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How Can I Determine My Ideal Weight?

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Posted on Mon, 27 Oct 2014
Question: How much am I suppose to weigh?What foods and drinks should I eat and drink?
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Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
weight depends on height

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

BMI stands for body mass index. It determines if a persons weight is good, too little or too much for their height.

The taller a person is, the more weight they can carry. For eg a person who is 5 ft 6 inches may be ok at a weight of 140 pounds but this weight would be too much for someone who is 5 feet.

Normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9

Overweight is 25 to 29.9

Obese is greater than 30

To calculate BMI you can either: (1)use one of the internet BMI calculators- if you put BMI calculator in your search engine it would bring up one of them and you would put in your weight and height

(2)can also be done using this equation- weight (in kg) divided by your height (in meters- the height in meters is squared)
kg/m2

If you want me to do this for you then you would need to provide your weight and height.
If your weight is too much for your height then you can try changing your diet and activity levels for weight loss.

In most persons, losing 10 % of the initial weight is enough to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. So if you lose only this amount, you would be healthier.
It can be hard to lose more than this with only diet and exercise.

Diet changes can vary.

They are different types of diet, the main ones are the low carbohydrate diet and the low fat/low calorie diet though there are different variations as well.

You can choose the one that best suits you.

In the low carb you would need to reduce the use of carbs including: rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, biscuits, other flour products
Meals would consist mainly of protein with salad or low carb vegetables
You would need to drink a lot of fluid
Sodas or juices would need to be the low calorie or diet ones
Snacks should also be low carb eg meat, cheese, nuts, eggs

In the low fat/low calorie- substitute normal fat foods (cheese, milk, yogurt etc) for low fat
Use low calorie drinks'
Reduce frying and use of other high fat products eg nuts
Increase use of fruits and vegetables

Cannot do both low carb and low fat/low calorie.

In low carb the body is using the fat eaten for energy.

In low fat the body is using the carbs for energy. If a person combines low fat and low carb then they deprive the body of energy , so only one diet can be done.

If you do not want to do a specific diet then you can : (1)use at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables
(2)use diet drinks
(3)use healthy snacks- fruits, low calorie jello, nuts

Exercise is also important- at least 150 minutes a week.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions


Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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How Can I Determine My Ideal Weight?

Brief Answer: weight depends on height Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic BMI stands for body mass index. It determines if a persons weight is good, too little or too much for their height. The taller a person is, the more weight they can carry. For eg a person who is 5 ft 6 inches may be ok at a weight of 140 pounds but this weight would be too much for someone who is 5 feet. Normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9 Overweight is 25 to 29.9 Obese is greater than 30 To calculate BMI you can either: (1)use one of the internet BMI calculators- if you put BMI calculator in your search engine it would bring up one of them and you would put in your weight and height (2)can also be done using this equation- weight (in kg) divided by your height (in meters- the height in meters is squared) kg/m2 If you want me to do this for you then you would need to provide your weight and height. If your weight is too much for your height then you can try changing your diet and activity levels for weight loss. In most persons, losing 10 % of the initial weight is enough to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. So if you lose only this amount, you would be healthier. It can be hard to lose more than this with only diet and exercise. Diet changes can vary. They are different types of diet, the main ones are the low carbohydrate diet and the low fat/low calorie diet though there are different variations as well. You can choose the one that best suits you. In the low carb you would need to reduce the use of carbs including: rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, biscuits, other flour products Meals would consist mainly of protein with salad or low carb vegetables You would need to drink a lot of fluid Sodas or juices would need to be the low calorie or diet ones Snacks should also be low carb eg meat, cheese, nuts, eggs In the low fat/low calorie- substitute normal fat foods (cheese, milk, yogurt etc) for low fat Use low calorie drinks' Reduce frying and use of other high fat products eg nuts Increase use of fruits and vegetables Cannot do both low carb and low fat/low calorie. In low carb the body is using the fat eaten for energy. In low fat the body is using the carbs for energy. If a person combines low fat and low carb then they deprive the body of energy , so only one diet can be done. If you do not want to do a specific diet then you can : (1)use at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (2)use diet drinks (3)use healthy snacks- fruits, low calorie jello, nuts Exercise is also important- at least 150 minutes a week. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions