Desirable Body Weight

It is imposable to set your weigh loss goals until you know what you desirable body weight is. there a a number of tools that you can use in determining you idea body weight. Here is a useful tool you can use.

The standard height/weight tables don't consider individuals' body types. Here is the simplest way to calculate the ideal weight for your frame.

1. Encircle your wrist with your thumb and middle finger. If your hold is loose, then you have a small frame. If your finger and thumb don't meet, your frame is large. If they just touch, your frame is medium.

2. Multiply your height inches above 5 feet by 6. Add 106 to get an average ideal weight in pounds for your height.

3. This is a rough estimation of your individual ideal weight if your frame is medium.

4. Subtract 5 pounds from the average weight to get your individual ideal weight if your frame is small.

5. Add 5 pounds to the average weight to get your individual ideal weight if your frame is large.

6. Divide your real weight by your individual ideal weight.

7. If the result is below 1.00 you are underweight.

8. If the result is between 1.00 and 1.10 your weight is ideal.

9. If the result is between 1.11 and 1.20, you are marginally overweight.

10. If the result is between 1.21 and 1.30, you are overweight.

11. If the result is 1.31 and above, you are obese.

The above is better than most charts because it a least takes into account frame size. Nevertheless, it too will not be very accurate for individuals with large muscle mass. Muscle is much more dense than fat and weights five times as much as fat. A person with a lot of muscle and very little fat would score obese on the above and on the BMI. Women seldom have enough muscle mass to make that much difference, unless they do a lot of strength training such as lifting weights. On the other hand, many men with little or no excess body fat would score obese because of their muscle weight.

Measuring is a better way to judge, particularly if you have a large frame and a lot of muscles.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Knowing your waist-to-hip ratio is one way to determine if you are over-weight and your risk of heart disease and obesity-related illnesses and conditions. Experts know that it isn't just about how much body fat you have, but how that body fat is distributed throughout the body. People who carry excess weight around the waist are often at a great risk of heart disease than people who carry excess weight below the waist.

How to Calculate Your Waist-to-Hip Ratio

• Measure your waist around the narrowest point between the ribs and the hips. It helps if you look in a mirror and measure after you've exhaled.
• Measure your hips around the fullest part of your buttocks with your heels together.
• Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. For women, a healthy waist-to-hip ratio is .86 or less and, for men, a healthy ratio is .95 or less.

Example:

Mary has a waist measurement of 30 inches and a hip measurement of 39 inches. 30/39=.77, which means Mary has a healthy waist-to-hip ratio.

A good rule of thumb is that an Abdominal Girth measurement of more than 35 inches in women and 40 inches in men the maximum to be healthy.