Calculate Your Body Mass and Determine Your
Need for Weight Loss
Calculating your Body Mass Index Number
To determine your BMI number in this chart, simply determine your height and move to the right across columns until your height meets your weight, which is listed at the top of each column.
What is Body Mass Index?
Obesity is most commonly calculated using body mass index (BMI). BMI is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by his or her height in square meters. BMI is not used to determine a person’s actual percentage of body fat, but it is a good indicator to categorize weight in terms of what is healthy and unhealthy.
BMI Ranges (For adults 20 years and older)
Underweight – Less than 18.4
Normal – 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight – 25 to 29.9
Obese – 30 to 39.9
Morbidly Obese – 40+
Step One: Facing the Facts
The first step in deciding to lose weight is to determine if you are overweight or obese. Dr. Week typically treats patients 18 years of age and older, who have a BMI number of 30 or more. If you are obese, the number one reason to lose weight is your health. The best way to lose weight, and most likely to be successful and maintain the weight loss, is to make permanent lifestyle changes in your diet and make physical activity a regular part of your life. Behavior modification techniques are usually used to help with these lifestyle changes.
Everyone wants a “quick fix” or “magic bullet” and there isn’t one. Yes, there are plenty of “fad” diets out there and the majority of people will lose weight on these diets but they usually are not something you will continue doing the rest of your life. People gradually go back to their old ways and gain their weight back and usually more.
Dr. Stacy Weeks, weight loss specialist at Cotton-O’Neil Clinic emphasizes to patients that her program is not a “diet” but more of a learning process. “We counsel people on the permanent lifestyle changes necessary to lose weight and keep it off,” says Dr. Weeks. “And this is a process that can not be done overnight.”
Step Two: Setting Your Goals
Dr. Weeks focuses on helping each individual patient set realistic goals for the amount and speed of weight loss each patient can achieve. By creating goals that are achievable and rewarding, even slow and steady in nature, each patient can meet the main goal of healthy weight loss.
Step Three: Let’s Get Moving
Physical exercise is the necessary factor that leads to success and permanent lifestyle changes. Behavior modification techniques are also used to help with these lifestyle changes.
Physician activity is important for several reasons, including:
- Burns more calories
- Improves cardiovascular fitness
- Improves multiple health problems
- Increases one’s energy level and sense of well-being
- Works as a natural appetite suppressant
Step Four: Gaining Support As You Lose
Studies have proven that everyone, at some point, needs weight loss support during the process of attaining a healthy weight. Every weight loss patient is provided the opportunity to take advantage of group e-mail support. These e-mails include recent weight management information, recipes and motivational tips. Patients often submit their suggestions. So you are never alone in your effort to become a healthier you.
Step Five: Maintaining
Maintenance is one of the hardest parts of weight management. The two hardest parts of weight management (The Two “M’s”) are Motivation and Maintenance. Often the “side effects” of weight loss can be motivators in and of themselves – feeling better, having more energy, more stamina, improved self esteem and improved health can be positive stimulants to healthy weight loss.
Weight Loss Aids
Using appetite suppressants
Obesity is a disease – much like hypertension or diabetes—and some people can control it themselves with diet and exercise but some people need to take medication to assist them. Dr. Weeks can help you make the appropriate decision about the use of appetite suppressants.
Weight loss through bariatric surgery
Bariatric surgery is sometimes necessary for patients who are morbidly obese (BMI> 40 or > 35 if they have obesity related health problems). If they have tried traditional and medically supervised weight loss programs and been unsuccessful, there comes a time when it becomes medically necessary for them to lose weight. It is important to understand that the surgery is not a magic bullet either—these individuals still have a disease called obesity and will need to continue lifestyle changes as far as diet and exercise or many of them will gain back their weight a year or so after the surgery.
Ready to take a step towards becoming a healthier you?
For more information or to join Dr. Weeks weight loss program, call Cotton-O’Neil Clinic at (785) 354-9591.
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