Tag: body mass index
Putting Body Mass Index (BMI) in terms that are easy to understand…
In order to put Body Mass Index (BMI) into terms that are easier to understand, I’m going to use my BMI numbers. I’m 5′ 10″ and I weigh 230 pounds. That means I have a BMI of 33. According to my BMI score, I am obese. I need to drop my BMI to under 30 to go from being obese to being overweight and under 25 to be in the range that would be considered to be in the healthy range. For me to get my head wrapped around this, I need to think in terms of weight, which is something that I can more easily relate to. Using the BMI calculator, I determined that for my height, each BMI point equates to 7 pounds. That means I need to lose around 21 pounds to go from being obese to overweight and another 35 pounds to get to the top of my healthy weight range. So I need to lose a total of 56 pounds to be at the top of my healthy weight range based on BMI, which would put me at 174 pounds. Wow! I can’t remember the last time I hit the scales at 174 pounds. BMI is nebulous. Thinking in terms of weight rather than BMI helps me put things in perspective. Thinking about my actual weight measured against a healthy target weight is something I can relate to. I had a heart attack in September of 2013. In retrospect, I should have started thinking about making changes at that time. One thing I’m learning in my coach training is that change is hard and people tend to remain entrenched in their own comfort zone. The good news is that it’s never too late to start working on health. You can’t change your wellness history, but you can make positive changes that contribute to your wellness story going forward.
- What changes would you like to make for the New Year? - January 2, 2015
- Welcome to GarlandSmith’s Coaching Blog - January 1, 2015
- Believe… - December 29, 2014
What do the terms overweight and obese really mean?
This may sound like a silly question. However, if you do a Google search for overweight, you’ll see that there are a lot of pages that define the terms “overweight” and “obese” in terms of Body Mass Index (BMI). In simple terms, BMI is a weight-to-height ratio. For adults, if your BMI is between 25 or more, you’re considered to be overweight. And you’re considered to be obese if your BMI is 30 or more.
The problem with defining your ideal weight in terms of BMI is that it takes the discussion out of what is tangible and easy to grasp and puts it in terms that most people can’t relate to. I believe most adults think they have a good feel for their “healthy” weight and whether they’re at an ideal weight, just a bit overweight, or are borderline obese or beyond. If you don’t know your BMI, why not take this opportunity to look it up. You can find a BMI calculator at the following link: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm
Looking up your BMI is easy. The question is: Will it be painless? If you get a shock, maybe it will serve as a wakeup call.
If you’re good with math, you can use the following formula to calculate your BMI:
- Multiply your weight in pounds by 703.
- Take your height in inches and square it (multiply it times itself).
- Divide #1 by #2.
I can’t imagine that anyone would want to perform this calculation themselves. However, this does illustrate how nebulous BMI really is.
- What changes would you like to make for the New Year? - January 2, 2015
- Welcome to GarlandSmith’s Coaching Blog - January 1, 2015
- Believe… - December 29, 2014