improvements. Along the way, he decided he felt pretty good at 180 pounds. He says he ' d like to lose 10 more pounds but thinks they ' ll come off with a bit more exercise. I hope he gets that exercise, but he ' s right not to obsess over the last 10 pounds; he looks and feels fine, and his blood work shows the inside of him is now as healthy as the outside.
If you don ' t recall ever being a weight you were happy with, the Body Mass Index( BMI) chart on the opposite page should give you a ballpark figure to aim for. Be aware that the BMI is just a guideline: If you are very muscular, for example, your BMI will often come out too high.
You ' ll see that the BMI chart gives you numbers at the top. By checking your height and weight below and running your finger up the column to where the BMI figures are, you will find your BMI number. Based on these figures, the federal government has announced guidelines that create a new definition of a healthy weight-a BMI of up to 24.9. A BMI of 25 or above is considered overweight. If your BMI is 26 or 27, you are approximately twenty percent overweight. Individuals who fall within the BMI range of 25 to 34.9 and have a waist size of over forty inches for men and over thirty-five inches for women are considered to be at especially high health risk.
For most people, this chart is helpful as a general guideline-ranges that are considered the norm-but I can ' t emphasize this too strongly: The best weight for you is the one at which you feel comfortable and attractive and can enjoy your life. It also needs to be a weight you can maintain.
Say your best friend and you are the same height and generally the same build, but she wants to be rail thin, while you are comfortable with 10 pounds more on your frame-if it feels good to you, that ' s what counts. Remember, too, that if you are physically active and have a low BMI, you can weigh more than your sister, who thinks lifting a pencil is exercise.
This isn ' t climbing Mount Everest; you can reach your goal weight. I know that if you ' re metabolically similar to the tens of thousands of overweight patients I ' ve treated over the last forty years, you have an excellent chance of succeeding.
Body Mass Index Chart 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Height Body Weight( pounds)( inches)
58 |
91 96 100 105 110 115 119 124 129 134 138 143 148 153 158 162 167 |
59 |
94 99 104 109 114 119 124 128 133 138 143 148 153 158 163 168 173 |
60 |
97 102 107 112 118 123 128 133 138 143 148 153 158 163 168 174 179 |
61 |
100 106 111 116 122 127 132 137 143 148 153 158 164 169 174 180 185 |
62 |
104 109 115 120 126 131 136 142 147 153 158 164 169 175 180 186 191 |
63 |
107 113 118 124 130 135 141 146 152 158 163 169 175 180 186 191 197 |
64 |
110 116 122 128 134 140 145 151 157 163 169 174 180 186 192 197 204 |
65 |
114 120 126 132 138 144 150 156 162 168 174 180 186 192 198 204 210 |
66 |
118 124 130 136 142 148 155 161 167 173 179 186 192 198 204 210 216 |
67 |
121 127 134 140 146 153 159 166 172 178 185 191 196 204 211 217 223 |
68 |
125 131 138 144 151 158 164 171 177 184 190 197 203 210 216 223 230 |
69 |
128 135 142 149 155 162 169 176 182 189 196 203 209 216 223 230 236 |
70 |
132 139 146 153 160 167 174 181 188 195 202 209 216 222 229 236 243 |
103