August 26, 2009

Ideal mass for height distribution on species: Human.

I have a twofold quandry: I hit the 204 weight last week. I am hoping to crack the 200 lb mark in a couple of weeks. From that point on it is a matter of what I can maintain weighing without wanting to eat small dogs and children for snacks.

Now, my main goal is to get off of my diabetic meds. So whatever I weigh that allows for that is a good thing. Next is to figure out how much I should weigh... This is a bit more complicated then you would think.

A google search did not add clarity. This lack of helpful info for instance "Ideal body weight is determined by several factors, such as age, muscle-fat ratio, height, sex, and bone density." Which is all well and good, except no place does it mention how to find any of these.

Next up is the waist-to-hip ratio. This is a measurement that compares the circumference of your belly area to that of your hips. If the circumference of your belly is roughly equal to or greater than that of your hips, you’re storing too much abdominal fat. I

Using a measuring tape, measure the circumference of your waist at belly button level and of your hips at the level of your hipbones. Now divide the first number by the second. For women, a ratio of 0.80 or less is considered healthy. For men, ratios under 0.93.

Next up is BMI (Body Mass Index) which is a calculation. THe BMI dates to the 19Th century, the term "body mass index" for the ratio and its popularity date to a 1972 paper by Ancel Keys, which found the BMI to be the best proxy for body fat percentage among ratios of weight and height.

According to the calculator My BMI Is 28.2 which puts me as Overweight, but not Obese... It should be noted that Arnold Schwarzenegger during his body building days weighed around 235 lbs. Height: 6'2" His BMI was 43.1 which means he was morbidly obese then...

Met Life came up with a table that I should weigh between 146 to 184 (actually a bit more as I hover a pesky 1/2 inch below the six foot mark). This gap is due to my unknown frame size.

"Bend forearm upward at a 90 degree angle. Keep fingers straight and turn the inside of your wrist toward your body. Place thumb and index finger of other hand on the two prominent bones on either side of the elbow. Measure space between your fingers on a ruler. Compare with tables listing elbow measurements for medium-framed men and women."

Is it just me or is this seem a bit sloppy, in the scientific measurement process? Most of the methods are adapted from doctors calculating how much of some kind of drug will kill you. Kind of like the "You did not drink to much, your just underweight!" argument.

When I entered High School I weighed 135 pounds. At graduation I was 185. I should note that I have always been in the fairly strong catagory.

When I met Tina I was around 190 and married I around 200. By that reckoning, being around 195 sounds about right. That puts my Resting Metabolic Rate at 2142 calories a day burned, which is easily doable.

I am suprised that no one has a high fiveable method for seeing how much you should weigh.

1 comment:

flyingvan said...

It's not really an answerable question. A better question to ask is, "How little food can I eat to do all the things I want to do?" Not enough, or not enough of the right foods, performance suffers and health issues arise. Too much, or too much of the wrong foods, weight is gained, performance is affected, and and health issues arise.
It drives AnnaMarie nuts, but if I haven't done much in a day, I'll eat very little.