If you want to lose weight by reducing your body fat percentage, then you may be surprised to know that it is not one rule for everybody, in fact, your ideal body weight depends on a few factors that you might have not realised.
Today, we will discuss what you need to think about when calculating ideal body weight, which ideal body weight formula is best, and why people may look different than others even after they hit their ideal weight.
It is important to remember that when you want to lose weight, you are focusing on getting to a healthy weight that is in your range.
Losing too much weight too fast can be detrimental to your health, and cause you other issues like the appearance of cellulite, and saggy skin, among others. While there is the availability of a wide range of treatments like Emtone in Fall River, MA (and elsewhere) to address issues like these, one should aim for gradual and sustainable weight loss.
So when you calculate your ideal body weight for yourself, keep in mind that getting there takes time and that you should not focus on losing weight to be ‘skinny’ you should be losing it if you have too much body fat for your height, age, health, etc.
How Much Should You Weigh?
You probably know at least a few people who have talked about their ideal weight and want to do whatever they can to be in a healthy weight range so that they can feel better about themselves.
We live in a world where a lot of fast food is around filled with saturated fats and sugars, causing people to go over their daily calories allowance which is making them gain weight, putting them way out of a healthy BMI range (Body Mass Index).
Your ideal body weight depends on you as an individual, not lumped together with other people.
When people use an ideal body weight calculator they need to know that it is not showing them how they can look like the people on TV when they hit that weight, but what is potentially healthiest for their body.
It is Not a Perfect Measurement
Whilst an ideal weight calculator can be a strong indicator of what can be best for someone, it does not factor in the percentage of body fat and muscle mass in a person’s body.
This is why someone like an athlete who is highly fit and a healthy weight, can still be considered overweight when they use a body mass index calculator.
It is not an exact science when it comes to figuring out exactly what a person should weigh, and it will depend on the individual.
These are only references that people can work with, for instance, body mass index (BMI) can be combined with measuring body fat percentage on the thighs, abdomen, chest, and upper arms, to see how much fat is there and what that can mean for a person’s health.
Focus on a Healthy Lifestyle
No matter what, it is essential that individuals make sure that they lead a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious foods, keeping hydrated, staying away from fatty foods, and doing daily exercise.
All of this together can help someone reach their health and fitness goals, no matter what the BMI calculation says.
Average Healthy BMI Range
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, a healthy BMI range should be between 18.5 to 25 for males and females.
What Affects The Ideal Body Weight?
There are a few factors that need to be considered when it comes to the ideal weight being affected, so below we have written down what those things are and how important they are for people to understand.
Age
Age shouldn’t really be that big of a factor when it comes to IBW, however, as people get older, they tend to shrink, resulting in their frame size changing which can make their weight-to-height ratio change.
Lean muscle mass decreases and it is easier to put on extra body fat. There’s also other factors such as reduced metabolism and sagging cheeks and breasts. While the latter can be fixed with a breast lift in Southlake, TX, or somewhere near you, the former needs more active efforts to live a suitable lifestyle for your age.
This is, of course, natural and will happen to everyone as they get older, but with a monitored diet, reducing stress, and having more sleep, their body composition should remain at a healthy level.
Gender
Females normally weigh less than males, however, they do have a higher body fat percentage compared to males, whereas males will have higher muscle mass which is heavier than body fat.
Women tend to have lower bone density, and males are statistically taller than females.
All of these can add to the difference between ideal body weight, but, as humans change over generations, that has the potential to shift in other directions, but for now, that is the general consensus.
Height
The taller a person is the more muscle mass and body fat they have, which means that they will be weighing more to keep up with how tall they are.
A male who is of similar height to a female should, on average, weigh 10-20% heavier.
Body Frame Size
Body frame size is typically categorized as small, medium, or large-boned.
This is measured by the circumference of someone’s wrist in relation to their height.
Which Ideal Body Weight Formula is Best?
The Devine formula is seen as the most medically validated.
Doctors will use this to calculate the dosage of certain medications they give to patients.
Other formulas are very similar to this one and the only reason why they are around was to improve on the main formula.
Why do People Look Different at Their Ideal Weight?
We have mentioned what will factor into the difference in ideal body weight in individuals, but, once someone hits their ‘ideal weight’, they may be upset to see that they don’t look the way they thought they would do.
This is very natural and it will be because for a few reasons which we will discuss now.
Muscle Mass
People that have a lot more lean muscle mass will have a different appearance from someone who is less muscular but at the same weight.
Muscle is a lot denser than fat so it doesn’t need to occupy a large space as fat mass does.
Body Proportions
Each of us has different proportions, for example, you will see people with longer legs but shorter torsos, whereas others will have short legs and longer torsos, and so on.
Someone with a short torso (female) may not be able to have an hourglass figure no matter what their weight will be because it simply doesn’t fit in with their proportions.
Body Shape
There are variations in body shape for women and men, and they will be an important part of people finding their ideal body weight.
Women
- Rectangle
- Inverted Triangle
- Hourglass
- Pear
- Apple
Men
- Ectomorph
- Endomorph
- Mesomorph
Fat Storage
Fat is stored throughout the body, and people will find that they have fat in different places, for instance, there are people who will store fat in their abdominal area, while others will have it in their hips, buttocks, and thighs.
Some women may also find that their body tends to store the most amount of fat in their breasts, causing them to gain size and shape. This type of fat storage is often referred to as “fat padding” and can be more difficult to reduce than fat stored in other areas of the body.
This happens quite largely due to genetics, so from the get-go, you more than likely have not had a say in where that fat is stored as it was already pre-planned’ for you.
While reducing fat from other parts of the body may seem like an easy game, breast fat, on the other hand, is very hard to reduce. Diet and exercise can help, but they’re not always a guaranteed solution. Thus, it may be beneficial for ladies with heavy breasts to rely on medical procedures for breast fat reduction and breast lift in Denver, CO (or elsewhere).
Conclusion
Now you know how to work out ideal body weight whilst incorporating these factors above, you should feel more informed about your own body and how you view it.
No matter what you do, you are not going to look exactly as you picture your ‘ideal self’ in your mind, it is important to understand that and know that there is nothing wrong with how you look, you are you and that is the most important thing to remember when it comes to being the healthiest version of you.