One mistake that many of us make with regard to the whole weight loss subject is one of approaching body weight from an ‘absolute weight’ point of view. What we mean by an absolute point of view is where one looks at their weight in terms of how much they weigh in kilograms or pounds, and from that measure alone, attempts to make conclusions as to whether they are overweight, underweight or what.
The truth of the matter is that there is no weight figure that can be said to be ideal or not ideal for anyone, for the simple reason that ‘healthy weight’ is relative – and dependent on a number of factors, one of which is, of course, the height of the person in question. What might be considered a healthy weight for a very tall person might therefore not be a very healthy weight figure for a relatively shorter person, hence the fallibility of the ‘absolutionist’ approach to weight, where people attempt to make judgments as to how healthy or unhealthy their weight is by just looking at the weighing scales. What the body mass index (BMI) does, then, is to introduce the height factor into the weight loss effort, in attempting to find out what – in objective terms – an ideal weight for a particular person should be.
The way to go about calculating your body mass index is by first taking your body weight measurement (in kilograms), followed by your height (in meters), then finding the square of the height figure you get (by just multiplying the figure you got by itself) and then dividing the weight figure by the square you so obtain, so that we end up with BMI=weight/height (in meters)2
To be able to understand what is healthy and what is not (in terms of body mass index), what you need to do is to compare it against the established standards. If you are a man, it has been established that any BMI figure between 20.1 and 25 is healthy; and should you happen to fall within this range, you would be better off focusing on measures aimed at maintaining your healthy weight, rather than weight loss. Of course, this is from a medical, rather than from a cosmetic point of view.
If the figure you obtain after dividing you’re your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters on the other hand is anything between 18.7 and 23.8 – and you are a woman, then weight loss is not something you might be in need of (as your weight is ideal); though you might consider maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regime to maintain the ideal weight you currently have.
The body mass index offers a better guide as to whether you really need to lose weight given the fact that weight tends to be relative, and even from a common sense point of view, a 6 foot person weighing 90 kilograms might not sound (and look) as outrageous as a four foot person weighing the same.
