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BMI, which stands for Body Mass Index, isn't exactly a household word, but you should know why it's important.
BMI is a figure calculated from your height and weight. It has been proposed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and The World Health Organization as a method for defining obesity.
Your BMI is an important health tool because your weight alone doesn't tell the whole story. If your BMI is too high, you're at greater risk than people with a normal BMI to die prematurely from chronic health problems. Examples of chronic health problems are high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, respiratory problems, and endometrial, breast, prostrate and colon cancer, the NIH says. Conditions associated with being overweight are the second-leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Smoking is the first.
Knowing your BMI is no longer strictly for adults. To combat the rising obesity rate among children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also published BMI charts for children.
Making sense of the numbers
BMI = [Weight in pounds ÷ Height in inches ÷ Height in inches] x 703. For example: A person who weighs 210 pounds and is 6 feet tall would have a BMI = 210 pounds divided by 72 inches divided by 72 inches multiplied by 703 = 28.5.
According to the NIH, your BMI score means the following:
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Underweight: below 18.5
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Normal: 18.5 to 24.9
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Overweight: 25 to 29.9
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Obese: 30 and avove
Millions of Americans are overweight or obese, according to the NIH, which says obesity "poses a major health challenge." This serious health problem has doubled in adults since 1980 and tripled in children and teenagers, according to federal statistics from the National Health and Nutrition Survey.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says seven of every 10 overweight children ages 10 to 13 will likely have weight problems as adults. However, BMI charts for children give pediatricians a better tool to identify potential weight problems at an early age. These BMI charts are more accurate than the weight-to-stature charts that pediatricians have been using since 1977 for boys younger than 12 and girls age 10 and under, according to the CDC. BMI calculations are done differently for children than for adults.
Be a weight-loss winner
Although it is possible to be overweight and have very little fat, very few people actually fall into this category. Usually, bodybuilders and full-time athletes are like that. However, most people who are overweight also have too much body fat and therefore need to be conscious of weight loss.
Once you're overweight, permanent weight loss can be quite a challenge. According to the NIH, the most successful weight-loss strategies include calorie reduction combined with increased physical activity and behavior-modification therapy designed to improve eating and exercise habits. Here are some suggestions of what you and your family can do to lose weight and keep it off:
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Be active. According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to maintain weight, you need to be active for 60 minutes on most days. If your schedule seems too jammed for exercise, try to give up something else. But if you've been sedentary for years, doing too much too soon can lead to burnout and injuries. In any case, talk to your doctor before you begin an exercise program. You may want to begin by walking outdoors or on a treadmill for 10 minutes a day and gradually build up your time.
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Seek your doctor's advice before launching into any weight-loss program or taking any over-the-counter diet pill or supplement. Be wary of fad diets and rapid weight-loss programs - they may provide dramatic short-term results but can be hazardous to your long-term health. On any non-medically supervised weight-loss program, women should consume at least 1,200 calories a day and men at least 1,600 per day, according to health experts at Johns Hopkins University. If you consume too few calories, your body will go into starvation mode, your metabolism will slow down in order to store fat and weight loss will become even more difficult.
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Set realistic weight-loss goals, such as one to two pounds a week or eight pounds a month. Even small weight loss is important. It makes a tremendous health difference.
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Stick with it. Don't give up just because you reached a plateau or binged on potato salad at yesterday's barbecue.
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Know what you're eating. Try to keep your daily fat intake to less than 30 percent of your total daily calories. Instead of junk food, keep fruit or a bowl of washed carrots or celery front and center in your refrigerator. But remember that reducing dietary fat alone without reducing calories will not produce weight loss. Some fat-free food products actually contain more calories than their fat-containing counterparts.
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Track your eating and exercising habits by recording them in a diary.
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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