One of the problems faced by many is a lack of awareness of various components of weight loss. The first step in your weight loss effort is the calculation of body mass index, in short BMI.If you have BMI above 30 you need to lose weight to prevent various diseases.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for people. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but research has shown that BMI correlates to direct measures of body fat,. BMI can be considered an alternative for direct measures of body fat. Additionally, BMI is an inexpensive and easy-to-perform method of screening for weight categories that may lead to health problems.
Other methods to measure body fatness include skinfold thickness measurements (with calipers), underwater weighing, bioelectrical impedance, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and computerized tomography. However, these methods are not always readily available, and they are either expensive or need highly trained personnel.
How do you calculate your BMI:
1. Collect a few household materials to find your Body Mass Index (BMI): your bathroom scale; a yardstick; a pencil and paper and calculator.
2. Weigh yourself on your bathroom scale. (The following formula is calculated in pounds.)
3. Measure your height in inches using the yardstick.
4. Use the pencil, paper and calculator to perform the following BMI calculation.
5. Take your height in inches and square the number (i.e. multiply the number of inches by the same number of inches).
6. Divide your weight in pounds by the second figure (your height in inches squared).
7. Multiply that answer by 703. The answer is your Body Mass Index.
8. Judge your personal BMI result against the following scale:
o A BMI of less than 18 means you are under weight.
o A BMI of less than 18.5 indicates you are thin for your height.
o A BMI between 18.6 and 24.9 indicates you are at a healthy weight.
o A BMI between 25 and 29.9 suggests you are overweight for your height.
o A BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity. If you are obese, try consulting a doctor or losing weight.
How reliable is BMI as an indicator of body fatness?
The correlation between the BMI number and body fatness is fairly strong; however the correlation varies by sex, race, and age. These variations include the following examples:
* At the same BMI, women tend to have more body fat than men.
* At the same BMI, older people, on average, tend to have more body fat than younger adults.
* Highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness.
It is also important to remember that BMI is only one factor related to risk for disease. For assessing someone’s likelihood of developing overweight- or obesity-related diseases, 2 other factors are important:
* The individual’s waist circumference (because abdominal fat is a predictor of risk for obesity-related diseases).
* Other risk factors the individual has for diseases and conditions associated with obesity (for example, high blood pressure or physical inactivity).
If an athlete or other person with a lot of muscle has a BMI over 25, is that person still considered to be overweight?
According to the BMI weight status categories, anyone with a BMI over 25 would be classified as overweight and anyone with a BMI over 30 would be classified as obese.
It is important to remember, however, that BMI is not a direct measure of body fatness and that BMI is calculated from an individual’s weight which includes both muscle and fat. As a result, some individuals may have a high BMI but not have a high percentage of body fat. For example, highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness. Although some people with a BMI in the overweight range (from 25.0 to 29.9) may not have excess body fatness, most people with a BMI in the obese range (equal to or greater than 30) will have increased levels of body fatness.
Do you need to lose weight?
If you are an adult and have BMI of 30 or more you need to lose weight irrespective of your waist measurement. In addition if you have BMI between 25 and 30 high waist measurement you too need to lose weight. What is the best way to lose weight quickly?
Dietary changes and increased physical activity form the main ways to lose weight. Medications and surgery are reserved for people who are extremely obese or for those who already have complications of obesity. Both these modalities have significant side effects,
30 minutes brisk walk helps in weight reduction apart from providing other health benefits. You may lose an extra half a pound per week. Though beneficial and recommended not all can do it.
Dietary changes thus form the core therapy for you to lose weight. Having low carb,low fat or starvation diet doesn’t work or is plain bad for you. Pre package diet programmes is not only bad, its expensive too. The best way to lose weight quickly is to have a diet programme which is easy to follow for every person needing it, which doesn’t starve you and keeps you unsatisfied, which helps you to lose weight quickly, which has a flexible plan allowing you to have 1000’s of different diet combinations.
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