Week 8: Nutrition -- Learn how to find your personal healthy weight

by CHRISTINA TILLMAN

Eating healthier by having written goals and replacing unhealthy eating behaviors are good steps toward a healthy lifestyle.

Finding one's personal healthy weight is another step toward achieving a healthy lifestyle that will help you live longer and healthier.

Think of the toll being overweight takes on our overall quality of life.

You may be surprised by what the right weight is.

Body Mass Index, or BMI, body frame size and waist size are helpful in determining your healthiest weight.

Body Mass Index

Body Mass Index is a calculation that takes into consideration weight and height to determine whether a person is underweight, overweight or at a healthy weight. How tall you are has a great deal to do with whether your weight is healthy.

It's important to note that BMI is just one factor involved in determining risk for disease. Diet choices, exercise, and smoking all combine to determine whether or not an individual is healthy.

BMI Calculator

1. Multiply your height in inches by your height in inches = A

2. Your weight = B; A ? B = C

3. C x 703 = BMI

BMI ranges

- Less than 18.5: Underweight

- 18.5 to 24.9: Normal

- 25 to 29.9: Overweight

- 30 and higher: Obese

Muscle strength, body shape and body frame are all important determinants in finding one's healthiest weight. A muscular build could contribute to a so-called overweight range because muscle weighs more than fat.

Frame size

The distance between the two little bones on either side of your elbow is used to determine frame size.

Frame Size Calculator

Hold up your arm at a 90-degree with your palm facing your face. Put the pointer finger of the other hand on the bone on one side and your thumb on the other. Then measure the distance between them.

For women in the 5-foot-4 to 5-foot7 range,

Distance between elbow bones Frame

21/4 inches and below: Small

23/8 inches to 25/8: Medium

23/4 inches and above: Large

Waist size

Waist size is a good indicator of a healthy shape. The fat around your middle increases the risk of high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high cholesterol and pre-diabetes. Having a flat belly while being on the upper end of the healthy-weight range may be OK, but carrying a lot of weight around your middle while being on the lower end of the healthy-weight range may be a signal to pay attention to waist size.

To measure your waist circumference, place a tape measure around your belly an inch above your hip bones. Keep the tape snug and parallel to the floor.

Risk increases for women with waists 35 inches or above for women and 40 inches and above for men.

Knowing your Body Mass Index, body frame size and waist size can help you determine the ideal weight that will help you live a longer and healthier life.

Christina Tillman is with the Miller Health Group.