A common question that doctors, dietitians, and Google have to frequently answer is: How much should I weigh according to my age, gender, body, and height?
So what should your ideal weight be? The answer is not as simple as 2+2=4.
You and your best friend might both be 5 feet 4 inches tall and 27 years old, but that does not indicate that both of you need to be of the same weight. Your ideal weight might be 57kgs and your best friend’s body might demand an ideal weight of 62kgs. The key is to understand and study your own body to decipher what weight suits you best.
Deciding Factors of Ideal Weight
So basically, weight is a very subjective concept that varies from person to person depending on various deciding factors such as:
1. Age
2. Height
3. Gender
4. Body Shape
5. Muscle-fat ratio
6. Body fat distribution
An Ideal Weight is Crucial
Though there is no one ideal weight
that can be deciphered for a person, researchers believe that each person tentatively fits into either of the pre-allotted weight ranges. 5 extra kilograms may prove harmful to one person and the same 5 kilograms may not cause any issues to a different person. However, improper maintenance of this extra weight may lead to health complications and pose a threat in the long run. So it gets important to keep track of the weight regularly and refer to diet plans, if required, to stay in the ideal weight zone.
Overweight Increases the Risk of
Excess weight can lead to common future complications such as:
1. Obesity
2. Type 2 diabetes
3. High blood pressure
4. Cardiovascular diseases etc
Find Your Ideal Weight
Listed below are a few convenient ways with which you can figure out your ideal weight all by yourself at your home:
Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is a simple calculation based on the height and weight of a person.
Formula: Weight (in kgs) divided by the square of height (in meters): kgs / m2.
Downside: BMI method considers only the height and weight of a person and leaves other determining factors that we earlier read about.
Note: BMI has its own constraints to be relied upon. For example: for athletes, the BMI may be really high which does NOT mean that they are overweight.BMI table according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
| BMI | STATUS |
|---|---|
| <18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 to 24.9 | Ideal |
| 25 to 29.9 | Overweight |
| >30 | Obesity |
Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR)
According to research, people with more body fat around the middle area are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. The higher the waist measurement in proportion to the hips, the great the risk. Thus, WHR is used to calculate if a person has a healthy weight and an overall size.
Formula: The narrowest point of your waist size (in inches) divided by the widest point of the hip (in inches).WHR Table:
| WHR | RISK | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | <0.9 | Low |
| 0.9 to 0.99 | Moderate | |
| >1 | High | |
| Women | <0.8 | Low |
| 0.8 to 0.89 | Moderate | |
| >0.9 | High |
Waist-Height Ratio (WtHR)
Compared to BMI, WtHR is a more refined and reliable method of analysis. It is observed that people whose waist size is less than half of their height, have a lower risk of life-threatening health complications.
Formula: Waist size (in inches) divided by height (in inches). If the answer is 0.5 or lesser, then it is most likely to be a healthy weight.
So how fit are you? Are you your ideal weight?