By Marie Dufour RD – Do you remember “Beaver” Cleaver from the 60′ series, “Leave it to Beaver?” Or perhaps Porter and Sandy Ricks from “Flipper?” How would you qualify these boys? Skinny or normal weight? How do they compare to Anthony Soprano Jr.? The 60’s boys were, in fact, of desirable weight whereas Anthony Jr. is not of a healthy weight. All around us, and especially on television, images distort our perception in order to accept “overweight” as the norm.
Even clothes manufacturers play with our perception. They regularly upgrade their “normalized” sizes to reflect the global growth of the market’s girth. Ladies, did you ever wonder why you were a size 6 at age 25 and are still a size 6 at age 50, and you know you can pinch more than an inch at your waist? Oh, and the wonder of hip-hugger jeans! No need to belt up that waist any longer!
There are standards, though, and it’s easy to find out whether or not we are within the healthy picture.
A quick way to estimate healthy body weight:
- Women: 100 lbs + 5 lbs for every inch over 5′ (ex: 5′3″ = 115 lbs ± 10%)
- Men: 110 lbs + 5 lbs for every inch over 5′ (ex: 5′5 = 135 lbs ± 10%)
Another quick way to estimate if we are at a healthy weight is to measure waist circumference. The fat that accumulates around our waist is the most damaging in terms of risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and heart disease. The good news is that proper nutrition and an active lifestyle make the abdominal fat disappear more quickly than the fat in our thighs and buttocks.
What is a healthy waist circumference?
- For women, waist of over 31′ (80 cm) indicate a slight health risk, and waist over 35″ (90 cm) indicate a substantially increased risk.
- For men, waist of over 37″ (94cm) indicate a slight health risk, and waist of over 40″ (102 cm) indicate a substantially increased risk.
In other words, if we can “pinch an inch” at the waist, it’s time to get in motion!
Filed under: Lifestyle, community nutrition, diet, public health , childhood obesity, diet, health, healthy lifestyle, heart health, ideal body weight, Marie Dufour RD, nutrition, obesity, waist circumference, weight control, weight loss, women's Health
