I recently did some research for an article that was requested by several readers to my website. The question was, Am I Overweight? This got me thinking about how we determine healthy weight and the tools we use such as the healthy weight chart.
The healthy weight chart is a fairly crude formula that takes into account many general factors relating to the overall body shape of a person.
There are several names for the healthy weight chart, some refer to it as the height weight chart but is essentially the same thing.
These charts work on a very similar way to the more modern BMI scale of calculating your 'healthy weight' based on some mathematics to produce a height to weight ratio.
In recent times many people have questioned the accuracy of such a system that is based on such generalised personal information as height and weight and is constructed using comparative data that dates back 40 years.
The problem is that some people especially those who are taller than the average person, can be given a false sense of security when using the height weight chart as a measure of healthy weight.
All the information from the height weight chart is for information purposes only and should be used together with other relevant factors to decide if you are within a healthy weight range.
The healthy weight range system is a collection of data from many thousands of people worldwide and is designed using an average of many different people's data.
For the vast majority of the population the height weight chart gives a realistic picture of where you are within the range of healthy weight.
So is the height weight chart a reliable indicator of healthy weight?
In some cases the results for certain individuals when using these methods proved to be wrong.
Our subject who was over 6 feet in height was given a false assessment when using the methods discussed above. His physician has said he is at risk of fatty liver disease because of his accumulation of abdominal fat.
Fatty liver disease is thought to be related to the amount of fat that is carried around the abdomen.
So if you are a tall person who tends to carry weight around the middle of your body you should ask your doctor for advice, and NOT rely on BMI as a measure of your healthy weight.
Conclusion: Many practitioners are now moving towards the use of body fat percentage as a safer and more reliable method of calculating health risks relating to being overweight.
The healthy weight chart is a fairly crude formula that takes into account many general factors relating to the overall body shape of a person.
There are several names for the healthy weight chart, some refer to it as the height weight chart but is essentially the same thing.
These charts work on a very similar way to the more modern BMI scale of calculating your 'healthy weight' based on some mathematics to produce a height to weight ratio.
In recent times many people have questioned the accuracy of such a system that is based on such generalised personal information as height and weight and is constructed using comparative data that dates back 40 years.
The problem is that some people especially those who are taller than the average person, can be given a false sense of security when using the height weight chart as a measure of healthy weight.
All the information from the height weight chart is for information purposes only and should be used together with other relevant factors to decide if you are within a healthy weight range.
The healthy weight range system is a collection of data from many thousands of people worldwide and is designed using an average of many different people's data.
For the vast majority of the population the height weight chart gives a realistic picture of where you are within the range of healthy weight.
So is the height weight chart a reliable indicator of healthy weight?
In some cases the results for certain individuals when using these methods proved to be wrong.
Our subject who was over 6 feet in height was given a false assessment when using the methods discussed above. His physician has said he is at risk of fatty liver disease because of his accumulation of abdominal fat.
Fatty liver disease is thought to be related to the amount of fat that is carried around the abdomen.
So if you are a tall person who tends to carry weight around the middle of your body you should ask your doctor for advice, and NOT rely on BMI as a measure of your healthy weight.
Conclusion: Many practitioners are now moving towards the use of body fat percentage as a safer and more reliable method of calculating health risks relating to being overweight.
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