Your Ideal Weight

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Your Ideal Weight
11
Thu, 06-08-2006 - 7:42am

I found this article on 'finding your ideal weight' and thought it went well with the current discussion on BMI;


Each month iVillage poses a different question to our Dream Team of experts. Here's what we asked this month: How do I determine the true ideal weight for my body?


Lynn Grieger, RD, CDE


The current method of determining a healthy body weight is to use the Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator. BMI is based on height and weight and is used to determine health risks from weighing too little or too much. A BMI less than 18.5 is considered underweight, 18.6 to 24.9 is a healthy weight range and greater than 25 is overweight. For a 5'5" woman, a healthy weight range is 112-150 pounds. Obviously, that's a big spread of weights to deal with. Figure out where you should fall within this range by taking into account your activity levels and eating habits. Are you generally following the healthy eating recommendations at MyPyramid.gov? Also, look at your weight history. Women who generally weigh at the top end of the healthy range might find it extremely difficult to diet down to the lower end. As long as your weight falls within this healthy BMI range, there isn't any advantage to weighing at the lower end.


Jonny Bowden, MA, CN, CNS


I can give you a general formula, but neither of us would be happy with it. Here's why: The look of your body and the performance you get from it has a lot more to do with body composition than with weight. It's perfectly possible to be "overfat" and underweight, and it's perfectly possible to be a gorgeous hunk of shining muscle and be technically "overweight" (most of the athletes you see in the Olympics are way over what that general formula would say is the "right" weight). That's because general formulas don't take into account muscle versus fat. They also don't take into account the significant leeway of individual differences. There's quite a range of weights over and under the "perfect number" at which you can be really, really healthy and really, really gorgeous.


That said, since I know you want a general number anyway, a good guide is 100 pounds for 5 feet, and 5 pounds per inch above 5 feet. So, for example, 5'5" would be 125 pounds. I still think you should do a plus-or-minus 10-15 pounds from that number, but there you have it.


Liz Neporent, MA


You may have some weight in your mind that triggers thoughts like, "Uh oh, I'm getting fat!" But assessing your plumpness is not as simple as stepping on a scale. For one thing, your weight doesn't reveal how much of your body consists of fat (as opposed to, say, muscle, bones, blood and organs). It's body fat ‑- not total body weight ‑- that plays a significant role in disease risk. A very rough way to estimate whether you have too much fat is to determine your BMI, which is a measure of your weight relative to your height ‑- a rough gauge of how "fat" you are. You determine BMI with a BMI calculator.


A more precise way to gauge your body fat is to have it tested by a professional who will most likely use a device known as calipers to pinch you in certain areas and then calculate your body fat percentage. Ideally women should strive to be 16 to 26 percent body fat, and men should aim for 12 to 20 percent.


However, neither your BMI nor your body-fat percentage tells you anything about the location of your body fat ‑- a more important indicator of disease risk than total fat. Fat in the abdominal region, clumped around your internal organs, poses a more serious threat than fat in your hips and thighs; in fact, research suggests saddlebags may even offer some protection against cardiovascular disease. If you're a woman, a waist measurement over 35 inches puts you at greater health risk, according to the National Institutes of Health. For men, the critical number is 40 inches.


Finally, you need to consider other clues that may put your health at risk, including high blood pressure, high levels of LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), low levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol), high triglycerides (fat in your bloodstream), high blood glucose levels, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking and a family history of premature heart disease.


Your weight might give you a rough sense of whether you're heading in a healthy or unhealthy direction, but it's important to consider the whole picture. If one measure is out of whack but the others are in the healthy range, you're probably okay. But if they're all on the high side, that's an indication you need to make some lifestyle changes. Your physician can help you put each measurement in perspective and assess your risk for developing obesity-related diseases.


http://diet.ivillage.com/measure/mweight/0,,96nt09sq,00.html?dst=rss|iv_today

~IslandGirl



Moderation IS Key!


_____________________________________________________

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-15-2005
Thu, 06-08-2006 - 11:46am

I gotta say, the 100lbs at 5ft and 5lbs for every inch, has GOT to be a bunch of bull crappola. I mean, come on. ANYONE at those ranges are either built "small"

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 06-08-2006 - 12:40pm
I thought that too Cher......I think if I was 115lbs I'd be signing up for help!! I think we have to be realistic about our bodies shape (ie. big boobs, broad shouldered, what-have-you) and then figure out your own ideal weight.

~IslandGirl



Moderation IS Key!


_____________________________________________________

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-29-2003
Thu, 06-08-2006 - 2:58pm

I totally agree too!

                            

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Thu, 06-08-2006 - 3:25pm

I'm much happier settling on an ideal SIZE rather than an ideal weight.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
Thu, 06-08-2006 - 4:43pm

Yeah, I agree about an ideal size (for you as an individual)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 06-08-2006 - 4:50pm
-- see that's the very reason we look at 'these' BMI charts......and wonder!!

~IslandGirl



Moderation IS Key!


_____________________________________________________

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-15-2005
Thu, 06-08-2006 - 5:09pm

I think that's why, for myself, I say my goal isn't a weight, its a size. If I get to a size 6 comfy, I'll be extra happy. I'll settle for a comfy size 8. Right now, I'm at a tight 12 :( So far, I haven't even gotten down to a tight 10. lol. How long have I been on this board, before I was 30, no? yikes. I did like it when I was a loose 12, my 10's were almost there.......lol.


So, at a comfy size 6, I don't care if I weigh 140 or have 18% body fat. Or if I weigh 125 with 25% body fat. I just wanna be there and comfy with how I look. I'm sure, I will....after being overweight for so long. Even when I lose 10lbs I'm all happy with how I look and feel. lol.


I just have to keep reminding myself NOT to get obsessed with how I look "today". Otherwise, I'll end up a size 0 at 100lbs and thinking, "jeez i'm fat". lol



ETA: Actually, when I was a 100lbs (in HS), I was a size 4/5. So, it's not like I was that tiny anyways. I just didn't weigh a thing. I remember when I was all bummed cuz I was 105 when I graduated. and the horrors at 110. lol. Damn.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2005
Thu, 06-08-2006 - 9:03pm

According to the "general guide" I am at or just below a "healthy body weight".

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 06-08-2006 - 9:46pm

I am 5' 1.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-16-2006
Fri, 06-09-2006 - 10:49am

Hmmm - I had a full physical within the last year, and while my doc didn't use that formula, using that formula is EXACTLY where she put me, and the range she gave me corresponds with the 10-15 lbs discussed in the article. And honestly, when I was that weight, (before my 2 kids) I looked great, not skinny or anorexic at all. Now is I went 15 under the height weight figure, I would look on the thin side, but certainly not skinny...skinny/anorexic would require a good 25-30 under that weight - i've been there so i know..not anorexic but i had a hard time keeping weight on in my early 20's, mainly due to very high metabolism (played 3 sports in high school etc...)

I am working to get back there now....

Pages