One mistake that many of us make with regard to the whole weight loss subject is one of approaching body weight from an ‘absolute weight’ point of view. What we mean by an absolute point of view is where one looks at their weight in terms of how much they weigh in kilograms or pounds, and from that measure alone, attempts to make conclusions as to whether they are overweight, underweight or what.
The truth of the matter is that several factors go into determining what a person’s ideal weight should be, and therefore who is underweight, overweight, obese and so on. One of these factors is a person’s height – and it is with reference to a person’s height vis a vis their weight that the body mass index is calculated.
The journey towards establishing what your body mass index is starts with your standing on the weighing scale, and establishing what your weight (in kilograms, is). Next, you stand under height-measuring equipment, and establish what your height (in meters, is). Once you establish what your height in meters is, you square the figure, and divide the weight in kilograms you established earlier by the square of your height in meters, so that: body mass index = weight (in kilograms)/(height in meters)2
To be able to understand what is healthy and what is not (in terms of body mass index), what you need to do is to compare it against the established standards. If you are a man, it has been established that any BMI figure between 20.1 and 25 is healthy; and should you happen to fall within this range, you would be better off focusing on measures aimed at maintaining your healthy weight, rather than weight loss. Of course, this is from a medical, rather than from a cosmetic point of view.
In a similar manner, if you are a lady, and the figure you obtain by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters, is anything between 18.7 and 23.8, then your weight is ideal for your height, and rather than focusing on weight loss, you should shift your attention to measures aimed at maintaining the ideal weight you have.
The body mass index offers a better guide as to whether you really need to lose weight given the fact that weight tends to be relative, and even from a common sense point of view, a 6 foot person weighing 90 kilograms might not sound (and look) as outrageous as a four foot person weighing the same.
You can find tips on how to lose weight at how to lose weight easily.
categories: weight loss help,weight loss tips,body mass,healthy weight,maintain weight,weight loss
