How Much Should I Weigh? | Prescription Fitness

With the holiday season fast approaching, we are not only thinking about the shopping, decorating, christmas cards, but also the delicious meals and decanted desserts we will be preparing and consuming. For instance, Thanksgiving is one of the highest caloric meals consumed by society, a whopping estimated 3,000 calories). So it is only human that we all worry about holiday weight gain. Who can resist all those seasonal goodies?

Here is some good news though, the whole concept of holiday weight gain is considered a myth. In a study of 195 adults published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers wrote that “it is commonly asserted that the average American gains five pounds or more over the holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, yet few data support this statement.” Those same researchers concluded that the real number is more like one pound — max. A 2013 study out of Texas Tech University yielded similar results.

Now the question, what is a healthy weight?

Our actual weight is made up of a combination of muscle, bones, organs, fat and fluids. Most average individuals want lose not only weight but also body fat.

The amount of fat is the critical measurement. A good indicator of how much fat you carry is the body mass index (BMI). Although it is not a perfect measure, it gives a fairly accurate assessment of how much of your body is composed of fat but not perfect.

For example:

A 45  year old female 5’6″ 173 pounds is considered overweight. Her actual body fat percentage is 32% (measured with the hand held bioelectrical impedance machine). At 32% she is also considered High. So in this case the BMI would read correct.

A 38 your old male 6’0″ 206 pounds is considered overweight. His actual body fat percentage is 18% (measured with the hand held bioelectrical impedance machine). At 18% his is considered in the good. So in this case the BMI would be incorrect.

Your BMI is a measure of your weight in relation to your height. Health authorities worldwide mostly agree that:

People with a BMI of less than 18.5 are underweight.

A BMI of between 18.5 and 25 is ideal.

Somebody with a BMI between 25 and 30 is classed as overweight.

A person with a BMI over 30 is obese.

You can find out what your body mass index is by look at your height and weight in the chart below.

Why wait to work off the excess calories.

Get a head start to avoid holiday weight gain.

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