Weight Loss Diet Chart

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses the Body Mass Index (BMI) as a screening for weight categories in relation to future health problems. BMI is a number figured from a person's height and weight. It is a screening tool to help identify possible problem weights and if one's BMI is high, other things will need to be considered such as skinfold thickness measurements, physical activity, evaluations of diet, family history and any other considerations deemed appropriate by one's health care provider.

The CDC uses BMI to measure the population's overweight and obese because it is easy and inexpensive to calculate. Other methods to determine obesity are skinfold thickness measurements with calipers, underwater weighing, bio-electrical impedance, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and computerized tomography. These measures are not readily available and they either require highly trained personnel or are extremely expensive to use.

How is the Body Mass Index calculated and used? The formula for BMI is to takea person'sweight in poundsand divide it by a person's height in inches, square it, and multiply it by a conversion factor of 703. For example, if a person weighed 120 lbs. and the same person's height was 5' 4", or 64", the calculation would be as follows: [120 / (64)2] x 703 = 20.60; 20.60 would be the person's BMI. The BMI is separated into different categories to show weight status. The BMI standard categories are as follows: Below 18.5 would be underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 would be normal, 25.0 to 29.9 would fall into the overweight category and finally 30.0 and Above is considered obese. The example person's BMI of 20.60 therefore, would be considered in the normal category. While strong in giving one an idea where a person places in weight category, there are factors that vary the results.            

Standard charts should be used as a reference and a tool during weight loss, rather than as a standard everyone must attain to. Everyone has a unique and different body composition, so an ideal weight for one person may be too thin or too much weight for another person. Standard weight charts for men and women are based on a person dressed in relatively light clothing, without shoes, and based on individuals aged 20 years or older. Age also plays a factor in one's comfortable weight. Someone in their fifties will be healthy at a few pounds heavier than when they were in their twenties. There are different charts for gender, due to the differences in muscle and bone mass between male and female. Therefore, fat weighsless than muscleand bone mass is larger in men and thus weighs more. There are also separate formulas for children and teenagers than for adults. Athletes will show a high BMI due to the high muscle content in their bodies since muscle weighs more than fat and thus will weigh more.The formula for children and teen BMI includes birth date information,date of measurements taken, gender, height measured to the fractions of an inch as well as weight measured to the fraction of a pound. The focus should be on healthy weights rather than exact weights and can only be determined with a person or child's health care provider.

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