How do I know what my weight should be?
A body mass index calculator is a good way to roughly see if your weight is on track. There is a great one at the Australian Heart Foundation website below:
https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/your-heart/know-your-risks/healthy-weight/bmi-calculator
It is important to know that the Body Mass Index doesn’t take into account your muscle verse fat and bone density percentages therefore, it can be a little bit incorrect for athletes or different ethnic backgrounds.
Generally a healthy BMI will be:
Lower for people of Asian background
Higher for those of Polynesian origin
Higher for older people
Higher for elite athletes with higher than normal levels of lean body tissue
Different for pregnant women
A body mass index calculator is a very widely used tool by medical professionals to determine people who are underweight, overweight or obese and may need medical attention.
Another important and widely used method of checking if you are within a healthy weight range is to measure waist circumference.
You can get an idea of whether or not you are at risk of obesity-related chronic diseases by measuring your waist circumference.
For men, a waist circumference of 94 centimetres or more indicates an increased risk of chronic disease and a measurement of 102 centimetres or more indicates a higher increased risk of chronic disease.
For women, a waist circumference of 80 centimetres or more indicates an increased risk of chronic disease and a measurement of 88 centimetres or more indicates a higher increased risk of chronic disease.
If you are worried about your BMI or waist circumference it is important you see your GP for further advice.
