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Body Mass Index
(BMI)BMI is a
measurement of body fat based on height and weight that applies
to both men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 years. The
simple tools below will calculate your BMI (using either U.S. or metric units) and tell you your "weight status" according to standards published by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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What Does BMI Value Mean?
Under weight = 18.5 or less
Normal weight = 18.5 to 24.9
Over weight = 25 to 29.9
Obese = 30 to 39.9
Extremely Obese =
40 or more |
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Note, that this is only one of many ways to assess your weight. If you have any concerns about your weight, please discuss them with your physician, who can address your specific situation.
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When Does
Weight Change Occur?
We lose weight when the energy we
expend in daily living is greater than the energy we
get from the food we eat. When this deficit condition
(energy imbalance) exists, our body gets the extra
energy it needs by "burning" body weight - mainly
fat - and using the energy stored in the fat. The
result of this process is we lose weight as our body
burns the fat it needs to return to an energy balance,
or equilibrium. Weight gain can be explained by
applying the converse of this reasoning.
Because body weight is only lost or gained when
there is an energy imbalance, we do not experience
a weight change when the energy value of the food
we consume equals the amount of energy we expend
in day-to-day living. This point of energy balance
represents the amount of energy required to maintain
our body weight. Since the Calorie (kcal) is the measure of
energy, this balance point is often referred to as the
Weight Maintenance Calorie (kcal) level.
Weight Loss Math
People on any weight-loss diet invariably want to
know how much weight they will lose - and how fast.
Simple metabolic calculations make a rough estimate
possible.
 Physiologists have long
known that to lose one pound of body weight requires
that we eat 3500 Calories less than we burn, creating
what's called a calorie deficit. Thus, if a person's
total calorie deficit over time is known, their weight
loss over time can be calculated. For example, assume
a man expends about 2500 Calories in day-to-day living.
(In other words, if this man eats about 2500 Calories
per day he will neither gain nor lose weight.) If he
goes on a 1500 Calorie per day reducing diet, his
daily deficit would be 2500 - 1500 = 1000 Calories.
In one week his deficit would be 1000 Calories per
day x 7 days = 7000 Calories, and he should lose 7000/3500,
or two pounds. (Note that the same math and logic can be
used when weight is expressed in kg. In this case it takes a
kcal deficit of 7700 kcal to lose one kilo of body weight.)
This computation technique, however useful, is
somewhat crude. Primarily because the preceding
calculation does not account for a very important
scientific fact: As we lose weight we actually
need fewer calories to maintain our lower weight.
As a result, if a dieter's calorie intake remains
constant over some period of time, their calorie deficit
will decrease during their diet and the rate at which
they lose weight will also decrease with time. And this
effect becomes increasingly important with longer duration
diets and when more weight is lost.
Only the Weight Loss Prediction tables in Total Weight Control
and Total Fitness, (both
available in U.S., metric and U.K. ediditions and published by NoPaperPress.com) account for this phenomenon. The following
Weight Loss Prediction table is one of many found in Total Weight Control - U.S. Edition.
(Note that the numbers in the highlighted box in the table below are the time in days for a 160 lb woman to lose 20 lbs depending on the number of calories she eats.)
Your Daily Calorie (kcal) Needs
Your daily calorie needs
(also called Weight Maintenance Calorie level) in
simplified terms is the sum of your basal metabolic
energy (also referred to as basal metabolic rate or
BMR) and your Activity Energy.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Your BMR refers to the
energy your body expends performing involuntary
functions such as cirulating blood, breathing,
glandular activity, contraction of the intestines, etc.
All these processes require energy. Test data show that
the BMR depends on gender, age, height and weight.
Activity Energy & Activity Levels
Your activiy level depends on how physically active you are. This
leads to the amount of energy you expend over and above your basal energy. Use the following
calculators to determine your BMR, estimate your Activity Level and then find your Total Daily Calorie
(kcal) Needs, that is your Weight Maintenance Needs.
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Does your BMR change?
As we grow older, our BMR steadily
decreases. In youth, BMR is higher, and as we
age we have less lean body mass - slowing the BMR.
The more lean tissue on the body, the higher the BMR,
the more fatty body tissue, the lower the BMR.
The good news is that an individual can raise
their basal metabolic rate by undertaking regular
strength and cardio exercise!
This calculator
should be used only as a general guideline.
The numbers are approximations, and the
calories you need may be slightly more or
slightly less. |
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Again note that these values are approximations. For a more accurate indication of your daily calorie needs see either
Total Weight Control
or Total Fitness,
eBooks by NoPaperPress that contain comprehensive
Weight Maintenance Calorie (kcal) tables.
(Presenting the data in tables allows you to see
at a glance the affect of gender, age, activity
level and particularly body weight on your weight
maintenance calorie needs.) |
Calorie (kcal) Chart for 1000 Foods!!
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been compiling and analyzing data concerning the nutritive value of foods for more than 100 years. During this time, the agency has published a number of authoritative documents summarizing the latest nutritive findings.
Click here to access a comprehensive, 30-page chart listing in alphabetic order the calorie (kcal) content of more than a thousand foods. (This calorie chart is a slightly reformatted version of one developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.)
Anyone Can Become Overweight
A study by R.S. Vasan, M.D.
(of The Framingham Heart Study) and other United States
and United Kingdom researchers was published in a 2005
issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. This study
followed 4,000 people for three decades and suggests
that in the long term, 90 percent of men and 70 percent of
women will become overweight (with a BMI
³ 25). Interestingly,
half of the men and women in the study who had made
it well into adulthood without a weight problem
ultimately also became overweight and a third became obese
(with a BMI ³ 30).
The message is that you can never become complacent.
You must continually watch your weight because everyone
is at risk of becoming overweight.
Click here to read the entire article.
Weight Loss Pills
Weight loss pills fall into either of two categories: Prescription Weight Loss Pills or Over-the-counter Weight Loss pills.
Prescription Weight Loss Pills act as either appetite suppressants or lipase inhibitors (fat blockers). Keep in mind that these prescription diet pills are not a cure-all. In fact physicians will urge you to combine these medications with a proper diet and moderate exercise in order to lose and then maintain your weight successfully over the long term.
Over-the-Counter Weight Loss Pills are available online, at your drugstore, supermarket and health food store. For dieters the promise of quick and effortless weight loss is difficult to resist. But do they work and are they safe??
Click here to read the entire article.
Breaking News: Recently, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned dieters and body builders to stop using Hydroxycut, a widely-sold supplement associated with cases of serious liver damage and at least one death.
Click here to read the entire article.
Valuable Resource
Links
The Weight-Control Information Network provides
the general public, health professionals, the media, and
Congress with up-to-date, science-based information on
weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related
nutritional issues.
The Healthy Weight Forum is a peer education
based forum offering support, motivation, recipes and fellowship
for those interested in reaching and maintaining a
healthy weight.
The
American Obesity Association is the only obesity
organization focused on changing public policy and perceptions
about obesity. News, articles, providers and advocacy.
The American Heart Association Informing the
public about misleading weight-loss claims and fad
diets that can undermine good health. Better lifestyle
habits help reduce your risk for heart attack.
Harvard School
of Public Health/Healthy Weight provide timely
information on diet and nutrition for clinicians,
allied health professionals, and the public.
We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition)
is a national education program designed for
parents and caregivers to help children 8-13 years old
stay at a healthy weight.
Weight Loss Information
The goal is to provide weight loss information,
as well as tips and services on issues such as dieting,
nutrition, exercise, so that you can better achieve
your health and fitness goals.
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