HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT?Body Mass Index (BMI) is often referred to as the best method to determine if a person is overweight or not, but many have recently begun to point out flaws that can lead to inaccurate results for some people. BMI is a measure developed in the 1800’s that divides weight in kilograms by height to determine if a person is supposedly a healthy weight (18.5-24.99), overweight (25-29.9) or obese (30+). Unfortunately, this can create confusion for many because BMI does not take into account lean muscle mass, bone density, gender differences, and other variables. For example, a 6-foot tall Olympic sprinter weighing 211lbs would have a higher BMI (28) than a 6-foot tall couch potato weighing 203lbs (BMI of 27). Obviously, the sprinter who exercises daily is by no means "overweight" especially compared to the couch potato who lives a sedentary lifestyle.
Due to obvious limitations of BMI, experts are now suggesting that waist-to-height ratio is a better indicator of overall health. An increased waist circumference can help give an indication of visceral fat or fat around the organs like the liver and heart. In our previous example, the 6 foot tall, 211lb athlete may have a 34" waist, or less than half his height (72"/2=36"). Our 6', 203lb couch potato, however, would likely have a waistline measuring above half of his height, making him a candidate for weight loss. Dr. Margaret Ashwell, former science director of the British Nutrition Foundation, explains that "keeping your waist circumference to less than half your height can help increase life expectancy for every person in the world." http://nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx |
At Alpha Spine Center we recommend high quality foods and high quality supplements to help your body reach optimal health!
The Doctors at ASC recommend Designs for Health for most of your supplement needs.
The Doctors at ASC recommend Designs for Health for most of your supplement needs.
