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You should work at keeping your weight at 10 pounds or less then you were when you were 21 years old. Doing that will keep you at a healthy weight. If you weigh more than 10 pounds over you should work at preventing additional weight gain. We all know the message: Cut back on how much we eat; only eat when we have a hunger; always eat breakfast; watch what we eat; and exercise regularly to name a few. Doing these can keep us at a healthy weight or help us to get there if we need to lose some pounds. But what really makes up a healthy weight? Although there is still some debate amongst nutrition experts about this there is a good working definition of healthy weight based on the ratio of weight to height. It's know as the body mass index (BMI) and takes into account the fact that shorter people have less tissue than taller people so they tend to weigh less. You can calculate your BMI (get a calculator!) by: Divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches. Divide that answer by your height in inches again. Now multiply that number by 703. Here's an example. If I'm 5 foot 9 inches (69 inches) tall and weighed 180 pounds my BMI would be approx. 26.6. The majority of studies have concluded that a healthy weight is one that equates to a BMI of less than 25. That means for me to feel comfortable about the health aspects of my weight I should be at 169 pounds. By definition a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight.A BMI over 30 is defined as obese. These same studies have concluded that those above 25 have an increased chance of dying early mainly due to heart disease or cancer. Nothing magical happens when you cross from 24.9 to 25 or from 29.9 to 30. These are just handy points of reference. You should be aware that the chances of developing weight related health problems go up beyond 25 BMI. It's also significant to note that muscular or athletic people may have a high BMI but are not fat. Muscle and bone are more dense than fat. The standard of 25 BMI does not fit for them. However if you fit into this category just be aware that the older you get the more difficult it is to maintain that muscle. This is what makes weight gain during adulthood such an important determinant of weight-related health. Few adults add muscle and bone after their early twenties so nearly all that added weight is fat.
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