Though one of the most popular tools used today to determine whether someone is at a healthy weight or not is the BMI, body fat and lean muscle tissue don’t figure into the equation. This has led many experts to discount BMI as an archaic measurement that isn’t accurate for many people. What is BMI, and why is it a good measure for some, maybe, and completely wrong for others?

BMI, or body mass index, was created in the early 1800s by Adolphe Quetelet. Because of that, it’s sometimes called the Quetelet index. It’s nothing more than a way of comparing a person’s weight to his or her height, and determining if his or her weight falls into a healthy and normal range. The BMI is still used today pretty much as it was when Quetelet invented it.

The formula for figuring BMI (body fat, bone and frame size, muscle and body type aren’t included in that) is this: Take your height in meters squared (your height times itself) and divide your weight in kilograms by that number. For example, if I’m 5 feet tall, that’s about 1.5 meters. To square that number, take 1.5 times 1.5. The result of that is 2.5. So if I weigh 120 pounds, that’s about 54.5 kilograms. Divide 54.5 by 2.5 and I get 21.8 as my BMI. The normal weight range is from 18.5 to 24.9, so 21.8 is classified as a normal weight. Underweight is considered 18.5 and below, while overweight people will calculate a BMI of 25 to 29.9. A BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity.

BMI, body fat and general health can all be used as signs of how fit a person is. But where general health is pretty self-explanatory and the percentage of body fat clearly shows whether a person gets enough exercise or not, BMI is a bit trickier.

People with a lot of muscle don’t show accurate BMI readings. Because muscle weighs so much heaver than fat but takes up less space, a relatively small statured person can carry a lot of muscle weight without looking huge. BMI doesn’t take that into account. Football players, professional wrestlers, bodybuilders, and virtually any athlete who has a lot of muscle is going to measure as overweight and even obese according to the BMI. So it’s not accurate for them. Is it accurate for everyone else?

The answer to that is yes, and no. It depends on you. The BMI typically doesn’t show an accurate result for children. And extremely tall or large-framed people will show overweight or obese classifications more easily because of the extra weight from their bones and muscles. So for very short, tall or muscular people, the BMI appears to not be a good tool.

There’s also no distinguishing between men and women in the BMI. Body fat is more natural for women who are supposed to have more than men, so some sort of distinction in the measurement of the sexes would help the BMI’s accuracy

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If you have been over weight for most of your life than you have more than likely asked yourself, can I lose pounds? Will I ever lose pounds? Youre not alone; people who have or had weight problems ask themselves this every day.

There are millions of people around the world that are overweight and feel like there is no end in sight, and they are stuck like this forever. Well I am here to tell you you can lose pounds! You can lose weight! One more time for good measure; You will lose those pounds.

First things first, you have to stop asking yourself if you can lose weight and start telling yourself you will lose weight, you will beat this, you will overcome. We are often our own worst enemy and to overcome our on weakness is our greatest battle.

However, to win your battle over your weight issue, you have to win the battle against yourself first. Once you have done this, then there is not much standing in your way of accomplishing and conquering your goals.

Next step is to get the people around you that are for you and not against you. It may be hard to believe, but there are people close to you that may not want you to do this. You have to recognizes the signs of that and eliminate those people from this process.

Once you have done this, you get the people around you that you know they would kick you in the butt when you needed to be kicked in the butt. You know there are going to be days when you are not at your strongest, and you are going to need support to get you through that rough spot.

Even though you are the one who makes the ultimate decision on rather you win this battle or not. You have to have a good team around you to do this. No great champion has ever won any battle alone; he or she has always had a great team around them. This is no different than any other competition. Except the stakes higher: your peace of mind and your life.

Now that you have your mind right and your team around you, now is the time to put in an exercise program to go along with your diet. Thats right I said exercise, dieting alone just doesnt get it done, you have to be ready to work your butt off.

Cutting back on your calorie intake and fat intake is great, and you can lose plenty of weight doing those things. However, if you had an exercise program where you were burning those calories, as well as your diet, then you will be where you want to be in no time at all.

Its up to you, you have the plan, you have the right frame of mind, and you have the team around you. Now its time to go get what you deserve and get what you want, just keep your eye on the prize and let nothing stand in your way and you will come out on top.

Tags: Bet, Butt, Calories, Champion, Exercise Program, Good Measure, Healthy Diet, Lose Weight, Losing Weight, Own Worst Enemy, Peace Of Mind, People Around The World, Rough Spot, Signs —