In high school I started out thin, then by the time I was a junior I was heavy.
College came, I dropped weight, then gained it again (too many bowls of Fruit Loops and $1.00 hamburger nights at McDonald's).
I got married heavy, then just got heavier.
I dropped weight, then got pregnant and gained weight, then lost it again.
Times that by three.
Up, down, up, down.
Whew! I have clothes size 4 all the way up to 16 in my closet. No wonder I have taken over half of the Doc's side of the closet.
How much SHOULD we weight? This is a tricky question and has many variables. There is one way to indicate one aspect of our health and that is called our BMI or Body Mass Index. BMI is used to estimate one's healthy weight in comparison to their height. There is a number assigned to where one falls in that range.
There are some benefits in knowing your BMI:
I use the BMI chart with my clients simply to give them a healthy weight range. Sometimes we want to lose weight, but we just don't know how much? 20 pounds? 30 pounds? What is healthy? I know I'm no longer a skinny-mini 14-year-old with a fresh perm and rolled up jean shorts weighing 115 lbs. I can't believe it but I'm turning 35 next week. I am now my mother as I remember her from my childhood. What is an acceptable weight range for weight with this grown up woman's body I now inhabit? That's where the BMI chart comes into play and can be somewhat helpful.
The drawbacks of BMI:
There are a lot of people who hate this BMI chart. They scream:
What about muscle mass?
Large/small bone structure?
Activity level?
Touche.
Yes, I agree, there are a lot of holes when you just dictate someone's weight based on their weight.
I absolutely acknowledge that we all have different bodies, shapes and sizes so this is definitely not the gospel written on the the stone tablets. Just yet another tool in our endeavors to be healthy.
So, with all its weaknesses, here is the BMI chart. Use it. Discover if you are underweight, healthy, overweight, obese, or extremely obese. If losing, maintaining, or gaining is one of your fitness goals, perhaps this will help you. I hope so :)
Your BMI # will be in one of the boxes.
BMI # of:
18 - 24 is healthy
25 - 29 is overweight
30 - 39 is obese
40 and above morbidly obese
Does this make sense?
10 comments:
what does the number in the colored boxes represent? is it % body fat?
you are beyond inspiring. I don't have a word for you yet, but I'm hooked. I know all this stuff, but you just make it sound so much better. Thank you for sharing your talent. You are more than appreciated and respected from this health and fitness addict!
The numbers in the colored boxes is NOT body fat (that is for another post!). This is your BMI number. Yet another number to keep track of -- if you want :)
Oh that stupid chart makes me so mad.... I'm always "overweight" by 10 lbs and yet I'm healthier than most of my skinny friends. I just ran 6 miles this afternoon. Didn't walk a step... am in terrific shape and still 10 lbs overweight! Now I gotta hit the computer! Hahaha
Remember, skinny doesn't always equate to healthy! I knew this chart would cause problems. Running six miles is doing you a world of good. That says a lot more than this number does.
I like the chart because there's a range here. Not just a magic number.
sweet im "healthy!"
One thing to remember is this chart was developed by insurance companies amd should be taken with a grain of salt- I am five feet, five inches and 123 pds, and according to my BMI on this chart, I am underweight- That is not so!
You are right, the insurance companies do use the BMI chart for its purposes as do many in the medical field because of the convenience factor and simplicity. It was developed by a Belgian statistician and mathematician named Adolphe Quatelet back in the 1800's. It definitely has its deficiencies -- however I feel like it does give us an idea of a good range of where we can be. I feel the same way about the scale, body fat %, etc. All are just numbers and not something to stop our lives over, but to use as a resource to help get ourselves healthier.
So I know I am wayyyyy late on this one but I just read this article on livestrong.com
http://www.livestrong.com/article/93638-whtr-the-new-determinant-health-risk/
and I think it helps us in this BMI debate. Its another great tool to gauge our health, and could be considered better than others.
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