You might look in the mirror each morning and wish you could drop a few pounds or at least lose a few inches from the hips but ask yourself this - do you really need to lose weight or are you just being far to self critical? A good way to judge whether you need to diet or not is to work out you Body Mass Index (BMI).
This is a simple formula used by health professions to assess whether an individual is at risk of developing obesity related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
Calculating your BMI will give you a good idea as to whether you need to lose weight but it won’t distinguish between body fat and muscle. Remember muscle weighs more than fat so therefore your BMI should only be used as a guide as to whether you need to lose weight.
First, you’ll need to measure your height in metres and then weigh yourself in kilograms.
Once you have your measurements multiply your height by itself and then divide the resulting figure into your weight the answer is your BMI.
BMI = Weight in kilograms___ (Height X Height)
BMI = Weight in kilograms___
(Height X Height)
Once you’ve worked out your BMI you can use the guidelines below to work out whether you really do need to lose weight or not –
BMI less than 18.5 – Underweight
BMI 18.5-25 – Ideal
BMI 25-30 – Overweight
BMI 30-40 – Obese – should lose weight
BMI greater than 40 – Very obese – lose weight now
If you have calculated your BMI and think you need to lose weight there are plenty of options out there for you. You can start by following a healthy eating plan or why not take a look at the Love Life Hate Diets Free Diet Plan? Alternatively if you would like to kick start your weight loss the Special K Diet could be a great place to start.
Comments are closed.
