Body Assessment
Identifying your target weight
A healthy weight is the weight your body naturally settles into when you consistently eat a nutritious diet, are physically active, and balance the calories you eat with the physical activity you do. There are a number of methods that can be used to determine a target weight that is right for you two of the most popular are Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Hip Ratio (WHR).
A healthy Body Mass Index (BMI)¹
Calculating your BMI
Use our BMI Calculator to work out your BMI (this information is not stored by us in any way). The ranges shown below are for adults only:
A healthy Waist Hip Ratio (WHR)²
Researchers have found that your WHR provides a more detailed assessment of how your weight might be affecting your health - particularly your risk of heart disease. WHR looks at the amount of fat stored on your body around your waist and hips. Most people store fat either around the middle (apple shape) or around the hips (pear shape). Having an apple shape is riskier for your health. If you have more weight around your waist you have a greater risk of lifestyle related diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, than people that carry weight around their hips.
The ranges below are for adults only:
Women should have a WHR of 0.8 or less.
Men should have a WHR of 0.95 or less.
Calculating your WHR
Use our WHR calculator to work out your own WHR.
| Waist (inches) | Hip (inches) | Waist Hip Ratio |
Other ways to measure your weight
Checking your weight regularly and measuring your waist is a great way to keep an eye on how your weight loss is going, and to keep you motivated. But weight or waist circumference alone cannot distinguish between the pounds that come from body fat and those that come from lean body tissue, such as muscle and bone. For this, a more sophisticated body fat measurement is required, and that means either going to a specialist or investing in a home body fat monitoring device.
How much body fat is healthy?
Know your BIAs from your NIRs5
Body fat monitors are based on Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). This system is based on a safe electrical signal, which is passed through the body. Lean tissue has more water than fat tissue and allows the signal to pass easily. The fat tissue resists or impedes the signal. This impedance can then be measured, giving you a body fat measurement.
You may also find Near Infra-Red (NIR) tests, which use a fiber optic probe to measure tissue composition at various sites on the body.
Professional methods of measuring fat6
But, if you ever need to consult an expert about your body fat, you may find they use other measuring methods.
Skin calipers, which measure body fat by taking a pinch of skin, should only be used by trained and certified technicians, who will need to measure multiple sites on the body to get an accurate result.
Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) is a scanning method that measures fat, muscle and bone. It allows fat distribution throughout the entire body to be read in a single scan. The equipment used is very expensive and requires the subject to lie perfectly still for 1020 minutes while the scan is taken.
References
1. NHS Direct. What is the Body Mass Index (BMI)? Available at: http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=850 (date accessed: 19 September 2008).
2. BBC Health. Your weight. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/your_weight/medical_bmi.shtml#waist-hip_ratio (date accessed: 19 September 2008).
3. Based on NIH/WHO BMI Guidelines. Available at: http://www.dietandfitnessresources.co.uk/info_charts/body_fat_chart.htm (date accessed: 19 September 2008).
4. Gallagher D. Healthy percentage body fat ranges: an approach for developing guidelines based on body mass index. Am J Clin Nutr 2000; 72: 694701.
5. What is body fat percentage? Available at: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/fatbia.htm (date accessed: 19 September 2008).
6. Body Fat Analyzing Comparing Methods for Measuring Body Fat. Available at: http://new-fitness.com/body_fat_analyzing.html. (date accessed: 19 September 2008).
