What is my ideal weight? This is a question a lot of people ask themselves; few people have an idea of it. What does ideal weight mean? It does not have a direct definition, but the weight is defined as maximally healthful of a person based mainly on height. Ideal weight is determined by a number of factors that include age, gender, height and degree of muscular development.
Ideal body weight has been a subject of discussion for many years so many theories, and formulas have been brought forward and tested. Everyone has a unique body weight. The most effective way, however, of determining it is by the use of a calculator.
The calculator method is an estimate because it cannot differentiate the difference between muscle and fat mass. It takes into account Height in both foot and inches, body type that are small, medium or large and finally gender.
It can be used mostly by people who are still growing. To get the exact results you can get your exact body fat percentage figures from your gym.
HOW THE IDEAL WEIGHT VARIES
It changes with the following factors body shape, Age and Height. We look at each factor individually.
BODY SHAPE
There are three body shapes:
Ectomorph this is a type that lacks fat or muscle tissue
Mesomorph this is a type that has well-developed muscles
Endomorph this is a type that has a large amount of body fat.
Ideal body weight, therefore, can be determined by first knowing your body type.
AGE AND HEIGHT
These two factors are inter-twinned because looking at age alone, it is expected that man in his early twenties should weigh more than a teenage boy. This, however, does not hold because the two have different height.
The weight of a person leans more towards their height, therefore.
Weight of a person increases with their increase in height.
WHAT IS BMI?
Body mass index is the measure of a person’s body mass based on height and weight. It’s calculated by dividing weight of an individual by the square of their height.
Apart from the ideal body, weight an individual may be either underweight or overweight.
UNDERWEIGHT
This is a body type determined by a body mass index that is lower than 18.5.
OVERWEIGHT
This is a condition where people have a body mass index that is higher than 25
IDEAL BODY WEIGHT
This is a body type of individuals who have a BMI of 18.5-25.
SUMMARY
Ideal body weights of individuals are different, and it is determined by body shape, age and height. It can be easily calculated by using height, gender and body type.
CONCLUSION
Knowing one’s ideal body weight is important because one can live a happy and healthy lifestyle.
