What’s Your Ideal Body Weight? The Answer May Surprise You
If you want to optimize your health, an important first step is to optimize your body weight. Your ideal body weight is a range, not one specific number.
A good measurement guide for most people is BMI (body mass index). BMI is a number calculated from a person's weight and height that provides a reliable indicator of body fatness, and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. A BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight; a range of 18.5-24.9 is considered normal; a range of 25-29.9 is considered overweight; and anything over 30 is considered obese.
It’s widely known that obesity comes with a host of health risks, including reduced life expectancy, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, some cancers, gallbladder disease, gout, sleep apnea, infertility, and joint damage. It can also put limitations on one’s everyday activities, enjoyment and overall quality of life.
Being overweight or obese are indeed serious health issues but they can be managed and overcome. The goal of a good weight-loss plan should be to attain —and then maintain —a healthier weight range. Even a modest weight loss of five to 10 percent has been shown to produce such benefits as lowering blood pressure, and lowering the risks of heart disease and diabetes.