Do You Need to Lose Weight?
Some of us dwell on the thought that we are too heavy, while others fail to acknowledge a weight problem at all. Weight gain can be subtle and creep up gradually, and it’s not difficult to fall into the trap of denial. Sooner or later, however, there will be a painful awakening, a shocking moment of realization and, perhaps, a steep price to pay.
There are many signs you’ve grown more than you should have. You can’t button your blazer. You get winded climbing stairs. You see a photo of yourself and wonder what happened to the “old” you. More seriously, you can’t find relief from your knee osteoarthritis. You take medications for high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. Being overweight costs you dearly physically, and it may cost you financially and emotionally as well.
An assessment of your body mass index, or BMI, will tell you whether or not you are at a healthy weight and how far off you are. BMI is a widely used measure, because it takes both height and weight into consideration (taller people should weigh more than shorter people), and it is easy to calculate
“A BMI is the first number I establish for all of my patients,” says Todd Burstain, MD, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, with a special interest in obesity.
“Looking at someone and identifying obesity can be a bit tricky, especially with tall individuals,” he says. “I’ve been surprised many times by patients who don’t appear to be excessively overweight, but when I calculate the numbers, lo and behold, they are indeed obese and, therefore, at risk for all the diseases and quality-of-life issues that result from carrying extra pounds.”
Calculating your body mass index will tell you if your weight is considered normal or how serious your weight problem is. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a free BMI calculator on their Web site.
For an adult, a normal BMI is 18 to 25; 25 to 30 is considered overweight; 30 to 40 obese; and over 40 morbidly obese.
Shawn Talbott, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Foods and Nutrition at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, instead recommends people use waist-to-hip ratio as an indicator of when weight loss is in order. “In both men and women, having a waist measurement that is equal or greater to a hip measurement indicates a high degree of intra-abdominal fat and a higher risk of diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease,” he says.
You can evaluate your weight with calculations, but, really, aren’t your self-assessments and instincts enough? Only those few on the borderline with just 5 to 20 pounds to lose need a calculator to tell them it’s time to lose weight. Most of us just know.
