How Much Should I Weigh?

Here’s the rule of thumb for men and women, regardless of so-called bone size. For men, start with 110 pounds and, for each inch over 60″, add 5½ pounds. With this formula, a six-foot male, i.e., 72″ tall, should weigh no more than 176 pounds. Low weight is also a problem (although not so much in our chunky population). If the 72″ male slips below 90% (158 pounds) of his top ideal weight, he needs to regain that weight. So, ideal weight is a range, not a fixed figure. For women, it’s almost the same. Start with 100 pounds and, for each inch over 60″, add 5 pounds. With this formula, a 5’10″ woman should weigh no more than 150 pounds. Her low weight would be 90% (135 pounds) of her top weight. It really is that simple. For example, at 8’3¼”, I’m just fine at 258 pounds.

You need to know the relative amounts of body fat to all the rest of your body that’s not fat, i.e., bone, water, muscle, tissues. The proper relationship permits and promotes a good quality of life and a good prospect for your well being. Men should have, at an absolute minimum, 5% body fat; women should have, at an absolute minimum, 15% body fat. If you have too much body fat, then you’re certainly overweight, if not downright obese. Some fat, of course, is necessary, but, when it exceeds 16% in men or 28% in women, then it can be lethal. Excess body fat is clearly linked to liver disease, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, respiratory dysfunction, gall bladder disease, and joint problems.

Stay True to Blue Because Greener is Obscener

Now, what the hell is BMI and what is meant by overweight and by obesity? Just like everything else in a society which knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing, these terms are based on numbers, i.e., ranges of weight-and-height relationships.

These ranges are referred to as BMIs, i.e., “body mass index,” and your number should be no lower than 19 and no greater than 24. There are several tables all over the internet which analyze the hell out of the numbers, but read about this topic first so that you’re not so shocked that you won’t continue. For the timid, it would be a good idea to ask a trusted friend to sit with you as you read.

Essentially, you’re overweight if you have more body fat than you need, but not so much extra that it can have a serious and profound adverse effect on your life span. It’s a range between normal weight and level I obese.  This is a BMI range between 25 and 29.

You already know that you’re overweight. That’s why you’re reading this blog or why some passive-aggressive person suggested it to you. In any event, the rule of thumb provided above under “What Should I Weigh?” establishes that you’re overweight. Your BMI is >24 and/or your waist is greater than 35″ if you’re female and greater than 40″ if you’re male, and your shape (apple or pear) tells you how close you are to death from weight-related problems.

Convert Your Apple to a Pear on the Way to Your Ideal Weight Range

In my research on weight management, I was amazed when I stumbled across the fact that your shape plays a role—an important role—in how adversely your obesity can affect you. The question to answer is: are you an apple or are you a pear? It sounds silly, but both shapes are dangerous, but apple shape is the more dangerous of the two. If you’re apple shaped, then most of your fat is around your middle and such placement has a higher correlation with stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, hyperuricemia, and, in the case of women, polycystic ovary syndrome. If you’re pear shaped, i.e., if most of your fat is located in your lower body, i.e., hips, thighs, legs, etc., you have a higher correlation with prostate enlargement and prostate cancer. Men are more likely to be “apples” and women are more likely to be “pears.”

It’s not known why some folks are “apples” and others are “pears,” but it seems that about one-third is caused by genes and hormones; however, because our environment is home to an ever-increasing use of the female hormones estrogen and prolactin and estrogen-like compounds, folks become “pears” more readily than they otherwise would. If they’re exposed to corticosteroids, they’re more likely to become “apples” and such men are more likely to develop enlarged prostates and prostate cancer.

It’s usually not easy to determine whether you’re an “apple” or a “pear” from your full-length mirror. You’ve got to measure yourself in order to calculate your waist-to-hip ratio. Even though math is involved, it’s easy. Here’s what you do. Measure your waist at its narrowest. Measure your hips at their broadest. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. That’s your waist-to-hip ratio. So, if your waist is 50″ and your hips are 71″, your waist-to-hip ratio is 0.704. For females, if your ratio is >0.8, you’re an “apple”; if it’s 0.8 or less, you’re a “pear.” For men the cut-off is 0.95. Your bulk can shift as your weight changes, so monitor your waist-to-hip ratio at least monthly.

There’s not a lot more to understand. Lose weight. You’re aiming not for thinness, but for leanness, i.e., the right proportion of fat to non-fat in your body. Lose as much fat as possible and, in the process, shift what’s left from fat to muscle. Strengthen your cardiovascular system. Develop a taste for wholesome, healthful foods. Banish all bread products, all sugared products, all fried products, and all fast-food products from the rest of your (now longer) life.

Okay, once it’s established that you’re on your deathbed from cancer, stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, or whatever, you can pig out. That’s permitted; however, don’t precipitate the deathbed scenario just to gobble up a supersized McGreasy—that’s cheating.

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