The ideal body weight is measured according to the gender
- The ideal body weight is measured according to the gender. There exist various methods involved in calculating the ideal body weight. Among the methods it includes the B. J. Devine’s Formula indicating that: 50kg + 2.3kg/inch for male while 45.5kg + 2.3kg/inch in female. The conversions are 1 inch representing 2.54cm and 1kg representing 2.205 lbs. Therefore, the general formula is 22 x H^2. My dimensions are as follows:
Height- 5’4”
Weight- 170lbs
Waist- 29 inches
Therefore, my ideal body weight is 128.17 lbs. The weight represents 32.64 % above IBW. The percentage is greatly above the normal percentage required for the actual body activities.
- The BMI below 18.5 represents underweight, between 18.5-24.9 shows that an individual is normal or considered ideal, 25-29 is considered overweight and 30 onward shows that an individual is obese. Therefore, the above percentage of 32.64 falls outside the normal range. The measurement indicates that the person is obese. Thus, to reach the normal range of the body weight an individual must exercise to reduce fats that have accumulated in the body. Also, the patient must follow the doctor’s prescriptions to reduce the weight. The prescriptions may include the type of foods the patient should rely on to maintain a balanced diet.
- The waist circumference indicates about the health status in different ways, for instance, it is always associated with increased health risk of heart disease, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and breast cancer. Albeit, the waist circumference is an imperfect indicator of intra-adipose tissue, as it also includes subcutaneous fat deposition and as visceral adipose tissue. This does not erase its benefits as it is associated with specific health risks.
- Percentage body fat is weight of fat divided by total weight. Body fat percentage is more accurate measuring health status. Whereas BMI is weight in relation to height, does not consider body composition, that is, body fatness. While BMI increases with obesity due to differences in the composition of the body, other indicators of fat provides precise results. The similarity between these aspects is that they both calculate and measure the relative composition of the body as well as presenting a measure of fitness level, regardless of height and weight.
- An ideal body weight range is accepted as Body Mass Index of 18.5 to 24.9. My ideal body weight is far much different fro the ideal body weight. Regarding this, the ideal body weight is realistic since it is not much far from the normal range of 18.5.
- There are instances when the standard anthropometric measurements should not be used for assessment of nutritional status. The instances include; individual with obesity complications are not recommended to be measured using the skinfold thickness method. Moreover, there exist a category of individuals who are not recommended in the use of the BMI technique. For example: elderly individuals, pregnant as well as lactating mothers, athletes and persons with certain medical conditions such as sarcopenia where body weight may be altered significantly by changing proportions of muscle and fat masses.
- The body composition methods of measurement that are more accurate are the abdominal circumference, weight and skinfold measurement. In this case, the skinfolds are more accurate because they are particularly useful in monitoring changes in fatness in children because of their small body size and the majority of fat is subcutaneous even in obese children. Moreover, the weight measuring method is also accurate since a variety of scales are available for measuring weight thus it is calibrated regularly for accurate assessments. Besides, abdominal circumference is accurate since it oversees the fat content related to its usefulness in the body.
- It is not advisable to only use the BMI as an assessment tool since it does not take into account body composition. Nevertheless, it may overestimate body fat in athletes with highly developed muscles and it may also underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle.