You Could Be Obese And Not Even Know It!

Tweet Think if you are at a healthy weight then you are in the clear? If so, then think again...

Many people calculate their BMI or Body Mass Index. In fact, our individual weight loss tickers are calculating our BMI for us as we monitor the pounds we lose. You can find BMI calculators all over the internet and there is probably one hanging in your doctor’s office. Body Mass Index is simply an individual’s body weight divided by the square of his or her height. BMI does not measure your percentage of body fat. According to my BMI, I am just barely at a “healthy” weight. Calculate your BMI!

In addition to eating more healthfully, I am exercising regularly as well. Yesterday, I decided to take my body measurements because I know that sometimes your body is actually changing even though your scale may not be budging. If you are exercising, you can lose inches before you start to lose pounds because fat is being replaced with muscle. So, I took my baseline measurements for my entire body. I will repeat them in a month. Learn how to take your body measurements.

After taking my measurements, I decided to calculate my body fat percentage. You only need to measure your body in 4 places (waist, wrist, forearm and hips) in order to calculate your body fat percentage. I plugged my numbers in and was quite shocked at the outcome. More than a third of my body is FAT. According to the Body Fat Percentage Chart, that percentage places me in the “obese” category.
Calculate your Body Fat!

If you want to go one step further, you can use your waist and hip measurements to calculate your Waist to Hip Ratio. Once again, my calculations put me in the most unhealthy category and indicated that I am at High Risk for diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. All of these diseases run in my family. I also have an apple body shape because I gain weight in my abdomen. Calculate your Waist to Hip Ratio and check out the Ratio Chart!

So, I started thinking about all of this information that I had just learned and I asked myself... "How can I be at a healthy weight and also obese and high risk for scary diseases?" What I found was that I have what is now being called "Normal Weight Obesity." Sounds like an oxymoron, right?!?! Well, it is real and it is serious. I now know that even though my weight may be "normal" on the charts, I am still at risk for many of the same diseases as someone who is actually obese. I have a large body fat percentage and though I may not be able to change my apple body shape and where I carry that excess FAT (thanks genetics!) - I can do something to reduce it. Now one of my goals is to work to reduce FAT and not just weight!
Learn more about Normal Weight Obesity!

Sorry for the lengthy post (I'm a writer). I hope you find this information informative and helpful. I am so grateful to be a part of this project. I am learning so much about my body and finally taking ownership of the body that I own!

Cheers ~ Blondie! :)