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One of the things I said was that I had a hard time deciding whether or not to go for a certain BW since I'd always seen 63kg (I'm 1,59m tall, you do the math ) as a goal wt. Once attained, it was weird to strive for a lower BW.
Another good reason for not wanting to go any lower was that I've suffered from a few health scares and got interested in attaining the healthiest weight possible.
Now here's the interesting part. Research shows that a BMI of 25 that is on the edge of overweight is apparently the healthiest weight to survive.
However, as everyone knows or should know, this is not the entire story.. is that muscle or is it fat.
Well, just this week something very interesting got published in the NEJM.
It confirmed what we all knew: being fatter on the belly is what makes you unhealthy ... even when your BMI is 'OK' or even lower than 25.
I've not bothered reading the entire (journal) article but when I read the Dutch one, 1 thing stuck out for me.. apart from the repetition of having a healthy BW when circumference is below 85cm (for women) it also dealt with my idea that a BMI of 25 was good for both men & women:
Quote:
Mannen met een BMI van 25,3 en vrouwen met een BMI van 24,3 hadden de laagste sterftekans
Men live longest at a BMI of 25.3 but women need to go down to 24.3 if they want to live long (and prosper).. gah, that's 0.7 points lower than I assumed. In case you are female and thought the same, that's a bit of a bummer. Guys can be happier as it's 0.3 points higher than my assumption of 25.
Aoife, I could have known.. just never came across the actual precise numbers.
It gave me a bit peace of mind about how my desired future BW (BMI 22.9) isn't too far away from the optimal BMI of 24.3.
There is no ideal healthy weight this article discusses this topic well. Two things you want to look at is your body fat percentage and body type. If bodybuilders were to use the BMI calculator as a guide they would all be considered obese.
Well, bodybuilders are a prime example of people who are in their quest of more musklez sometimes NOT very or not at all interested in health or longevity. There's scores who die very young..
I think worrying about what "perfect" weight is just puts your eggs in the wrong basket. I am better of with an "action" plan (how does it feel doing all these things that are supposed to make me healthy?) vs. a strict goal plan (what should my weight/bf/whatever be?)...The things you put yourself through attaining a goal sometimes bring you further from it, whether you like it or not.
If I hit a certain weight, my bones bruise me. I'm still at a healthy (not underweight by any means), but I become uncomfortable. My personal ideal weight is 110, but anything remotely less than that and I become physically uncomfortable. Right now I'm chilling out at 112 and realize that this is probably where I should stay.
I think the healthiest weight is pretty skinny, lean, but with not much muscle, something like a 5"10 guy, 70kg, 10% BF - therefore your body, and heart especially don't have much stress on them carrying around your puny little body ha!
Age-Adjusted Body Fat Charts for Men and Women
If you look around the Internet, you will see a lot of different recommendations for body fat percentages. As far as I can tell, this is the most authoritative, as it is based on World Health Organization and National Institutes of Health recommendations, and takes age into account. Please do not confuse these numbers with the BMI (Body Mass Index) scores, which are not the same thing.
Age-Adusted Body Fat Percentage Recommendations
Women
Age Underfat Healthy Range Overweight Obese
20-40 yrs Under 21% 21-33% 33-39% Over 39%
41-60 yrs Under 23% 23-35% 35-40% Over 40%
61-79 yrs Under 24% 24-36% 36-42% Over 42%
Men
Age Underfat Healthy Range Overweight Obese
20-40 yrs Under 8% 8-19% 19-25% Over 25%
41-60 yrs Under 11% 11-22% 22-27% Over 27%
61-79 yrs Under 13% 13-25% 25-30% Over 30%
Source: Gallagher et al. Am J Clin Nut 2000; 72:694-701
Apparently for my age bracket (41-60y) one is considered underfat (not fat enough) below 23% !
Interesting. I almost bought one of those body fat scales yesterday, b/c I'm curious to know what my "real" value is. I'd think that most of us here have less body fat than the charts say for our weight and height b/c we are strength training.
However, I didn't buy the scale b/c:
a) it was almost $50, and -
b) I decided I didn't need some stupid piece of questionably accurate equipment to tell me how I *feel* about myself, and -
c) it was almost $50
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To be calm is the highest achievement of the self.
Well, sure....I certainly don't want to think of myself as 1/4 fat. A walking snickers bar. And, sometimes, a little self-delusion is a good thing. I prefer to think of myself as a lean, mean, fitness machine. It's much more motivating!
Now, underestimating calories...that's dangerous. First hand experience there.
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To be calm is the highest achievement of the self.
Plus those scales are usually wrong. I have one and use it only to track direction. Even then you have to use at the same time every day, same hydration, etc... in order to get anything near accurate measurements.
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"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -- T.S. Eliot
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."-- Aristotle
That's so very true Jane! The much coveted caliper readings have a tendency to vastly underestimate bf% especially in the hands of the unexperienced or when using too few datapoints : 3-site measurments are notoriously unreliable!
I'm (perhaps overly) relying on the Omron, it's the only instrument I have that gives easy and daily feedback. Even waist measurement doesn't tell everything as you can be overly bloated 1 day and feeling tight & lean the other as a result of fasting. For 30 day averages it's not too bad.
Which makes me wonder.. is there anyone who has done daily Omron (or Tanita) measurements AND done a DEXA? How far was it off? (I'm stressing DAILY measurements as individual ones can differ by 5% depending on phase of the moon & hydration levels, but monthly averages cancel every effect out,especially hormonal ones!!!
Friend of mine had a huge discrepancy: Tanita put her at 25% or so and DEXA at 17% if not even less.
The person I referred to claims to carry most excess fat on her abdomen, makes a big difference. Too bad not more have done both DEXA and consistent daily BIA tracking so as to make a fair comparison.
I actually think most people UNDERestimate their body fat percentage.
I do agree
My averages with the tanita at the moment are around 20% which I think is correct and Espi I have just discovered that a dexa scan is possible here in the region. I will let you know if the cost makes it possible for me.
In fact, he's quite buff for being so lean. Maybe that's why I prefer tall and lean - its what I saw as he grew up!
__________________ "My yoga class had me trembling and sweating and I feel MUCH better." - Fang
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tenacious Training and Tweaking (the A lotta Alitteration thread)
In fact, he's quite buff for being so lean. Maybe that's why I prefer tall and lean - its what I saw as he grew up!
Everyone has their idea of what is too skinny, I would think your bro looks pretty skinny, but to each his/her own. My brother is 6'0" and about 145-150, I give him a hard time about it, but my parents (when i see them) give me a hard time about being 6'0" and 200-205.
I have had dexa and it was very close to my 7 site caliper testing. (I have an experienced exercise phys who does mine) dexa was a bit higher but not by much.
The healthiest weight/size
) as a goal wt. Once attained, it was weird to strive for a lower BW. 
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