Most women dream of keeping what they consider to be their ideal weight and so they worry about whether they should lose weight or gain more weight. Weight is often associated with moments and people generally believe that when they were thinner they were happier. There is no really ideal weight, although age and height are traditionally used as a reference for a standard assumption.
With height and age, the Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated. However, BMI does not take into account the distribution of weight and fat in the body of people, in the same way that it does not speak of many other indicators biometrics such as cholesterol or blood pressure, among others, which They tell much more about a person’s health than a mere number of kilos.
In addition, it is very relevant to remember that This index was devised at the end of the 19th century based on the body of a white man. This means that it does not take into account different bodies, such as those of Asian people, Afro-descendants, or even the bodies of women, which have some characteristics different from those of men.
All this said and remembering that all body sizes are valid. Let’s see how to calculate what they call the ‘ideal weight’
What factors influence the ideal weight?
Broadly speaking, the ideal weight is calculated according to the height and age of each person. But the Body Mass Index obtained from these data does not take into account the amount of fat, retained fluid or muscle in the body. It is possible for a woman to weigh much more than she should but not be overweight if this difference comes from the amount of muscle and not from excess fat. Therefore, to calculate the appropriate weight, height and age are mainly taken into account; but without forgetting the other details.
In addition, it also has a lot to do with the sex, since the ideal weight of a woman is usually ten kilos less than the ideal weight of a man of the same age and height.
Of course, the more high be a woman, more mass and more bone has. Hence, the ideal weight increases according to height. Muscle mass is the amount of non-fat mass that the body has. If a woman practices sports on a regular basis, it is very likely that she weighs about 5 kilos above the ideal weight. On the other hand, a person who does not exercise may be overweight even with a lower weight just because of the fat that accumulates in his body.
The complexion of each person is another factor to take into account, since there are those who have wider bones, longer limbs, and ease to gain or lose weight.
How to calculate the ideal weight of a woman
• The drill formula it is one of the easiest methods to calculate the ideal weight. To do this, you just have to take the height as a reference and subtract 100 from it.
For a woman whose height is 168cm, by subtracting 100, the formula says that her ideal weight would be 68Kg. This calculation is not very reliable since with very tall people it can give failures.
• The Perrault Dry formula it is more complex, but also much more reliable. This takes into account not only height, but also age. It is calculated as follows:
Height in cm – 100 + (age / 10) x 0.9)
If a woman is 168 cm and 30 years old, her ideal weight would be 70.7 kilos.
• The Monnerot-Dumaine formula takes into account the size of the bones and the circumference of the wrist.
Height in cm – 100 + 4x wrist circumference in cm / 2.
As you can see, there are several ways to calculate the so-called ideal weight of a woman, but they all take into account the height and, of course, you should never forget the details such as fat, muscle and retained fluid, which are not always excess weight.
Traditionally, proponents of the use of BMI refer to the statistical correlation that exists between a high index and a increased risk of disease. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for example, argue that “a high BMI predicts future morbidity and death. Therefore, BMI is an appropriate measure to monitor obesity and its health risks”, according to a note from France24.
However, there are other figures that show another reality: a study published in 2016 by the International Journal of Obesity determined that half of the people studied who fell into the “overweight” range, according to BMI, were perfectly healthy. The same happened with a quarter of the people characterized as obese.
That is why from the activism against gordofobia the use of BMI is criticized. Paola Sabogal, weight-inclusive nutritionist, recalls that fat people can “come with any ailment” that is “neglected” because the index is high and “they immediately send weight loss.” In addition, it stresses that stigma leads to “eating disorders (…) mental health diseases with the highest risk of mortality.”
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
