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You: On a Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management

The Best Life Diet

Take a load off.

Man or woman, young or old, weight loss is a challenge for everyone. But the basic principles remain the same—regardless of any fad diets that come and go. Cut through the hype and teach yourself the basics of looking better, including:

Ways to assess your weight and determine your healthy weight range
The nuts and bolts of calories and metabolism
Tips on the healthiest foods to eat and the best exercises for losing weight

Do You Need to Lose Weight?

If you think you need to lose weight, you’re not alone. Sixty percent of American adults say they’d like to lose twenty pounds or more.

There are good reasons to lose weight if you’re overweight or obese: studies have shown that a healthy weight reduces the likelihood of diabetes, cancer, heart problems, gallstones, sleep apnea, and other conditions. But before you launch into a new diet and exercise regimen, take a moment to figure out whether you actually need to lose weight. In some cases, losing weight may be unhealthy for you. To determine whether you need to lose weight, consider two issues:

Your healthy weight range
Your body shape

Healthy Weight Range

There’s no single number that defines your ideal weight. Rather, everyone has a healthy weight range that depends on their height, age, and sex. The best way to measure if you fall into a healthy weight range is to use the body mass index (BMI) formula.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Your body mass index (BMI) formula uses your height and weight to determine if you’re within a healthy weight range. Use the following formula to determine your BMI:

For example, if you were 5'4" (64 inches) and 125 pounds, your BMI would be:

Your BMI score indicates the following:

Below 18.5: Underweight
18.5–24.9: Healthy weight
25–29.9: Overweight
30 and above: Obese

Only those people who fall into the overweight or obese categories will benefit from losing weight.

Limitations of BMI

The body mass index has two limitations:

It may overestimate body fat in athletes and people with muscular builds.
It may underestimate body fat in the elderly and others who have lost muscle mass.

How to Identify Your Healthy Weight Range

If your BMI indicates that you’re underweight, overweight, or obese, it’s helpful to determine your healthy weight range. Two easy formulas—one for women and one for men—can help you get a sense of your healthy weight range based on your height.

Gender	Formula	Example
Female	Begin with 100 pounds and 5 feet. For every inch you stand over 5 feet, add 5 pounds. Your healthy weight range is 10% under to 10% over that number.	Say you’re 5'6". You stand 6 inches over 5 feet. Multiplying 6 inches by 5 pounds gives you 30. Adding 30 to 100 pounds gives you 130 pounds. Your healthy weight range is 10% under to 10% over 130: 117–143 pounds.
Male	Begin with 106 pounds and 5 feet. For every inch you stand over 5 feet, add 6 pounds. Your healthy weight range is 10% under to 10% over that number.	Say you’re 6'0". You stand 12 inches over 5 feet. Multiplying 12 inches by 6 pounds gives you 72. Adding 72 to 106 pounds gives you 178 pounds. Your healthy weight range is 10% under to 10% over 178: 160–196 pounds.

Body Shape

BMI is a formula that calculates how much fat you’re carrying on your body. But in terms of health, where that fat is distributed on your body is as important as how much you’re carrying. It’s better to have a pear-shaped body than an apple-shaped one. Fat stored in the stomach area indicates greater health risks than fat stored in the backside, hips, and thighs.

One of the easiest ways to check on your fat distribution is simply to look in the mirror and see which shape you resemble more closely.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

A more scientific way to determine whether your shape is pear-like or apple-like is to measure your waist and hips.

Measure your waist by relaxing your stomach and wrapping a tape measure around your waist at its narrowest point.
Measure your hips by wrapping a tape measure around your butt at its widest point.
Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement to get a ratio.
1. If you’re a woman: A ratio of greater than 0.8 indicates an apple shape; a ratio of less than 0.8 indicates a pear shape.
2. If you’re a man: A ratio of greater than 0.95 indicates an apple shape; a ratio of less than 0.95 indicates a pear shape.

Consulting Your Doctor

It is important not to rely solely on measurements or formulas to decide if you need to lose weight. If you think you might be overweight or obese, consult your doctor about how much weight you need to lose and how you should go about losing it.

Losing Weight Because You Want To

Many people want to lose weight not for health reasons but because they want to look a certain way. There’s nothing wrong with losing weight for the sake of appearance, as long as you follow these guidelines:

Always talk to a doctor before starting a weight loss plan to make sure it is healthful for you to do so.
Never try to lose weight to the extent that your BMI falls into the underweight category.

The weight loss methods outlined in this guide will work for people who are trying to lose weight for health reasons as well as people who are trying to lose weight for the sake of their appearance.

Acknowledgments & Disclaimer