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Best way to find healthy ideal weight

I am 32 years old, 5'3" with a medium frame. I am trying to figure out what my ideal weight should be. Many calculators say the ideal weight is 115, but they don't take frame size into account, or age.
Should I just be concerned with body fat % and not care about the scale? What's a good goal for body fat %?


Tue. Oct 24, 1:00pm

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I feel like most of the online calculators are pretty general. I try a few at a time and compare them and then I can get a general range and apply it to what I know about my individual body and lifestyle : how muscular I am, whether my bones are smaller or larger, what my lowest and highest weights have been etc.
I'm 5 ft and some calculators say my ideal weight is between 90-95, some say 95-115...I'm looking into getting an actual medical evaluation of how many calories my body burns, my ideal fat percentage etc...its probably a bit pricey but much more accurate.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006, 6:55 PM

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To the OP: shoot for the top end of your ideal weight range and when you get there, see how it feels. Sometimes the effort it takes to get and stay below a certain weight - say that magic 115 for you - is too hard and unsustainable. If you get to 130 or whatever and can still lose without starving or working out 3 hours a day, then keep at it until it stops. Anyway, see if you can find height/weight charts put out by insurance companies - they take frame size into account, though they determine frame size by wrist measurement.

As for body fat % -- no test is perfect. The handheld gadget gave me ridiculously low readings, and the scales with a body fat function are affected by how hydrated you are and where you're storing the water. Flotation tank? Well, that depends on your ability to expel every molecule of breath for an accurate reading. Generally speaking, 18-23% body fat is ideal. There's a theory out there that your body fat range is related to your body type (mesomorph, endomorph, etc), so 15% suits some while 25% suits others.

To the 6:55 poster -- I've had my basic metabolic rate tested, and I don't really trust the results given by the little machine that nutritionists have. Hospitals and top-notch gyms have the big fancy equipment, which is no doubt more trustworthy - and more expensive. The little breathing machine one, well, the results are plugged into a formula with your weight, age, etc....to me this is an interpretation rather than a concrete answer. I used my results to design my diet and it hasn't worked. I'm convinced I've tortured my metabolism so badly with yo-yo dieting that I could survive on 800 calories a day without losing :(

Tuesday, October 24, 2006, 7:29 PM

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I tend to weigh about 20 lbs. more than I look so I can never go by what weights are suggested for my height because I'd probably be too skinny - of course I have yet to get there to decide!! My philosophy is scale weight should not matter - it's a good indication of whether you are heading in the right direction but that is all. Determine a clothing size that you are comfortable with and that is easy to maintain while eating healthy and exercising.

Body fat % is probably a better indicator and yet that varies too depending on your personal goals. If you want to show off a 6-pack and be a fitness model you need very low body fat%. If you want to know that you are just healthy and not considered to be in an overweight or obese range you can look online for some charts of where you should be with your body fat%.

Good Luck!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006, 7:30 PM

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lthough a weight-loss diet may help you lose a few pounds quickly, following a restrictive diet long-term is unrealistic and requires extraordinary commitment. Once you stop dieting and exercising, the weight comes back. Some people fall into an unhealthy cycle of losing and gaining weight, which may be harder on the body than just being overweight. It may be difficult to overcome the roadblocks to weight loss: lack of time for exercise, family and work commitments, easy access to less-healthy foods, and illness or injury.
Research shows that people who are most successful in improving their health have made the broader and more significant shift to a healthier lifestyle rather than targeting weight loss alone. testking 642-436 A lifestyle of healthy eating and regular physical activity will improve your health and quality of life, no matter what you weigh.
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Healthy Weight
Date updated: March 23, 2006
Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Content provided by Healthwise
Overview
What is a healthy weight?

A healthy weight is the weight your body naturally settles into when you consistently eat a nutritious diet, testking 70-431 are physically active, and balance the calories you eat with the physical activity you do. Reaching a specific weight is not as important as the lifestyle changes you make to become healthy.
Why is a healthy weight important?

Being at a healthy weight can reduce your risk of weight-related diseases, such as coronary artery disease, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. But weight is only one part of health. Even if you carry some extra weight, by eating healthfully and getting plenty of physical activity, you will feel better and have more energy. In fact, you may be healthier than a thin person who eats poorly and isn't physically active.1
Why is losing weight so hard?

Although a weight-loss diet may help you lose a few pounds quickly, following a restrictive diet long-term is unrealistic and requires extraordinary commitment. Once you stop dieting and exercising, the weight comes back. Some people fall into an unhealthy cycle of losing and gaining weight, which may be harder on the body than just being overweight.

It may be difficult to overcome the roadblocks to weight loss: lack of time for exercise, family and work commitments, easy access to less-healthy foods, and illness or injury.

Research shows that people who are most successful in improving their health have made the broader and more significant shift to a healthier lifestyle rather than targeting weight loss alone. A lifestyle of healthy eating and regular physical activity will improve your health and quality of life, no matter what you weigh.
How do I change my lifestyle?

First you'll need to learn the skills to make lifelong changes and find the support you need to create a healthy lifestyle that's right for you. Look for balanced, realistic, and enjoyable ways to fit healthful changes into your life.

Making small changes, such as being aware of your portion sizes, eating more fruits and vegetables, and adding more physical activity to your daily routine, can add up to significant improvements in your health.

Walking is an activity that most people can do safely and routinely with family members, friends, coworkers, or pets. Keep track of the number of steps you take with a step counter or pedometer, testking 70-536 which you can buy at a sporting goods store. If you have a desk job, you'll see how little you actually move in a typical day. Wearing the step counter may motivate you to accumulate more steps during the day.

To be successful in making lifestyle changes:

* Don't diet. Abandon the idea that you'll go on a diet and quickly lose a certain amount of weight. This approach almost always fails. Instead, try to make healthy eating choices that work for you.
* Think about your relationship with food. Do you eat when you are bored, stressed, or sad? Do you use food as a reward? Try making a list of other ways you can comfort or reward yourself that don't involve food.
* Slowly change your eating habits. If you are ready to improve your nutrition, you may be tempted to do a diet overhaul and change everything about the way you eat. But you will be more successful at staying with the changes you make if you pick just one eating habit at a time to work on.
* Establish goals you can reach. Set small goals. Your goals should be specific, within your reach, and flexible. A goal to simply exercise more is too general. Instead, make a specific plan to be active for a certain amount of time each week. For example, start with a goal to walk for 15 minutes 3 times a week, and then slowly increase it to 20 minutes 4 times a week. When you reach this goal and it has become routine, set a new one. But realize you may have setbacks now and then; it doesn't mean you've failed.
* Make daily physical activity a part of your routine. Identify what keeps you from being active or exercising. Are you juggling a demanding job with raising kids? Maybe you can start a walking group at work during lunchtime. Arrange for someone else to pick up the kids from day care or soccer practice 1 day a week so you can make time for physical activity. Or pick an activity that your family can do together, such as taking a bike ride or playing Frisbee.

Friday, August 28, 2009, 6:59 AM

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Here's the formula...
For women, allow 100 pounds for the first 5 feet. Then allow an additional 5 pounds for each inch over 5 feet. (For men, allow an additional 6 pounds for each inch.) That figure, plus or minus 15% gives you the appropriate weight range and takes into consideration small, medium and large bone structure.

For example, a 5 foot three inch woman should weigh 100 + 15 = 115 pounds, plus or minus 17 pounds depending on body frame. So the range would be 98 to 132 pounds.

You are 5' 3" with a medium frame. That puts your appropriate weight right in the middle of the range at 115 pounds.

While we're at it, there is an easy way to determine what calorie intake should be for a given weight. Just add a zero. For example, your weight should be 115 pounds so your calorie intake should be 1150 per day. Or to word this a little differently, 1,150 calories per day will support a weight of 115 pounds. Likewise, if you weigh more than 115 pounds but consume only 1,150 calories per day your weight will drop to 115.


Friday, August 28, 2009, 10:02 PM

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