Only a scale is not enough to calculate our healthy weight estimate. In this sense, one of the most used tools is the body mass index (BMI), which is based on the relationship between weight and height measurements.
We can determine our BMI in three steps, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health:
1. Divide the weight in pounds by your height in inches.
2. Divide the answer by your height in inches.
3. Multiply the answer by 703.
When we get the result, we have to know how to interpret it. A healthy weight amounts to a body mass index of less than 25. Overweight is defined as a body mass index of 25 to 29.9. Finally, obesity is defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher, according to this institution.
Risks of obesity
Dozens of studies have shown that a body mass index above 25 increases the chances of dying early.
For example, a meta-analysis published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a clear relationship between BMI and mortality, with low weight BMI (BMI <18.5) and overweight and obesity (BMI >25) causing an increase in mortality. This research is considered a reference, because smokers, individuals with cancer and heart disease, and individuals over 85 years of age who may be in the normal BMI range, were excluded, but may be suffering from fragility or other unhealthy weight loss related to age.
Waist size matters
According to this public health institute, not all fat is created the same. While the overall percentage of body fat is important, it is especially important to control abdominal obesity (also called visceral fat), which can be more dangerous to long-term health than fat that accumulates around the hips and thighs.
They make this warning based on several studies. Some suggest that abdominal fat plays a role in developing insulin resistance and inflammation, an immune system response that has been involved in heart disease, diabetes, and even some cancers.
Measuring our waistline, they point out, is simple and very useful, because the abdominal muscle can be replaced by fat with age, even though the weight may still be the same. Therefore, an increase in waist size can be an important warning sign, and you should ask yourself to examine how much you are eating and exercising.
For people who are not overweight, the waist size may be an even more revealing warning sign of greater health risks than BMI.
How to measure the waist?
This is a fairly simple activity, they explain. A flexible measuring tape must be wrapped around the midsection, where the sides of the waist are the narrowest. You have to be vigilant to keep the tape parallel to the ground.
According to the National Institutes of Health, a waist larger than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women (reference levels) increases the chances of developing heart disease, cancer, or other chronic diseases.