Healthy Weight
Though this page is titled healthy weight, it is about both healthy weight and healthy shape.
What is a healthy weight?
We are all different in height, muscle mass and size of our bones. The various calculators such as BMI are a good guide, but we are all different. BMI is an easy indicator.
The generally accepted BMI categories for adults are the following
BMI less than 18.5 – is considered underweight
BMI between 18.5 and 25 - is considered normal
BMI between 25 and 30 - is considered overweight
BMI greater than 30 - is considered obese
Obviously is you are pregnant or have a lot of muscle the BMI calculation is not so accurate. But for the majority of us it is a good place to start.
There is more to a healthy shape than just weight
As an adult, shape is also important. If you carry a lot of any excess weight in the belly region, most research suggests that this increases the risk of age-related diseases such as heart disease.
It is quite common, for men in particular, to not consider themselves an unhealthy size since they have skinny arms and legs, even though they have a big belly. Whether the rest of your body is big or small, lots of belly fat is bad.
Assessing belly fat
A quick and easy way to assess belly fat is to measure round the waist. Standing normally measure the waist, just above the hip bones, at or just above the belly button, with a tape measure.
For a woman a waist measurement of more than 35 inches is considered unhealthy
For a man a waist measurement of more than 40 inches is considered unhealthy
This method does not take into account either height or body type.
A better measurement is waist to hip ratio
Measure your waist at, or just above your belly button. Measure your hips at their biggest circumference, which is usually at the groin or slightly below. Then divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement. As an example, if the waist measurement is 30 inches and the hips 37 inches then the ratio is 0.81.
The most current guidelines are
| Women | Men | |
| 0.8 and below | 0.95 and below | ideal |
| 0.81 to 0.85 | 0.96 to 1.0 | unhealthy |
| 0.86 and above | 1.1 and above | very unhealthy |
In the example above, the ratio of 0.81 is borderline ideal and unhealthy. Some small changes could lower the ratio into the healthy range.
Measuring the percentage of fat
Another measurement that can be used for guidance is measuring the percentage of body fat. The equipment to do this has got more accurate and dropped significantly in price.
| Women (% fat) | Men (% fat) | |
| Fit | 21-24% | 14-17% |
| Acceptable | 25-31% | 18-25% |
| Overweight | 32% + | 25% + |
| Obese | 42% + | 38% + |
A monitor will give consistent readings, but the readings can vary slightly between models. Other factors such as how hydrated you are, when and what you last ate, can also change the readings slightly. These monitors are a great guide, if you assume your actual fat percentage is at, or close to, the reading that you get, and don't worry about small day-to-day fluctuations.
Amazon has a range of fat monitors that take various measurements. The pages have good descriptions of the monitors, how they work and how to use them.
The simplest and cheapest (under $30) is Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor
There are also stand on combination scales/fat monitors that measure weight as well as percentage body fat such as the
Omron Body Fat Monitor with Scale
For information about how to get and maintain a healthy weight and shape see the diet and lifestyle plans pages.
