What is Ideal Weight?

I always make it a point to weigh myself every evening once I get back from work, after shower.  Some people I know said that I should not weigh myself daily or I should weigh only in the morning.  Then there are some who are afraid of even weighing themselves.

The body is made up of 70% water and then of course there is muscle, blood, bones, tissue, ligaments, skin and body fat.

One conventional method of assessing weight is to measure your Body Mass Index (BMI).  To calculate your BMI, you divide your weight (kg) by your height (metre) in sq metres.  However, this assessment doesnt acknowledge the difference between lean muscle and fat composition of your body.  So it is of very little importance in judging your health.

It does not mean that a skinny person is healthy.  This is why to know if you are at your ideal weight, you need to also consider a couple of important health clinical markers apart from just your weight and BMI.

The clinical markers that should be considered are:

• Body Shape:  Waist circumference, Waist-to-hip ratio
• Body Composition:  BMI, Body Fat Percentage, Visceral Fat, Lean Muscle Mass, Fat-to-Muscle Ratio, Bone Mass, Hydration
• Body Function:  Blood Glucose, Cholesterol, Blood Pressue

Once these clinical markers are within the Normal range, you can be considered as healthy and on your way to living a life of reduced disease risk and a better quality of life.  The challenge is to maintain this.