Obesity Issues: The Importance of Being in a Healthy Weight Range

Every time you visit your doctor or dietician or nutritionist or fitness expert, you are subjected to sage counsel – advising you to stay within a healthy weight range. You have heard this probably a hundred times and perhaps it sounds boring or repetitive. But do you know why you are asked to stay within a healthy weight range?

The reason is very simple. Obesity is the main culprit behind a variety of serious diseases like heart diseases, coronary ailments, strokes, heart attacks, arthritis, diabetes, cardiac arrests, blocked vessels etc. Obese people also tend to suffer from high blood pressure, menstrual problems and severely obese women find it difficult to give birth to children. That is why it is important to be in a healthy weight range, so that you are neither underweight nor overweight.

Most healthy weight range charts found in the internet in plenty and free of cost are prepared by health experts attached with some or the other American or European university. Healthy weight range charts take into account factors like height, age, gender and percentage of body fat.

And when you look at a healthy weight range chart, you will find that for every person belonging to a particular height, say, five feet and 8 inches, the healthy weight range will be between x pounds and y pounds. This is because a person who has a broader frame, stocky build and hard muscles will have a greater weight than someone who is not that well built. The former will belong to the bracket of upper weight range while the latter will belong to the lower weight range.

The healthiest weight range, calculated through BMI or body mass index/indicator is between 19 and 25. If your BMI falls below 19, you are underweight and if it is above 25, you are overweight. If your BMI is close to 30, you are severely obese. But many doctors nowadays are of the opinion that the healthiest weight range is a BMI between 26 and 28, in which case life expectancy and life span get increased.

Next Page »