Does The Body Mass Index Determine The Ideal Body Weight ?

InfoHealthyLife.Com -  Having an ideal body weight is certainly everyone's dream. Not surprisingly, many people are competing to get their ideal weight. But wait, what weight do you expect is already in accordance with the ideal body weight based on the count? Sometimes, there are people who want to be underweight. Of course, this is not good for health. Having a very thin or very fat body weight, both are not recommended. Having an ideal body weight is certainly important as an effort to maintain overall health.

This is also one way to prevent and control various diseases. Being overweight or obese can increase the risk of serious illnesses, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, gallstones, and certain cancers.

Does BMI determine a person's ideal body weight?

There are 2 methods that are most widely used by the community to measure whether a person's weight is ideal or not.

The first uses the Body Mass Index (BMI). Body Mass Index is calculated by weight / (height (m) X height (m)) if the result is between 18-25, then the body mass index is considered ideal.

If it is less than 18, the person's BMI is considered too thin and if more than 25, the person is considered too fat.

The second is using the Broca formula. The trick is to reduce the height (cm) -110 for women and height (cm) -100 for men. If the result of the reduction is equal to his weight, it is called ideal.

If the reduction results are smaller than the original body weight (kg), then the person is considered overweight, and vice versa if the result of the reduction is more than the original body weight (kg), then his weight (kg) is considered not ideal.

Both of the above formulas are very common and are very commonly used by the public in determining one's ideal body weight. But have you ever thought if someone who likes to consume fried chicken at fast food outlets has a height of 160 cm and weighs 80 kg, on the other hand a wrestling athlete, with muscles having a height of 160 and weighing 80kg?

Their BMI is the same, but are they equally ideal? Certainly not.

What is not quite right about measuring ideal body weight by calculating BMI?

BMI is a very simple measurement that does not take into account a person's waist, chest or hip size. As a clear example, the 100m Olympic sprint champion who has very formed leg and stomach muscles tend to have a higher BMI than his trainer who only trains his athletes while eating potato chips.

With the same height, the trainer may have a distended stomach, with a pile of body fat on his hips, on the face, in the hands, and in the upper thighs, while the athlete even though his stomach looks smaller the muscles are much bigger, and 100grams of muscle the volume is almost 3-4x less than 100grams of fat, so even though it looks slimmer, it's not necessarily the athlete's BMI is lower than the coach's IMT.

In addition, BMI does not account for bone density (bone mass). A person with severe osteoporosis (very low bone density) may have a lower BMI than others with the same height as a healthy bone condition.

So if people with osteoporosis have a higher percentage of fat than people who are not osteoporosis and are leaner, it is not necessarily the BMI of people with osteoporosis and obesity who have a higher BMI.

Many experts criticize the use of BMI in evaluating health levels. because it is generally not useful at all. BMI can be used for outline measurements, but should not be used to evaluate health care.

The most effective way to determine your ideal body weight

The most effective way to determine your ideal body weight is to calculate the percentage of fat in your body. Your body fat percentage is the weight of your fat divided by your total body weight

Many experts say that calculating one's body fat percentage is the best way to measure your fitness level and determine their ideal weight. because measuring the fat percentage in the body is the only measure that covers your actual body composition.

In men, the ideal body fat percentage is less than 25% or in women less than 31% if more than the number, then it is categorized as overweight or perhaps obese.

The body fat percentage will not be the coach as the story above looks more ideal than the 100-meter Olympic champion - as happens in the case of ideal weight measurements with BMI indicators.

There are be various ways to calculate a person's body fat percentage. From measuring the ratio between your waist and neck, the ratio between your waist and pelvis, for more details you can measure it online.

Or use special tools that can immediately detect your body fat percentage.

Many gyms and practice doctors have devices that can tell you your body fat percentage.

To conclude, BMI can be used to determine the ideal body weight, but cannot be used to measure the ideal body weight of a professional athlete. Measuring fat percentage is the most appropriate in determining whether a person has an ideal body weight or not.