Your Ideal Body Weight Is Where You Are Healthiest
by Paul Rodgers
Ideal body weight is the correct amount you should weigh based on your height. For men, the ideal body weight is 106
lbs for the first 5 feet of your height, plus 6 lbs for every in inch after that. A better way to think about a person's
ideal body weight is as what is a « healthy » weight for their age and height using their body mass index.
Most experts agree that the best way to achieve ideal body weight is by achieving ideal body fat content. Reaching and
maintaining ideal body fat is an intricate process of education, energy balance and positive thinking. The ideal body fat
is not arbitrarily selected because it sounds like a nice number.
Ideal Body Fat
To find your ideal body weight, you need to know your desired body fat percentage. The range for ideal body fat is wide
and varies, depending on which text book you are referencing. If you eat healthy, train smart, and enjoy what you're
doing, your body composition will be at the ideal point for YOU, not for Hollywood or professional triathlon. People who
fall within the ideal range live the longest and have the least health problems.
Enhanced physical performance including cardiovascular function, skeletal-muscular activity, respiratory capacity,
strength and endurance are correlated with ideal body weight. Fat percentage in body comprises of various essential and
storage fat and maintaining ideal fat percentage in body keeps a person healthy and fit. For men, the ideal range is
between 12 and 16 percent body fat, Westcott says. Never measure your progress against the ideal, always measure it
against your previous actual results.
The scientific and medical consequences for maintaining ideal body weight include: Actuarial statistics from the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Tables which measure the probability that a person of a given sex, age and height will live
another year as a function of their body weight.
Regular exercise and a healthy diet combined with the nutritional foods can help diabetics to improve their quality of
life. The nutrition counselor provides information, educational materials, support, and follow-up to help the individual
make and maintain the needed dietary changes. Other times the nutrition counselor can help educate a person on the health
effects of different dietary choices. Most nutritionists recommend that your limit daily intake of fat to 30 per cent of
your total calories.
The nutrition counselor and individual work together to assess current eating patterns and identify areas where change
is needed. Individuals and nutrition counselors should not expect perfect dietary compliance'slips inevitably occur.
However, we do know that combining supplements in a "cocktail" type
formulation may be the best as the supplements such as
vitamins, minerals, herbs, nutritional factors, enzymes, and antioxidants work synergistically with each other.
Calculate Your BMI
There are a few different ways to determine if you are overweight. Underwater weighing, computerized topography and
measurement of skin folds with calipers can be the most accurate ways to measure fat. They can also be expensive and need
to be done by professionals. Other options include the body mass index and waist measurement.
One of the most popular tools available is the body mass index (BMI).
The body mass index was developed as a simple guide to assess your weight. This tool is an inexpensive, easy way to
compare your body weight to the general population. It does have its limitations though. It does not take into account
certain people, such as athletes, that have a higher than average amount of muscle. Muscle does weigh more than fat so
these people may be considered overweight according to the BMI chart. Whether this puts them at a higher risk for disease is still unclear. Anyone who is overweight is at a
higher risk of developing problems such as osteoarthritis. Our bodies are designed only to carry so much weight.
Conversely, the BMI chart may put a person with too little muscle mass in the healthy range. This can include elderly and
malnourished people who may obviously have health problems.
Visit to calculate your BMI for free. Also, you can calculate how many calories you need in a day and how many you
need to lose weight.
Conclusion
Ideal body weight has historically been determined without concern for body composition and involved the use of the
standardized height-weight tables. If you know your current body fat percentage you would be able to calculate your ideal
weight. An ideal weight loss regimen would result on loss of fat while still maintaining (or even building) more muscle.
Ideal body weight is associated with the lowest death rate in insured populations and is taken from the 1983 Metropolitan
Life Insurance Company tables.
Extra body weight has been correlated with numerous nutritional disorders, such as, high blood pressure, diabetes, and
heart related problems. Appetite suppressant medications should be used with a program of behavioral treatment and
nutritional counseling, designed to help you make long-term changes in your diet and physical activity. If you are trying
to lose weight it is very hard to go out and eat because it is almost imposible to truck the calories and nutritional
value of the meals.
