Obesity is a common problem in the UK and other parts of the world, which affects both adults and children. One in every four adults suffers from obesity in the UK. It is essential for you to keep a healthy weight.
A healthy weight lowers your risk of developing a number of health-related diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Doctors use different methods to check if your weight is healthy. These methods include BMI, waist circumference, and body fat percentage. But before we further, let us understand what a healthy weight is?
What is a healthy or ideal weight?
There is no ideal weight for each person because we are not the same. A perfect weight depends on many factors like age, sex, gender, and height.
Below are different ways you can determine if you have a healthy weight.
The Best Ways to Determine a Healthy Weight
Body fat percentage
Body fat assessment measures the amount of fat in your body while excluding muscle mass. You can use methods like skinfold test and body fat scale to determine your fat percentage.
However, not all measures of body fat are accurate. Methods, like skinfold measurement, have errors. Thus, the accuracy of these methods depends on the user’s abilities.
Basal metabolic rate
BMI measures your body fat based on weight and height. It gauges your risk of diseases based on your body fat: the higher your BMI, the higher your risk of getting chronic illnesses.
Resting Heart Rate
A resting heart rate is the number of times your heartbeat while at rest. Your regular heartbeats when at rest are 60 to 100 beats per minute.
A lower heart rate means you’ve better cardiovascular health. Conversely, a high heart rate might lead to obesity and other health-related conditions.
Waist Circumference
Waist circumstance is a screening tool that determines your weight based on your waist size. You only need to put a tape measure around your waist, and you will know your waist circumference.
How Much You Should Weigh By Height
The following ideal weight chart uses BMI data from the National Institute of Health to determine your weight based on height;
| Height | Weight in Pounds (lbs.) | ||
| Healthy Weight | Overweight | Obesity | |
| 4ft 10″ | 91-115 | 119-138 | 143-186 |
| 4ft 11″ | 94-119 | 124-143 | 148-193 |
| 5ft 0″ | 97-123 | 128-148 | 153-199 |
| 5ft 1″ | 100-127 | 132-153 | 158-206 |
| 5ft 2″ | 104-131 | 136-158 | 164-213 |
| 5ft 3″ | 107-135 | 141-163 | 169-220 |
| 5ft 4″ | 110-140 | 145-169 | 174-229 |
| 5ft 5″ | 114-144 | 150-174 | 180-234 |
| 5ft 6″ | 118-148 | 155-179 | 186-241 |
| 5ft 7″ | 121-153 | 159-185 | 191-249 |
| 5ft 8″ | 125-158 | 164-190 | 197-256 |
| 5ft 9″ | 128-162 | 169-196 | 203-263 |
| 5ft 10″ | 132-167 | 174-202 | 209-271 |
| 5ft 11″ | 136-172 | 179-208 | 215-279 |
| 6ft 0″ | 140-177 | 184-213 | 221-287 |
| 6ft 1″ | 144-182 | 189-219 | 227-295 |
| 6ft 2″ | 148-186 | 194-225 | 233-303 |
| 6ft 3″ | 152-192 | 200-232 | 240-311 |
| 6ft 4″ | 156-197 | 205-238 | 246-320 |
| BMI | 19-24 | 25-29 | 30-39 |
Body Mass Index
What is Body Mass Index?
BMI is a standard tool that measures your body fatness. It measures your weight to height ratio.
Determining Your Body Mass Index
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends your BMI based on this table;
| BMI | Weight |
| Less than 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5-24.9 | Healthy or Normal |
| 25.0 to 29.5 | Overweight |
| Over 30 | Obese |
However, BMI doesn’t account for other factors like muscle mass proportion and fat distribution. Thus, it is not an accurate measure of weight.
How to Tell If You Are Overweight
There are different methods you can use to determine if you are obese or overweight. Some of the common methods used are;
- Waist measurement: Helps you to determine if you are overweight based on the fat around your waist. The ideal waist measurement is 35 inches for women, while for men, it is 40 inches. Waist circumferences above these numbers show you are overweight.
- Snoring: If you snore loudly or feel tired after sleeping, you may be suffering from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a sleeping condition where your breathing repeatedly starts and stops. That is, fat around your neck obstructs your airway, thus difficult breathing.
- Achy joints: If you’ve aching hips, knees, or lasting back pain, you may be suffering from a weight problem.The more weight on your joints, the more stress to the cartilage and the more rapid breakdown. Also, being overweight increases your risk of getting joint-related diseases like arthritis.
- Frequent heartburn: Excess weight exact pressure on your abdomen, which makes stomach acid to leak. These acid leakages can cause gastrointestinal conditions.
- Chronic fatigue: If simple tasks like cleaning a room lead to fatigue, you may have a weight problem. Also, excess weight increases your risk of fatigue-related conditions like sleep apnea or type 2 diabetes.
Effective Methods Used to Determine a Healthy Weight
Waist to hip ratio
It measures the proportion of waist circumferences to hip circumference. Thus, it determines how much fat your body stores around your waist, buttocks, and hips.
WHR is a good measure of cardiovascular health problems. In both males and females, a WHR of 1 or higher increases the chance of chronic diseases.
Waist to height ratio
The waist to height ratio measures your weight by dividing your waist size by your height. It helps you predict your risk of diabetes and heart diseases.
A waist measurement of less than half your height shows low chances of getting heart diseases.
Body fat percentage
Body fat percentage is a measure of muscles to fat in your body. There are various methods of determining your body fat percentage.
They include densitometry and skinfold measurement. Also, online calculators can help you estimate your body fat percentage.
Healthy Weight for a Woman
According to the National Health Statistics Reports, the average weight of American women is 170.6 pounds.
Also, their average height is 5 feet 3 inches with a waist measurement of 38.2 inches. The average BMI for women in the US is 29.6, which shows obesity.
Below is how women can determine if they have a healthy weight.
- BMI: Calculate your weight against your height. Divide your weight in Kilograms (Kg) by height in Meters (M), then divide the results by height in meters.
- Waist circumference: An ideal waist circumference for women is 35 inches. Otherwise, any figure above 35 inches may lead to chronic diseases.
- The waist-to-hip ratio: It measures the fat distribution in your body. The ideal waist to hip ratio for women is 0.85 inches or less.
- Age: When a woman gets old, her body’s amount of fat increases while her muscle mass decreases. Therefore, women need to exercise more and eat healthy in their old age to maintain a healthy weight.
Healthy Weight for a Man
An average American man weighs up to 197.9 pounds with a waist circumference of 40.2 inches. But a man’s ideal weight will depend on age, height, or fat percentage level.
For instance, a fat percentage of 14 to 17 is a healthy range among men. According to WHO, the waist-to-hip ratio of healthy men should be 0.9.
Different Ways to Manage Your Weight.
Many factors can affect your weight, including age, genetics, lifestyle, sleep, and even work. Below are some factors that will help you manage a healthy weight.
- Choose a healthy, well-balanced diet: They are nutrient-dense, allowing you to reduce weight. Choosing lower calorie-dense foods helps you lower your calorie intake. Also, to facilitate weight loss, including healthy weight loss snacks in your diet.
- Limit your portion size: Portion size enables you to control the amount of food you eat. To control your portion, use smaller plates or a portion control guide.
- Stay active: Physical activities and exercises help you feel better, sleep better, and function better. To achieve your goal, combine physical activities with a healthy diet.
- Make water your favorite drink: Include more water in your diet plan than sweetened beverages. This bold change will see you cut more calories than you ever thought!
- Learn from your mistake: When you slip, figure out what went wrong and work on it. You’re only human, and humans are great learners.
Related: Healthy Eating: A Detailed Guide for Beginners
Bottom Line
An ideal weight is one that is perfect for you. But there is no ideal weight because of factors like age, gender, and fat percentage. You can determine your weight using BMI, waist circumference, resting heartbeat, and body fat percentage.
Nevertheless, each of these methods has limitations. Otherwise, methods like snoring, chronic fatigue, and heartburn help you address these limitations.
Thus, staying active, choosing a healthy, well-balanced diet, and limiting your portions help you maintain a healthy weight.
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