What is the magic number that makes one overweight or obese? I have always told my patients, "Stand in front of a mirror and if you like what you see you probably do not have a weight problem". You are really the best judge of what you should weigh. No one cares as much as you do; however, some people are too critical of themselves so it helps to have a measure that is equivalent to an unbiased third party assessment.

Understanding the BMI
The body mass index (BMI) is a measure that is more reliable than the height-weight charts of old. It is not perfect but here is how it works. Divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. Let's say you weigh 176 pounds and are 70 inches tall.

A BMI of less than 18 is underweight, 19 to 24.9 is normal, 25 to 29.9 overweight, and over 30 is obese. People with a BMI of 19 to 24 statistically live the longest. A BMI over 27 is linked to increased risks for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and arthritis. In one long-term study, men aged 40 to 65 with a BMI 25 to 29 were 72% more likely to develop coronary heart disease than were men who were not overweight.

A high BMI is not a risk if it is associated with high muscle mass. Among individuals, it is possible to have a BMI less than 30 with excess body fat, just as it is possible to have a BMI greater than 30 without excess fat.

In addition to BMI, a reliable rule of thumb for overweight related disease in women is a waist measurement over 35 inches and in men over 40 inches. Naturally this also is not an absolute rule. If you are overweight the best way to deal with it is to seriously address your diet.

High Risk Obesity
Special mention needs to be made of the increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease in individuals with a special fat distribution pattern. "Central" obesity or the beer barrel stomach body type is associated with up to a 60% greater risk of death. Typically these people have a very large waist measurement and a relatively small measurement around their buttocks. It starts becoming apparent in the third decade and often there is a family history of similar body builds. It is extremely important that someone so predisposed take steps to reverse this process.

In the past 30 to 40 years there has been an escalation of portion size in this country. Most restaurants serve enormous portions compared to what was served in the 50's, 60's and 70's. It is common to have twelve or sixteen ounce steaks, one and a half pound pasta dishes, double hamburgers, half-pound bagels and muffins, and 64 ounce soft drinks. In fact the public eats about 150 calories more each day than they did in the 80's. That alone translates into about 10 pounds per year.

All You Can Eat
Portions recommended by the USDA for their Food Guide Pyramid are generally quite small. For instance one cup of dry cereal or ½ cup of cooked cereal or pasta and a slice of bread or small muffin constitute a serving. For vegetables: one cup of leafy, ½ cup chopped or cooked and six ounces of vegetable juice constitute a serving. Similarly a medium apple, orange, banana, or ½ cup chopped fruit or 6 ounces of juice amount to a serving

One cup of milk or yogurt, 1½ ounces of natural cheese, 2 to 3 ounces of meat, ½ cup cooked beans, one egg, 1/3 cup of nuts, and just 2 tablespoons of peanut butter equal a serving. A twelve-ounce steak even for an active man is equivalent to four servings!

To conserve "health chips" (Why We Age) try to adjust your serving size down and try very hard to consume the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Changing to the serving sizes noted above this should not be too hard. It will pay great dividends by providing the nutritional components we know are critical for sustained health.