with apple-shaped bodies – or excess fat around the region – have a higher risk of disease, especially if they are experiencing problems. waist circumference is more than 35 inches (for women) or 40 inches (for men),” he explains.
How can these facts help you know your weight? In general, if your waist falls below that limit, it is possible that your weight is at a healthy level.
What is Hip-to-Waist Ratio?
Like BMI and absolute waist circumference, measuring your waist-to-hip ratio is another quick way to determine if you’re at a healthy weight.
To calculate your waist-to-waist ratio, simply divide your waist measurement (in inches) by your hip measurement (taken from the widest part of your butt—also in inches).
A follow-up number can be used to predict your risk of developing the disease diseases such as heart diseaseespecially in women.
For men, waist and hip measurements are:
- Below 0.9 = low risk
- 0.9 to 0.99 = low risk
- 1 or higher = high risk
For women, statistics for:
- Below 0.8 = low risk
- 0.8 to 0.89 = low risk
- 0.9 or higher = high risk
Like BMI, lowering your waist-to-hip ratio in the “low-risk” range means your weight is at — or close to — healthy.
What is Body Fat Percentage?
We get it: When you’re trying to lose weight, you want to see the number on the scale go down.
But water retention, muscle mass, and hormones can cause the scales to fluctuate – so focusing on weight isn’t the best way to determine if your healthy lifestyle is paying off.
By monitoring your body fat percentage, you can determine how much fat you’ve lost – even if the number isn’t moving.
And research shows that body fat — the percentage of your weight that comes from fat — can be a a good predictor of cardiovascular risk factors than BMI.
So how do you measure body fat? The most reliable methods are DEXA (x-ray) imaging, underwater measurement, or bioelectrical impedance.
Some of these methods can be done at home – you can buy an online body fat monitor that uses bioelectrical impedance – but to get a better idea of your body fat, you’ll need to let a professional measure it (ask yours). doctor to confirm).
Finding Your Healthy Weight Without Crunching the Numbers
When it comes to realizing and achieving your weight goal, some of the most important factors cannot be quantified or measured.
Check how you feel: Do you have enough energy to be as active as you want to be throughout the day? Does your yearly body image indicate that you are in good health? Are you eating and sleeping well?
Pay attention to that instead of just looking at what you see on the scale.
“You’re always overweight, not overweight,” she says Marty DaveyMS, RD “Aiming for a healthy weight is very helpful, because it is possible. A 280 kg person who loses even 10 percent of his body weight is still overweight, but he has reduced the health risks. That’s victory.”
