Feb 18, 2021
BMI sucks. Here Are 5 Better Ways to Tell if You’re Overweight
Not sure if you need to lose weight? It’s harder to tell than you think.
Sometimes, it’s pretty obvious if someone’s overweight. Other times, it’s a little harder to see under the shirt, so you think you’re fine.
Did you know that BMI is a pretty inaccurate teller of your weight-health?
Why BMI Sucks.
Body Mass Index is a simple calculation using a person’s height and weight for their body fat content. A score above 25.0 means you’re overweight, and above 30 means obese.
BMI = weight (in kg)/ height (in m)²
The problem, though, is that it doesn’t consider your muscle mass, bone density, overall body composition, and racial and sex differences, say researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Simply stating that anyone above a BMI of 30 is obese is silly. Because with that logic, most Football players are obese. Obese implies unhealthy. Training 6 days a week and having crazy low heartbeats per minute (signs of a strong heart) doesn’t quite match our definition of “unhealthy”.
So if that’s not an accurate measure, then how can you tell if you’re overweight? Here are 5 practical ways that you can use to tell.
1. “Ugh, Why Am I Always So Tired?”
Because carrying all that weight around put more stress on your organs, including your lungs. This can cause chronic fatigue.
If simple tasks, such as tying your shoes or cleaning a room, lead to fatigue, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing, you may have a weight problem.
Additionally, overweight and obese individuals have a greater risk of developing asthma.
People with weight problems may experience chronic inflammation because of excess weight. This may lead to inflammation in the airways and can make breathing more difficult.
2. Tape Around the Belly
One of the best ways to tell if you’re at a healthy weight is from your waist size using a measuring tape. We always recommend this one to our clients. It’s simple, easy, and accurate!
Place it on the top of your hip bone, bringing it around your body and level with your belly button. Resist the temptation to suck in and don’t make the tape too snug. An inaccurate reading only hurts you.
A waist circumference greater than 35 inches in women and greater than 40 inches in men could not only determine overweight status but put a hard-and-fast number on one’s health.
Waist circumferences above these numbers mean too much visceral belly fat, a dangerous type of fat surrounding vital organs, which increases one’s risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome.
The advantage of this tool is that it is quick to perform and is a rather reliable predictor of risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
3. Zzz (Snoring)
If your partner, friend, or even you by some weird miracle notice a lot of snoring and you wake up restless, it may be a good reason to check your weight.
Sleep apnea is a condition that causes your breathing to repeatedly stop and start again when you’re sleeping. It can cause loss of oxygen and extreme fatigue during waking hours. Most people with this condition tend to snore due to airway obstruction.
When your body stores fat around the neck, it may narrow the airway causing shallow breathing or pauses in breathing.
4. Frequent heartburn
Changes in your body weight, even slight ones, can lead to more acid reflux (when acidic gastric fluid from the stomach is regurgitated into the esophagus, causing heartburn).
More than one-third of overweight and obese individuals experience gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Some researchTrusted Source suggests there’s a connection between being obese and developing GERD.
Other symptoms of this condition include belching, nausea, a bitter taste in your mouth, and abdominal pain.
Achy joints
Obesity is a risk factor for osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a disabling disorder that leads to joint deterioration, pain, decreased joint mobility, and a reduced quality of life.
Carrying around extra weight applies more pressure on all of your joints, and as you gain weight, the pressure increases.
If you have achy knees or hips, or chronic back pain, you may be experiencing signs of a weight problem.
Parting Words
Being overweight or obese clearly has many health hazards. Which why it’s important to know if you fit the criteria as it can be hard to tell sometimes.
We hope these 5 indicators will help you in that department. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you hanging, either. We got an article on how you can lose some weight if you happen to be overweight!
Check it out here.
Your friends at NutriChin are dedicated to helping you become healthy through practical advice and connecting you to the right foods and supplements. Shoot us a message on Facebook and join our growing community!
