alt="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="#fb3_img_img_f3672df8-cf23-5cca-962f-ed76d70aacb7.jpg"/> Athletes and those of a muscular build: it may overestimate body fat.
Generally speaking, though, your BMI is a reliable indicator of your total body fat.
Work out your BMI by using the BMI table (see Resources). If you need help with assessing your BMI number, please talk to your doctor, who can work it out for you.
My BMI No.:
Date:
Interpreting your result
If your BMI puts you in the overweight or obese bracket, you need to start thinking about losing weight. People who are overweight have a greater chance of developing conditions that are caused at least in part by Insulin Resistance: high blood pressure, high blood fats and cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, strokes and certain cancers. Even a small weight loss (just 10 per cent of your current weight) will help to lower your insulin and consequent risk of developing those diseases. You don’t and shouldn’t try to lose weight overnight, as crash dieting actually increases Insulin Resistance. Instead you should follow the Insulin Factor Plan as recommended in chapter 12 which will help you to lose weight steadily and permanently.
| Underweight: | less than 18.5 |
| Normal weight: | 18.5–24.9 |
| Overweight: | 25–29.9 |
| Obese: | more than 30 |
Insulin Resistance questionnaire
Now that you have calculated your BMI, you are ready to complete the Insulin Resistance questionnaire. The questionnaire is not meant to be the definitive and most accurate method of assessing Insulin Resistance, although it certainly is a good guide.
Whilst you may have already made up your mind that you have Insulin Resistance, the following questions should give you clarification. Importantly, most ‘yes’ answers – other than those in the family history section – can be addressed successfully with the Insulin Factor Plan. Even if you only have a low risk of Insulin Resistance, the questionnaire will show you which aspects of your diet and lifestyle you need to keep an eye on. It is also useful for you to return to and see what progress you have made.
The Insulin Resistance questionnaire is made up of five parts:
1 Family and Health History
2 Signs and Symptoms
3 Dietary Factors
4 Lifestyle and Exercise
5 Lab Test Results (not essential, but explanations are given so you can understand your results).
Part one – family and health history
Scoring this part of the questionnaire
This is simple. You need to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to each question, with the exception of the age question. Each ‘yes’ answer is awarded a single point. In the age question, you score more the older you are, with a maximum of 3 and a minimum of 0.
Do you have now or have you ever had in the past:
1 A family history of diabetes (type II), heart disease or stroke?
2 A family history of obesity or high cholesterol?
3 Type II diabetes (non-insulin dependent, adult-onset)?
4 High blood pressure (Hypertension)?
5 High blood sugar (Hyperglycemia)?
6 Low blood sugar (Hypoglycemia)?
7 Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)?
8 Gout or arthritis?
9 Kidney stones?
10 A BMI of 30 or over?
11 Take the birth control pill (now, or for more than a year in the past)?
12 Exercise less than one hour a week?
13 Are you of South Asian, African, Polynesian, or Mexican origin?
14 Crash dieted to lose weight quickly?
15 What is your age? (60+ = 3, 50–59 = 2, 30–49 = 1, under 30 = 0)
Score out of 17 (women) =
Score out of 16 (men) =
Part two – signs and symptoms
Scoring this part of the questionnaire
Again, ‘yes’ answers score one point, but please note that if your BMI is equal to or over 33 then you score one point four times for the weight-related questions.
Do you have now or have you ever had in the past:
1 Is your BMI 33 or more?
2 Is your BMI 30 or more?
3 Is your BMI 27 or more?
4 Is your BMI 24 or more?
5 Difficulty losing weight despite exercise and/or a calorie-controlled diet?
6 An addiction to carbohydrates/sweets?
7 Inexplicable fatigue, tiredness, lack of energy?
8 Headaches, nausea or fatigue that is alleviated by eating?
9 A feeling of always being thirsty?
10 Need to eat every 3 hours or less?
11 Irritable after 4 hours without food?
12 Sleepy or fuzzy headed particularly after carbohydrate meals?
13 Suffer from afternoon fatigue?
14 Indigestion after meals?
15 Acne?
16 Physically unfit?
17
