What Is a Healthy Weight for Me?

If you ask if there is a definitive “healthy weight”, here is the truth: there is no perfect and absolute number that must aspire to achieve.

Its healthy weight depends on several different factors, and there is no way that we can all fit into the same mold.

That said, everyone has a healthy weight, or better yet, a healthy weight range -They can fight to limit your risk of health problems related to weight. Here we show you how to estimate yours.

How to find your healthy weight

Age, height, gender, Bone densityThe muscular-sharing relationship and general health can influence how much it weighs.

While there is no cut and dried formula to calculate their healthy weight, there are four common metrics used by medical professionals:

While these measurements will not provide a magical number to aim, they can be used as a guide to determine a healthy weight range.

(However, again, this is not an exact science: it is also important to pay attention to other factors, such as your energy levels, how your clothes fits and how well you feel in general).

What is the body mass index (BMI)?

The body mass index (BMI) is an estimate of body fat based on the weight and height of a person.

Doctors can use your BMI as a detection tool to determine if you are at risk of developing health problems related to obesity such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea.

TO Calculate your BMIdivide its weight into pounds by its height into square inches and multiply the result by 703. (or simply use a BMI calculator online.

The resulting number predicts where you feel in the weight spectrum:

• Low weight = BMI <18.5
• Normal weight = BMI 18.5–24.9
• Overweight = BMI 25–29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or more

You can have an idea of ​​your recommended weight range for your height by consulting This BMI box of the National Health Institutes.

However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out that BMI is It is not a reliable method to measure body composition, which is very important, because it only measures “excess weight” and not excess fat.

Excess weight is not always bad. Someone who It carries a lot of muscleFor example, you can have a high BMI even though its body fat percentage is quite low.

That is why it is important to take into consideration other metrics, such as the circumference of the waist and the percentage of fats of children.

What is the circumference of absolute waist?

The circumference of the absolute waist is an elegant term for its waist measurement In inches. This measure must be taken more or less above the navel, says the nutrition scientist Eric Feigl-DingPHD

“People with apple -shaped bodies, or a large amount of fat around the average section have high levels of risk for health problems, especially when their Waist circumference is more than 35 inches (for women) or 40 inches (for men), ”he explains.

How can this information help you determine your healthy weight? In general, if the circumference of your waist falls below that threshold, your weight is likely to be within a healthy range.

What is hip relationship to the waist?

Like the BMI and the circumference of absolute waist, measuring its hip ratio to the waist is another quick way to estimate if it has a healthy weight.

To calculate the glass hip ratio, the waist measurement (in inches) simply divides by measurement of the hip (taken in the widest part of the buttocks, also in inches).

The resulting number can be used to predict your risk of developing Health conditions such as heart diseaseespecially in women.

For men, the proportions of the waist-reef:

• Less than 0.9 = low risk
• 0.9 to 0.99 = moderate risk
• 1 or higher = high risk

For women, proportions of:

• Less than 0.8 = low risk
• 0.8 to 0.89 = moderate risk
• 0.9 or higher = high risk

Similar to BMI, reducing its waist-cala ratio in the “low risk” range means that its weight is probable or about a healthy range.

What is the body fat percentage?

We understand it: when you try to lose weight, you want to see the number on the scale decrease.

But water retention, muscle mass and hormones can make the fluctuate scale, so concentrating on weight is not the best way to measure if your healthy lifestyle is paying off.

Track Body fat percentageHowever, you can have an idea of ​​how much fat has lost, even if the number on the scale does not move.

And the investigation suggests that the percentage of body fat, the percentage of its weight that comes from fat, can be a Best predictor of cardiovascular risk factors than the BMI.

So how are the body fat percentage measure? The most reliable methods include a dexa (X -rays) exploration, underwater weighing or bioelectric impedance.

Some of these methods can be done at home (you can buy a body fat that uses bioelectric impedance online, but for the most accurate estimate of the body fat percentage, you will want to let a professional measures (ask your doctor for a recommendation).

Find your healthy weight without creak numbers

When it comes to determining and reaching its objective weight, some of the most important variables cannot be calculated or measured.

Balance how you feel in general: Do you have enough energy to be as active as you would like throughout the day? Does your annual physical show have good health? Are you eating and sleeping well?

Pay attention to that instead of focusing solely on what you see on the scale.

“It’s always a better weight, not a perfect weight,” he says Marty DaveyMS, RD “Pointing to a better weight is much more useful, because it is possible. A 280 -pound person who loses even 10 percent of his weight remains Obesa, but has reduced health risks. That is a victory. “