How to determine your ideal weight?

Evaluating themselves, some stand on the scales, while others do not attach importance to numbers, and trust only their reflection in the mirror. What is the ideal weight for a person?

Ideal weight is the value at which a person feels well and does not have diseases caused or aggravated by excessive or vice versa in insufficient body weight.

There are several ways to determine your ideal weight, although none of them can be called absolutely correct. The formulas for calculating the optimal body weight are valid for some people and do not fit others at all. Weight depends not only on growth, but also on the type of addition, distribution of fat, volume of muscle mass, age, sex. People of the same height and age, approximately the same in body size, can have different weights. Conversely, having one height and weight, people can look different in different ways: one will be tightened and strong, and the other will be full and loose.

The most common way to determine the ideal weight is the formula - an increase of minus one hundred in men and an increase of minus one hundred and ten in women. This formula is most suitable for people of high growth, but does not work for the stunted, the elderly and people with well-developed muscles. Therefore, fluctuations in one direction or the other are possible within 10%. This formula is adjusted for people below 175 centimeters. For those whose growth is less than 165 cm - from the height subtract 103, for people with a growth of 165 to 175 cm - 106 are subtracted. Make corrections to this formula and depending on the type of physique. For asthenics - high, thin-boned - 10% is subtracted from the obtained value, for hypersthenics - broad-boned, stocky - add 10%.

More accurately, you can calculate the ideal weight according to the formula derived by Quetelet. This value is usually called the body mass index. In this way, which is common throughout the world, physicians usually use it. To calculate the mass index, you need the weight taken in kilograms, divided by the square of the height of the person in meters. The resulting value reflects a deficit, a norm or an excess of mass. The norm is considered to be from 19 to 25. If the figure is below 19, then it is a lack of weight, if above 25, then the person is overweight.

One of the most correct ways to determine the optimal weight is to calculate the fat content as a percentage of the total body weight. This can only be done with the help of special equipment. Normal is the value equal to 21 - 24% fat for women, 14-17% for men. Nowadays, there are special scales with which you can determine not only the body weight, but also the percentage of fat in the body.

There is another way to determine the ideal weight - this is a measurement of the circumference of the waist. If the waist circumference exceeds 80 centimeters, then we can talk about excess body weight. If the waist is more than 88 centimeters in circumference, then it's not just about surplus subcutaneous fat, but also about significant fat deposits on internal organs.

How much weight is close to the ideal shows the ratio of the waist circumference to the hips. It is necessary to measure the circumference of the waist and hips and divide the first value into the second. For a woman, the best score is the result - 0.7, and the norm is no more than 0.85. For men, the value is no more than 1. If this ratio is within normal limits, then the body weight is optimal in terms of health. This method is not perfect, because the content of muscle and adipose tissue is not taken into account.

Another way to determine the ideal weight is to measure the vertical fat fold next to the navel. If the fold is less than 2 centimeters, then the weight is normal, if more than 2 cm, then there is excess weight. The disadvantage of this method is the possibility of incorrect folding.

The localization of adipose tissue is very important for health and longevity. If the fat is formed under the skin, then it is peripheral obesity, if - around the internal organs, then obesity is called central. The second type of obesity has the most adverse effect on health.