Posted by Fleming Turner in Weight Problems
If you are asking am I overweight, but don’t know how to tell, there’s a simple answer – your Body Mass Index or BMI. It’s a fairly accurate measure of whether you’re overweight, underweight, or within a healthy range.
Essentially, BMI is a method that uses your weight and height to calculate a double digit number. If your BMI is under eighteen, you’re considered underweight. If it’s between eighteen and twenty five, you’re in the average zone, and if it’s above twenty five, then the answer to the question ‘am I overweight’ is yes.
How far over twenty five your BMI is determines the amount of trouble you have, and how worried you need to be, but it’s generally considered that a BMI of over thirty is obese.
If you are wondering ‘am I overweight’ why not look online? There are plenty of BMI calculators online, that you simply enter your height and weight into, and will give you the answer to the question, and your BMI, in seconds. They’re also anonymous, so if you’re shy or embarrassed, there’s nothing to worry about!
Once you’ve answered your question of am I overweight by using an online BMI calculator, it’s easy to take the next step, find professional medical advice on how to safely and healthily lose the weight, and get back within that average range! All it will take is a little will power, a lot of common sense, and a desire to be fit and healthy.
There are tools on the market which can be used to determine what the typical weight for height should be, however, there are important factors you should bear in mind here:
- These are averages, and the average weight for height is not exact. A few pounds either way, and you should still be within the ideal range for your height.
- Also remember that the shorter you will be, the less flexibility you’ve got in terms of weight – which is why, if you are short, and you pick up a few more pounds than the average weight for height recommended for you, you will look bigger than a taller counterpart.
- Other factors, like gender, age and body fat proportion must also be considered when using average weight for height ratios to figure out if you need to lose weight. You may fall within the range, but still need to exercise more, or eat better, to improve your health!
As you can see, average weight for height data is useful as a starting point to figure out if you need to think about losing weight. It’s not, however, the final word on the topic, and if you do find that you are outside the average range, a trip to your doctor or another health professional will reveal a lot more.
Then, once you’re armed with all the information, you can start figuring out a healthy weight, that will get you back into the zone of average weight for height that you should be.