that does the work for you.
Source: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmi_tbl.pdf
FIGURE 2-1: Body Mass Index chart.
If you like numbers and want to do the calculations yourself, then use this equation:
Here’s how this equation works:
Use Debbie from the previous section. If you input her height and weight into the online BMI calculator, you come up with a BMI of 26.6, a number greater than 25, so Debbie is overweight. How much weight would Debbie have to lose to get to a BMI of 25? For her height she’d need to weigh a little less than 150 to get to a BMI of 25, so in this case she would set a long-term weight loss goal of 11 pounds. I suggest you use this method for an accurate calculation when you’re setting your initial weight-loss goals.
However, the BMI calculation does have its limitations, which include the following:
It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build.
It can underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle.
Gauging your inches to link your weight and health
You can use a tape measure to measure the circumference of different sites of your body as another monitor of change. When using this tool, make sure the measuring tape is around your waist because when it comes to your weight affecting your health, it may not be how much fat you have but where the fat is stored.
Most people store body fat in one of two distinct patterns:
Apple shape: Having an apple shape (extra weight carried around the stomach, often referred to as extra belly fat) is associated with a greater risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Pear shape: Having a pear shape means you carry most of your extra weight in your hips, upper thighs, and buttocks. Pear-shaped people are significantly healthier than those people with apple-shaped bodies. Fat deposited on the hips is less likely to travel around the body, reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
A waist circumference measurement is a simple screening technique to determine what your shape is. If you fall into this increased health risk category (unhealthy BMI and an apple shape), then following an intermittent fasting plan is a wonderful way to help you lose that stubborn belly fat.
Women 18 and older: Waist of 35 inches or more
Men 18 and older: Waist of 40 inches or more
1 Relax and stand.With a tape measure, start at the top of your hip bone and then bring the tape measure all the way around your body, raising the tape until it’s at a level slightly above your belly button.
2 Make sure the tape isn’t too tight and that it’s straight, even on your back. Don’t hold your breath while measuring because doing so can affect the results.
3 Check the number on the tape measure right after you exhale.When you place the tape over the skin, do so just to make contact but don’t compress the skin in any way.
4 Take all measurements twice and average them.Taking the measurements twice, consecutively, and then averaging the results ensures greater accuracy.
5 Record to the nearest half-inch.
You can repeat this measurement every few months and record the number in your journal. Tracking all your numbers in your journal, over time, gives you a motivation-boosting visual and a reward for all your hard work.
Determining what a healthy percentage of body fat is for you
Weight alone isn’t a clear indicator of your health because it doesn’t distinguish between pounds that come from body fat and those that come from muscle. Excess body fat is the culprit when promoting disease, so knowing what your percentage of body fat is important. The most reliable method of figuring out how much fat is in your body is to use measurements of body composition.
You can refer to professionals to measure your body fat or you can do it yourself. The following two sections examine these options in greater detail.
Seeking pros to measure your body composition
You can get reasonably accurate results from fitness centers or universities where specially trained fitness professionals use valid tools ranging from simple measurements to expensive tests to measure your body fat. Some of these techniques include skin fold calipers, underwater weighing tanks, air displacement plethysmography (Bod Pods), and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) equipment.
Some people think that the lower the amount of fat in the body, the better. However, that’s not true, because the body needs a minimum percentage of fat, called essential fat that is lower in men (3 percent) and greater for women (12 to 15 percent) for good health. (Only elite athletes ever come close to these extremely low body fat numbers.)
Doing it yourself
You can also estimate your percent body fat yourself using a tape measure.
