Do You Know Your Ideal Body Weight?

BMI , height weight  ratios, body composition, waist size measurements and ideal body weight  are all good health risk health indicators.  Do you know what your ideal body weight is and is there such a thing? 

 

Well, believe it or not, there's a formula for men to come up with their ideal body weight and shape called the Adonis Index.  And the very same group who came up with the Adonis Index will soon be releasing the female version called the Venus Index.  They're still tabulating data and further refining the program to help women figure out and attain their "ideal" shape and size. 

 

All that sounds great, but from what I've experienced, both with myself and with my clients, friends and family is that the scale is the ENEMY.  And it really has become taboo to talk about what you think you or someone else should weigh. Even the thought of hopping on the scale for most women, will usually cause major anxiety close to full blown melt down.

 

I'll be the first to admit, I HATE the scale.  Besides increasing stress I believe the scale has also contributed to an obsession with being unrealistically airbrush model thin. 

 

Some may think this is a cop out, but I think instead of obsessing about weight we should strive for and focus on health first and then let the fat loss come about naturally as a beneficial side effect. 

 

Here's my proposal.  Set a goal for lowering your health risks by reducing your waist measurement instead of shooting for an unrealistic weight on the scale.  Sound doable? 

 

The guidelines are easy to calculate too.  For starters, take half your height in inches.  This goes for both men and women.  Here's an example.  I'm five foot 6 and a half inches tall. 66.5 divided by 2 equals 33 ¼ inches.  Then once you've achieve your half your height measurement, according to my boyfriend Dr.Oz  you can further shoot for a waist size goal of 32.5 inches if you're a woman and 35 inches if you're a man. 

 

It's easy to measure yourself too.  Take your tape and place it right smack around your middle over your belly button and suck in a little just like Dr. Oz shows you in the video below.

 

What are your thoughts? Do you think we should be a slave to the scale or do you prefer my low stress waist measurement approach?