Normal blood sugar fasting: less than 100
Normal blood pressure: less than 120/80
Normal cholesterol level: less than 200.
Okay, so does this mean that a person with a fasting blood sugar of 101 is much more apt to suffer from diabetes co-morbidities than another person with a blood sugar of 99?
Is the person with a blood pressure of 122/82 much more likely to suffer from a stroke or heart attack than a similar person with a BP of 118/78?
Is the person with a cholesterol of 202 destined to have a heart attack by the age of 60 whereas a similar person with a cholesterol level of 198 going to live to the age of 90 with no cardiac disease?
The answers are obviously “no” to all of the above poised questions.
And this brings us to the weight control arena. A “normal” body mass index (BMI) is less than 25 , 25030 defines being overweight and greater than 30 provides the definition of obesity. Does this mean for everyone a BMI of less than 25 is desirable?
Once again, the answer is “NO”. The BMI is simply a calculation based on height and weight and does not take into account body composition. A person with a BMI of 28 with a percentage body gat of 21% is at a far healthier weight than another person with a BMI of 24.8 and a percentage body fat of 43%.
Another major issue is other risk factors for disease. For example, a person with hypertension, diabetes, a history of cigarette smoking and a BMI of 27 is at a weight more concerning than another person with absolutely zero other risk factors and a BMI of 31.
So, back to “you”: What is your “healthiest” weight? The answer will be determined by a bunch of other stuff as mentioned above. There is also the factor of the “most pleasing” aesthetic weight. This does not always jive with the BMI definitions.
If you ever want a medical opinion as to your “healthiest” weight, stop in for a FREE body scan and we can offer up our professional opinion.