Do You Know Your Body Mass Index?
By Kirsten Hawkins, Thu Dec 8th

For some, the need to lose weight is clear. Those whose bodyweight places them into the obese or morbidly obese categoriesare well aware that they are carrying too many pounds. But whatabout the borderline overweight? Is that ten pounds over theideal weight raising your risk of health complications? Are youjust 'big-boned'? How do you decide if you really need to loseweight - and how much you need to lose? Doctors have a number ofdifferent ways to measure the need to lose weight. Long gone arethe years when they relied on an insurance company chart of'ideal weights'. The most commonly used measure is the Body MassIndex (BMI). The BMI measures your weight relative to yourheight. It is generally an accurate representation ofmuscle-to-fat ratio, though there are some limitations. 1. Itmay overestimate the BMI of an athletic person, because muscleis denser and weighs more than fat. 2. It may underestimate theBMI of an older person, or others who have low muscle mass.There are many BMI calculators available online that will allowyou to check your own BMI. The table for determining riskfactors associated with obesity is: Below 18.5 - Underweight18.5 - 24.9 - Normal 25.0 - 29.9 - Overweight 30.0 and up -Obese If your BMI is above 25.0, your doctor or other medicalprofessional can advise you on the best weight loss plan foryou. You should know that there are great benefits to losingeven a moderate amount of weight. Some of those include: *Lowering your risk of diabetes. According to the AmericanDiabetes Association, a weight loss of as little as 10 poundscan decrease the chances of pre-diabetes developing intodiabetes

by 58%. * Lower your risk of heart disease. TheAmerican Heart Association states that coronary problems aredirectly correlated to weight. By losing weight to bring yourBMI to within normal ranges, you significantly lower your riskof developing heart problems. * Reduce your risk of arthritisand pain from arthritis. A number of forms of arerelated to weight. Losing weight substantially decreases thestrain that additional weight places you your knees, hips, backand ankles. Are you motivated to get started? Here are threeways that you can start losing weight today: Get active.

If you do nothing different in your life but exercise for onehalf hour daily, you will lose 5-7% of your body weight peryear. Cut out white breads and sugars.

Substitute whole grains for refined flours and sugars, andyou'll automatically reduce the number of calories that youconsume daily. Eat more fresh vegetables.

Fresh vegetables, especially raw, are a significant source ofmany of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs daily.They're high in nutrition, while low in calories. By increasingthe amount of fresh vegetables that you eat and reducing theamount of processed, refined foods, you'll cut calories andcarbohydrates significantly.

About the author:Kirsten Hawkins is a nutrition and health expert from Nashville,TN.Visit http://www.popular-diets.com/ for more great nutrition,well-being, and vitamin tips as well as reviews and comments onpopular diets.