& Healing Centre
|
|
|
Weight Management.
Although some people prefer the less-ambiguous term body mass,
the term body weight is overwhelmingly used in daily English speech and in
biological and medical science contexts to describe the mass of an organism's
body. Body weight is measured in kilograms throughout the world, although in
some countries people more often measure and describe body weight in pounds
(e.g. United States and sometimes Canada) or stones and pounds (e.g. among
people in the United Kingdom) and thus may not be well acquainted with
measurement in kilograms. Most hospitals, even in the United States, now use
kilograms for calculations, but use kilograms and pounds together for other
purposes. (1 kg is approximately 2.2 lb; 1 stone (14 lb) is approximately 6.4
kg.)
The term is usually encountered in connection with:
food and feeding behaviour
normal and abnormal growth and development
the physiological and hormonal control of ingestion and digestion
foraging for food in animals
hunger and other motivations to eat
problems in regulating body weight, often resulting in obesity
eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
effects of disease
athletic competitions where the participants are classified according to their
body weight
Overweight is often used interchangeably with pre-obese and is generally defined
as having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is a common
condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are
sedentary. As much as 64% of the United States adult population is considered
either overweight or obese, and this percentage has increased over the last four
decades.
Excess weight has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1
billion adults being either overweight or obese. Increases have been observed
across all age groups.
A healthy body requires a minimum amount of fat for the proper functioning of
the hormonal, reproductive, and immune systems, as thermal insulation, as shock
absorption for sensitive areas, and as energy for future use. But the
accumulation of too much storage fat can impair movement and flexibility, and
can alter the appearance of the body.
underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight.
The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index (BMI). A
BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight. This medical
definition of underweight may differ from other uses of the term, such as those
based on attractiveness.
Body Mass Index
The Body Mass Index, or BMI is a measure of a person's weight taking into
account their height. It is given by the formula: BMI equals a person's weight
(mass) in kilograms divided by the square of the person's height in meters.
Their units therefore are kg/m2 but BMI measures are typically used and written
without units.
BMI provides a significantly more accurate representation of body fat content
than simply measuring a person's weight. It is highly correlated with both body
fat percentage and body fat mass. It does not take into account certain
factors such as pregnancy or bodybuilding; however, the BMI is an accurate
reflection of fat percentage in the majority of the adult population.
