Ideal body weight is not a complete guarantee that a person's body is in good health and free from disease. Indeed obesity or excess weight can increase the risk appearance certain diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. However, these diseases can also occur in people of normal weight.
Ideal body weight can be determined using a BMI calculator (body mass iindex) or called BMI (body mass index). However, BMI alone cannot be an absolute benchmark for evaluating a person's health condition.
This is because the BMI formula only calculates the ratio of weight and height. One of the drawbacks of calculating BMI is that this method cannot determine the amount and distribution of fat in the body. A bodybuilder can have a high BMI, even though his body fat content is low.
In fact, the high amount of fat in the body is important to assess a person's risk of developing various chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Even skinny people can have a lot of fat
From the explanation of BMI above, it can be concluded that even people with ideal body weight or who appear thin may have an excessive percentage of body fat. This condition is known as thin outside, fat inside (TOFI) or "thin on the outside, fat on the inside".
Conversely, people with excess body weight but normal body fat composition can be considered healthier than people who have a normal BMI but have excess body fat composition.
There are two types of body fat, namely subcutaneous and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is fat that is located under the skin, while visceral fat is found in the abdominal cavity and near the organs of the body.
Excess body fat tissue, especially visceral fat, can be bad for health because it can increase the risk of various diseases, such as:
- Heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- stroke
- Alzheimer's disease
- Cancer
Then, what is a healthy ideal weight like?
A healthy ideal weight is when the body weight is in accordance with the normal BMI and body fat mass is not too high.
There are several ways that can be done to calculate body fat, including checking the thickness of fat tissue in the arms or abdomen (anthropometric examination) and weighing body weight with special scales (anthropometric examination).body fat scales). This examination can be done by a nutritionist.
The criteria for the ideal body fat percentage are different for each person, depending on age and gender. In women, the ideal body fat percentage ranges from 25-30%. Whereas in men, it ranges from 18-25%.
Now, To achieve the ideal body weight and maintain the composition of body fat so that it is not excessive, you need to adopt a healthy lifestyle by:
- Exercise regularly.
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet.
- Increase the intake of fiber, protein, and complex carbohydrates from vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
- Limit consumption of foods that contain lots of trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, such as fast food and offal.
- Reduce sugary foods and drinks, such as ice cream, cakes, and soft drink.
- Control stress.
Now that you understand a healthy weight and how to achieve it, right? Come on, start applying from now on!
One more thing, don't forget to check your health condition regularly to the doctor. If necessary, consult a nutritionist to ensure that your body weight is ideal and your body fat tissue is not excessive. In addition, a nutritionist can also suggest a diet that is suitable for you.
