ForumWhat Is My Ideal Weight?
It is no secret that we, American women, are dying to be thin. In order to squeeze into a pair of size 2 designer jeans we starve, mutilate, medicate and psychologically punish ourselves.
Do you think I am being too harsh? Well then let me ask you:
How often do you weigh yourselves? Once a month? Once a week? Once a day? Once every morning and afternoon and evening?
How often do you diet? Once a year? Twice a year? Three times a year? All year long?”
- If you are like a typical American woman you weigh yourself once a day.
- If you are like a typical American teenage girl you weigh yourself three times a day.
- And worst of all, if your teenage daughter is representative of the typical American teenage dieter, the first time she dieted was in and around the age of ten.
So, how serious are we, as a nation, about achieving our weight loss “goals”?
We are so serious about achieving our weight loss “goals” that “Two out of five women and one out of five men would trade three to five years of their life to achieve their weight goals.” Source: Rader Programs
So, is it possible for all of us to achieve our “ideal body”?
Yes and No….Puzzled? Let me clarify my response with a couple of examples:
Example #1 Jane
On paper, Jane, a 30 year old female, is considered overweight based on her height and weight. She is 5’4” and weighs 150 pounds. This places her 5 pounds above her ideal weight range which is between 107 to 145 pounds and gives her a BMI of 25.75.
Is Jane unhealthy? Worst yet, is she fat? Is she a lazy, ignorant woman with no will power to manage her weight? Before you jump to any conclusions though consider this:
Jane’s body fat percentage is 30.
She is an athlete currently training for a triathlon.
She trains hard for an average of 12 hrs a week and fuels her body with 2000-2500 calories consisting of wholesome, nutritious foods.
Example #2 Jennifer
On paper, Jennifer, a 20 year old female, has the ideal body. She is 5’4” and weighs 115 pounds. She is a perfect size 2 and has a BMI of 19.75.
What is her secret? Jennifer consumes fewer than 1000 calories a day, smokes to suppress her appetite and drinks diet energy drinks all day in an effort to muster up the energy to walk to school.
Jennifer has no energy to workout and her body fat percentage is 26.
So, ask yourselves now, which one of these two ladies has the ideal body?
How Can YOU Find Your Ideal Weight?
1. Your “Ideal Weight” is not a number. Your ideal weight is the point in which you feel good both physically and emotionally. Now, keep in mind that a 5’4” woman cannot feel good physically if she is carrying around 20-50 extra pounds, no matter how hard she works out. However, like Jane, a 5’4” woman can be perfectly healthy and happy with her body without fitting into a size two pair of jeans.
2. Do not weigh yourself. The number on the scale tells you nothing about your body composition. Keep in mind that muscle is denser and heavier than fat. Therefore, if you’re physically active and have a high percentage of lean muscle mass you should weigh more.
3. Calculate your BMI. Note that even though Jane’s BMI is slightly above the recommended 25% by no means does she fall in the obese or morbidly obese categories. BMI calculations are not the perfect tool for assessing your ideal weight but for the average person it is a great place to start. If you are looking for an economical, easy to use and accurate BMI Calculator don’t be fooled by the hundreds of different online BMI calculators that are nothing more than gimmicks designed to attract people to certain websites. Instead look for a comprehensive BMI calculator that will tell you your BMI as well as body fat percentage and muscle weight percentage. The Omron Body Fat Monitor, which is widely used at health clubs, is a great is a great example of such a tool. This monitor will calculate your BMI, tell you your body fat percentage, muscle percentage and body water percentage. This is important since in order to accurately gauge your body fat percentage you must be properly hydrated.
4. What’s your waist size? Often your waist size is a better indicator of your overall health than your BMI. That is because often individuals with high body fat percentages and low BMIs, often referred to as skinny fat individuals, have a waist size too large for their weight.
- Waist size:
- 32 inches or below—Healthy
- 33 to 34 inches—Worry zone
- 35 inches and above—Danger zone
5. Assess your frame size. Sorry Ladies!!! Some of us are big-boned and can never fit into a size two pair of jeans. The following is the guideline used by most insurance companies to calculate a client’s frame size.
- Frame-Size Calculation Guidelines:
- Distance between elbow bones:
- 2 2/8 inches and below–Small frame
- 2 3/8 inches to 2 5/8 inches–Medium frame
- 2 6/8 inches and above–Large frame
Wellness Tips
1. Workout. Embrace activities that bring you joy.
2. Don’t workout to achieve an “Ideal Body or Weight”. You’ll only set yourself up for failure.
3. Accept the fact that you cannot change your body type.
4. Nurture your body with wholesome foods.
5. Nurture your soul with wholesome thoughts.
6. Don’t compare your body to others’. You and your body are one of a kind.
