What does it mean to be a healthy weight?

Determining whether you are a healthy weight can be tricky if you just look at the scale or in the mirror. Of course both measures are important as is how you feel. Here are some tools to determine whether you are a healthy weight – they work best when used together.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Your BMI is a calculation that takes your height and your weight into account. Although this is more accurate than simply considering your weight, it may give an inaccurate indication of body composition in populations that have more than average lean muscle mass, like athletes, because muscle is heavier than fat and this may throw the calculation off. It is also inaccurate for pregnant women. Nevertheless, BMI can give you a good indication of your weight: Try Discovery Vitality’s BMI calculator. If your BMI is below 18.5, you are considered underweight; between 18.5 and 24.9 is a healthy weight; and above 24.9 is overweight. A BMI of above 30 indicates obesity in normal populations. Combine this with your waist-to-hip ratio to get a more accurate view of your weight.

Waist-to-hip ratio

The most dangerous kind of fat is that which collects around your abdomen. Men tend to be more prone to collect abdominal fat – or belly fat – than women, but men and women have to be aware of the dangers of abdominal fat as it can signify an increased risk for various chronic diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke. Your waist-to-hip ratio will tell you if you are at risk: Use this convenient calculator from Virgin Active. Ideally, you want your waist-to-hip ratio to be below 0.8 – 0.85. The closer to 1.0 your waist-to-hip ratio is, the more abdominal fat you have.

Body fat percentage

Body fat is a great way to determine your health risks as excess body fat is linked to increased disease risk. There are two common methods to measure body fat percentage: skin fold and bioelectrical impedance. The skin fold measurement requires that you visit a doctor or biokineticist who will use callipers to measure the fat under your skin in certain areas and determine your percentage. The accuracy of skin fold analysis depends largely on the expertise of the medical professional doing the analysis. Bioelectrical impedance is a technology used in many smart scales but can be very inaccurate.

Combining your measurements will give you a clearer indication of your weight than using any one of these measures separately. For instance, athletes whose BMI is high may have a very good waist-to-hip ratio and body fat percentage. This would indicate that their overall weight is healthy.

Ask your doctor or biokineticist for help if you are concerned about your weight.