So, this morning I weighed in at 185lbs. which is a loss of 1.6 pounds from last week putting me at an overall loss of 40.6 pounds! This also sets my BMI, according to this BMI formula, at 24.4 which is within the “healthy” range. So I’m really happy to have achieved this goal.

This BMI business is probably not the best “scale” to base goals off of but at least it is something that says I’m headed in the right direction. Being within the healthy range is a good feeling but I’m barely inside of that range. Does this mean I should set a new goal for weight loss or remain where I am? I’m hoping that getting my food diet under control will actually help me to shed some more fat while allowing me to build some muscle. But this won’t change my BMI since it only takes weight and height into consideration.

So I am not sure what my next goal should be. Being a goal oriented person I think I’m going to have to figure out something to stay focused on. Perhaps body-fat percentage?

No matter what, I’m extremely pleased with my progress and incredibly happy that I’ve been able to stick to this diet as long as I have.

[tags]weigh-in, diet, the-diet, bmi, goal[/tags]

That being said, lets get to the weigh in. Last week I weighed in at 188.4 pounds, this week I am at 185.6 pounds for a loss of 2.8 pounds for the week and an overall loss of exactly 40 pounds!

Lets put this into perspective shall we? What is 40 pounds? What things typically weigh 40 pounds? According to the American Kennel Club a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier should typically weigh about 40 pounds. Another example, for those of you with children, is that most state laws require that children over 40 pounds must be in a booster seat, and I believe most children get to that type of weight when they are about 3 years old. For those of you with a love of boats, a 15-foot canoe weighs about 40 pounds.

So you could say that I lost a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, or a 3-year old child, or even a 15-foot canoe worth of weight. No matter how you slice it. I’m really happy to hit this milestone.

Something else I’m happy about is I am now considered healthy! My BMI is a healthy 24.5. I’m only .4 within the healthy range, but I’ll take it!

I hope everyone had as good of a week, and weekend, as I did.

[tags]diet, the diet, weigh in, bmi[/tags]

So, how much should you weigh? Obviously the numbers vary slightly depending on age and sex, but the following equation should help you to determine if you are within range of being considered medically healthy.

First, you must figure out what your BMI is. Your Body Mass Index can help you to determine whether a person has too high, or to low, of a height to weight ratio. Its rather simple math that allows you to determine if your weight fits with your height. This works for just about everyone, in every circumstance, age, and sex. As I said, the exact number for you might be a point or two above or below what this equation will give you – yet this should give you an estimate to aim for. A goal.

How do you determine your BMI? First, you must know your current height and weight. As an example, we’ll do my latest weigh in numbers.

Height: 73 inches (or 6’1″)
Weight: 192.2 pounds

First, we must multiply my weight in pounds by 705. So 192.2 X 705 = 135,501. Simple enough. Now, I need to take that number and divide it, twice, by my current height in inches. So 135,501 / 73 = 1,856.17808219178 (whoa!) and then again 1,856.17808219178 / 73 = 25.42709701633. Rounding that number off to the nearest tenth, will give me a BMI of 25.4.

So the equation is (WeightX705)/Height(/Height) = BMI.

Now we must figure out what a healthy BMI actually is. Is 25.4 good? bad? horrible? According to the Mayo Clinic here are the BMI ranges.

Healthy: 18.5 – 24.9
Overweight: 25 – 29.9
Obese: 30 or more

As you can see, I am still overweight, and I have to work a bit harder and diet a bit longer before I am in the healthy range. But how can you determine the correct weight based on this system? Pretty easily actually. All you’d need to do is keep bringing down your weight until your BMI is in the healthy range, and you will know what a healthy weight for you would be. Again, I’ll use myself as the example.

At 6’1″, if I wanted my BMI to be 24.9 (which is at the very upper edge of the healthy range), I’d need to be about 188 pounds or less. Remember 188 X 705 / 73 / 73 = 24.8 (healthy).

I hope this helps you to determine what your goals might be. Remember, if you are doing weight lifting, or any type of exercise that adds muscle weight – you are in a whole different class of people. I’m not talking about normal weight lifting either, I’m speaking of those of you that are trying to add 10, 15, or 20 pounds of muscle weight. Obviously, these numbers would not specifically apply to you as well. But again, all these numbers should do is give you an idea of what you should be aiming for.

Update with Chart – My friend and fellow dieter John has posted a chart to estimate your healthy weight. Thanks John.

[tags]diet, the-diet, weight, bmi, healthy, mayo clinic[/tags]