Are you comfortable with your weight? Probably “yes or No.” Actually, maintaining or reaching a healthy diet is essential for everyone. As a result, for people with chronic illness such as heart disease, your ability to exercise and your disease symptoms can have a considerably high impact on your weight which can otherwise affect your health condition.
One thing for sure, there is nothing like “ideal weight” in relations to a healthy weight. The tables of “ideal” weight are weight ranges from general statistics based on population statistics. Therefore, these tables shouldn’t determine a healthy weight.
Moreover, don’t get used to the fact that whenever you see a “skinny” or a “thin” person like the familiar images portrayed in the media, you think he/she has a healthy weight. That’s not true; In fact, these low weights and body shapes are unrealistic, if not unsustainable or unachievable, for many of us. Indeed, having a skinny body shape can contribute to health complications just like being too heavy.
Losing Weight is Sweet! However, Consider the Following Factors
So, what can we do to manage a healthy weight? A healthy weight is one in which a person reduces his/her risk of developing health problems, or make the existing ones more complicated, thus giving you a healthy feeling, both mentally and physically.
Moreover, in order to determine a healthy weight range, several factors have to be considered such as:
- Body composition (i.e. the amount of fat that adds up your weight)
- Age
- Activity level
- your body fat distribution (i.e. the location of the fat in your body) and
- Whether or not you have family history or any medical problems related to weight such as high blood pressure.
As a result, by considering this, your weight will be at an acceptable range and what you’ll need is to only maintain it by eating well-balanced meals regularly.
If you’re not sure about your weight, you can always use a BMI (Body Mass Index) to calculate and find out if your weight is within a healthy weight range. BMI is a body weight measurement that relates to health and based on weight and height.
How to calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index)
To calculate your BMI, the first step is to multiply your weight by 705 pounds, and then use the resulting number to divide your height in inches squared. Let’s say, for example; you are 160 pounds and 70 inches tall, your BMI is:
160 lb × 705 = 112,800, divided by (70”× 70”) = 4900,
This equals,
(112,800/4900) = 23.02
= 23.0
This person’s weight, according to the above analysis, is within a healthy range.
If your BMI calculates as;
Less than 19- this indicates that you’re underweight, but unless there are other health complications, this may not be a problem.
- 19 to 25- this indicates you at a healthy weight.
- 25 to less than 30- this indicates you as being overweight. However, if you are muscular and physically active, the excess weight may not be from body fat, but from muscles, hence no problem.
- 30 to less than 40- at this range, a person is considered to be obese with a high probability of a large amount of body fat.
- Over 40- A person with this weight range is considered to be morbidly obese and at high risk of developing severe health problems due to the high proportion of excess weight being body fat.
- If you’re overweight, consult with your doctor to refer you to a qualified and registered dietitian for help on how to attain a healthy weight range. Besides, to change weight is a personal decision.