Q: I weigh 145 pounds. Do I need to lose weight?
A: That's not a question I can answer. But I can tell you some ways to find out.
If you feel you're carrying around a little extra weight -- but your doctor says you're in good health -- you probably don't need to lose weight unless its affecting your activity level or well-being.
Being overweight means your weight is just a little higher than what is considered normal weight for your height. If you've put on more than a few pounds, you will need to assess how your weight is impacting your risk of developing serious weight-related diseases and health conditions.
If and when your weight affects your daily well-being, and/or you have higher risks for disease or illness (and/or family history) due to your excess weight, then it's time to start losing weight.
There are three main ways that weight is measured. They are: percent body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and BMI.
If you discover that your results are in the "danger zone" of health risks via any of these assessment tools, you'll know you need to lose weight for the sake of your health.
Percent Body Fat
PBF is measured with a painless test called "caliper measurement". This test measures subcutaneous (under the skin) fat using a skinfold caliper. The caliper is used to grasp a fold of skin and pull it away from your muscle.The folds are usually measured at the waist, hips, and thighs, and several other locations on the body. The findings are then calculated into a formula that allows your body fat to be estimated.
There are a few reasons why percent body fat measurement may not be ideal: The older you are, the less likely the results are to be accurate, because of the way fat distribution changes as we age; it is best for those under the age of 55, though it can become less accurate by your 40s.
Additionally, the accuracy of the results can vary according to the skill of the person taking the measurements and the quality of the caliper used to take the measurement. Lastly, the more overweight an individual is, the less accurate the results are likely to be.
What Does it Mean?
Body fat caliper measurement first came about in the 90's and it wasn't until 2000 that standards for body fat ranges were identified. According to those findings, a woman between the age of 20 and 39 has increased health risks at 33; the risks greatly increase at 39. For men, health risks increase at 20 and greatly increase at 25.More: Waist-to-Hip Ratio >>
