Your weight and health can be broken down into three categories:
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Waist diameter
- Risk factors for diseases and conditions linked with obesity
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Gain a healthy weight, reap the benefits
Even though BMI can be used for both sexes, it isn’t without its limits.
- It might overestimate body fat in sportsmen and people who possess a muscular frame.
- It might underestimate body fat in the elderly and people who have lost muscle.
Use the BMI Calculator to gauge your body fat level. The BMI score can be broken down such as follows:
| BMI | |
| Underweight | Below 18.5 |
| Normal | 18.5 – 24.9 |
| Overweight | 25.0 – 29.9 |
| Obesity | 30.0 and Above |
It’s in the waist?
Checking your waist circumference helps you screen for potential health risks that may arise from being overweight and obese. Should most of your fat be contained at your waist compared to your hips, you’ll be at a significant risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This risk rises exponentially for waist sizes higher than 35 inches for women or higher than 40 inches for men. To measure your waist precisely, stand and begin measuring the area over?your hipbones. Start measuring your waist after exhaling.
A guide on whether your BMI and waist diameter could put you at risk from obesity diseases can be found here. It’s best to know beforehand as it can help prevent any untoward medical conditions.
People who are overweight or obese are at a higher risk for heart disease and other ailments. These risk factors are:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- High LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol)
- Low HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)
- High triglycerides
- High blood glucose (sugar)
- Family history of premature heart disease
- Physical inactivity
- Cigarette smoking
For people who are obese with a BMI (above or equivalent to 30) or overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) and possess two or more risk factors, it is imperative that you lose weight. It may not seem like much, but a small weight loss (in the range of 5 to 10 percent of your current weight) will work in your favor to lowering the risk of developing diseases connected with obesity.
Seek the advice of your doctor to determine whether you’re at a possible risk of developing potential obesity related issues and whether you need to lose weight. Your doctor will assess your BMI, measure your waist and other risk factors for heart disease.
The best bit? Even a marginal weight loss (that ranges between 5 to 10 percent of your current weight) will greatly lessen your chance from getting those diseases.