What is a "Healthy Weight?"

Many of us have different ideas about what a "healthy" weight is.

Some may look through the pages of fashion magazines and see the ultra-thin model as being a healthy weight. Others may feel it's healthy to have padding around our middles or extra "junk in our trunks." Some may even feel our toddlers aren't healthy unless they have super chubby cheeks.

BMI can help us be more objective in our determination of what is considered a healthy weight.

BMI, or body mass index, is a ratio of weight to height, and is a standard that helps us define normal/healthy weight, overweight and obesity.

Typically, people who are overweight have too much weight for their height; which increases (as does the amount of extra body fat), once in the obesity range.

For adults, BMI falls into the following categories: Normal or healthy weight - 18.5-24.5; Overweight - 25-29.9; and Obese - 30.0 and above.

For children and teens however, overweight is defined differently. The measurement of BMI in these groups (ages 2-20 years) takes the fact that children are still growing and that girls and boys develop at different rates into account.

Their weight and height are measured on growth charts which incorporate their age and gender. A child less than the 85th percentile is considered a healthy weight; unless they fall below the 5th pecentile, which is considered underweight. If they fall between the 85th and 95th percentile on the growth chart, they are considered overweight; and if their weight is greater than the 95th pecentile, they are considered obese. You can find out this information at your pediatrician, family doctor or health care provider's office.

Although the BMI is a helpful assessment of our weight, it isn't a perfect measurement. For example, large athletes with a lot of muscle may measure in the obese range for BMI, but are not considered obese in terms of health risk.

I encourage all of us to know our BMI and to use it as a gauge for what is considered a 'healthy weight" for us.

Be healthy and God bless,

Dayo N. Lanier, M.D.