There’s lots of confusion as to the best way to determine your best, healthy weight. Should I use the BMI? Should I check my pant size?  Should I base it on my blood pressure and lab tests?  Should I measure my waist, hips, etc.?

The answer….YES.  The other answer…NO.

Told ya there was alot of confusion here!

That is because there are sooo many mixed messages when it comes to the best way to lose weight.  What to eat, how often to eat it. Which supplements to take. How much to exercise.  The weight loss industry itself is one of the leading offenders contributing to the obesity epidemic.  The weight loss industry would go broke if people lost weight
and kept it off.  Not too many industries are looking for bankruptcy and unemployment lines (remember that the next time you read about the latest, greatest magic pill or potion).

So what is a dieter to do?

Above, I said the answer was yes and no.  Yes, because those things can be useful tools in which to get and stay on track.  No, because you can’t rely on just one of those ways alone. Instead, free yourself from the scale and set goals that take other factors into consideration:

Let’s look at BMI
The Body Mass Index chart is a common way for most people (and physicians) to determine healthy weights for most people.  BUT, it isn’t accurate for a large number of people.  For example:  I am 6ft tall.  According to the BMI, I should weigh about 155.  But, at that weight, I look too thin and sickly.  I look, and feel, best heavier than that.  Yes, that seems like alot, but I have a great deal of muscle and that weight is simply right for me.  Plus, this weight is super easy for me to maintain, which is very important in keeping it off.  I don’t want to feel deprived for the rest of my life. That is a sure way of falling off track.

Another drawback is that the BMI isn’t an accurate indicator of health.  There are many people who are considered healthy on the BMI chart, but whose body fat is way too high.  Thin people can be malnourished and unhealthy too.  For those reasons, BMI isn’t enough.

Pant Size
It has been proven that the clothing industry has been ‘playing’ with sizes for a number of years now.  Known as Vanity Sizing, these manufacturers are making clothes that are bigger then the label suggests.  Basically, a size 6 now, is larger that a size 6 used to be.  It really is a marketing ploy to play toward the larger society we have become and to ‘help’ us feel not so bad about it.  Heck, have you ever bought a pair of pants you didn’t even like simply because they were a size smaller than you normally wear?  Did your hips magically shrink, was the label wrong, or was it a ploy to flatter you into a purchase?

For guys, be honest here.  Are you fooling yourself that you are healthy simply because you are wearing the same size pants as ten years ago?  If you had to wear your belt around your bellybutton instead of your hip bones, would that change?  Don’t ignore the overhang!

Lab results
Oh.My.Goodness — I’ve heard it sooo many times:  “I’m really healthy for my size.”  It truly breaks my heart for several different reasons.  The most important is that being significantly overweight is NOT healthy.  Those lab tests simply mean that person is not clinically ’sick’…yet!  They are ‘non-sick‘ and I’ve even written about that state before.

Measurements
An increased amount of abdominal fat increases your risk for Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancers. For men, it also increases their risk of erectile dysfunction and even shortens the length of their penis (yep…for every 30 pounds a man is overweight, he loses an inch in penis length).

To measure the circumference of your waist, place a tape measure around your belly button. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around and does not push in or indent the skin. Relax, exhale, and measure.

Your risk for many health ailments I’ve listed increases if your waist circumference is:

• Over 35 inches for women. (Less than 31.5 inches is ideal.)
• Over 40 inches for men. (Less than 37 inches is ideal.)

Another measurement you can add to get a good idea of your level of health is your Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR).  Here, you measure your waist (explained above).  Next, measure your hips, from the widest part of your buttocks.  To determine the ratio, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement.

Male                             Female                       Health Risk Based Solely on WHR
0.95 or below          0.80 or below         Low Risk
0.96 to 1.0                0.81 to 0.85             Moderate Risk
1.0+                             0.85+                          High Risk

With Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR), body shape really doesn’t matter.  Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren had similar WHR although their weight and height were different.  WHR is considered to be a better indicator of your state of health and is an important addition in creating your goals.

Neck measurement
Most guys have a fairly decent idea of their neck size, mainly because most dress shirts for them some with neck size built in.  But when was the last time you ladies measured your neck…never?  Doing so is important because neck size is an indicator of sleep apnea, a sleeping disorder that causes people to stop breathing repeatedly during the night, a dangerous phenomenon.

Having a large neck size (17 inches or greater in men and 16 inches or greater in women) is a risk factor in having the deadly, and weight related, disease.

Other measurements
Measurements such as sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD) are available, but these two are easiest and are reliable in determining health. You can also measure your body fat.  There are scales that you step on and devices that you hold that are said to measure body fat.  However, these results are accurate as your level of hydration plays a large role in how the technology works.  You can also purchase calipers or visit a clinic or fitness center and have your body fat analyzed.  There are various ways that this can be done, some more accurate than others.  Learn more about body fat analysis prior to using those results in your goal setting design.

Lifestyle Choices
Even these four evaluations don’t truly define your true level of health.  Lifestyle practices such as your eating habits, smoking, physical exercise/activity and certain medical conditions also affect your health.  Also, your overall health status, exposure to chemicals, pollutants and secondhand smoke and even your age play a factor.  Heck, it’s important to take into consideration things like the number of sexual partners you’ve had, how frequently you wash your hands and how you manage your stress. Take into consideration everything that you do, and don’t do, when you choose to become healthier.  It isn’t just the number on the scale that is important.  It is how you live your life and the choices you make, that truly determine your whole state of health.

The day that you see losing weight and gaining health as only a number on the scale, is the day I predict you’ll continue to ride the yo-yo coaster.

Still confused?

Feel free to ask me a question in the comment section of this post. I’m happy to share with you my knowledge and support you living the life you love, with a body that doesn’t hold you back.  Don’t let the confusion of it all stop you from making better choices each and every day.  It doesn’t matter that you are perfect, it matters that you progress.  Strategically plan your life in a way that brings TRUE health, in all aspects.  That is when the weight will fall off, and stay off!

Blessings,