BMI in Men and Women - How Much Should You Weigh?

If you are concerned about your current weight you probably ask yourself - How much should I weigh? Can anyone really answer this question? Well, there are many factors involved here like gender, body shape and most of all, your lifestyle. In order to figure out what would be your ideal weight, we advise you to take a look at your height and weight ratio.

One of the most popular ways to determine your ideal weight is through the BMI factor which requires both your height in pounds and weight in inches. If you live in countries where these particular units are not used, you can find an online converter easily. Additionally, you can also calculate these on your own by simply following these figures:

• 1kg equals 2.2 lbs
• 1m equals 39.37 inches

So let's continue finding an answer to the question asked above. As you may already guess, the answer is quite simple, but there are some factors that make the number different from one person to another. The BMI mentioned above can be used to get a general idea about your ideal weight.

Everything is much clearer if there are examples. So, let's see two of them. In the first example, we have a woman 5'1" tall and her current weight is 122 lbs. According to her BMI, if she weights 142 lbs, she can be classified as overweight. However, if she loses some weight and for example reaches 105 lbs, she will be classified as underweight.

In our second example, we have a man of the same height as the woman. According to its BMI his preferred weight would be 134 lbs. To be classified as overweight, he has to weigh 145 lbs and 123 lbs to be considered as underweight.

As you can see although the man and woman have the same height, their weight is different. There are many factors for this and one of the factors which adds more pounds to the man is the muscle mass. It has been proven that men have less body fat than women and more muscles.

This is the reason why there are BMI calculators for men and women separately. However, the BMI shouldn't be considered as a precise method to determine your ideal weight, but rather a guideline to see whether you are in the ideal range. In order to determine your ideal weight it is highly recommended to ask for an expert's advice.

About the author:
Karla Colletto writes about dieting and losing weight the healthy way. If you need more information about determining your ideal weight, please visit HowMuchShouldIWeighChart.com

Vitamin D deficiency may cause weight gain

Older women who don't get enough vitamin D may be slightly heavier than those who do.

A Kaiser Permanente study, published online in the recent issue of the Journal of Women's Health, looked at more than 4,600 women aged 65 and older for a four and one-half year period. Researchers found women with low levels of vitamin D in their blood gained about two pounds more than those with adequate levels of the vitamin.

So what's the big deal, you ask?

"This is one of the first studies to show that women with low levels of vitamin D gain more weight, and although it was only two pounds, over time that can add up," said study author Dr. Erin LeBlanc, an endocrinologist and researcher at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon.

Called the "sunshine vitamin" because most of us get it from the sun, vitamin D helps maintain our bones and muscles, and keeps our central nervous system in check. But if you take too much it could be toxic, causing nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite.

Although the sun's rays are the primary source, vitamin D can also be found in milk products, fatty fish and fortified items such as cereals and juices. But even with all these sources, prior research has found that women, especially older women, aren't getting enough.

In the Kaiser study, researchers found almost 80% of participants had insufficient levels of vitamin D. Because the vitamin's main source is sunlight, the investigators say those women lacking vitamin D may not spend enough time outdoors. They may also have a poor diet.

LeBlanc points out that this study was conducted among older women who, for the most part, were not trying to lose weight - though some of them did so as a natural result of aging. About 60% of the women in the study remained at a stable weight during the study period, 27% lost more than 5% of their body weight, and 12% gained more than 5% of their body weight.

"Our study only shows an association between insufficient levels of vitamin D and weight gain, we would need to do more studies before recommending the supplements to keep people from gaining weight," LeBlanc said. "Since there are so many conflicting recommendations about taking vitamin D for any reason, it's best if patients get advice from their own health care provider."