How Much Weight Gain Is Too Much? What Does Your Body Mass Index Say?

A healthy weight does more than boost a person's ego or provide for a fashionable figure. It helps to prevent heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and some types of cancer. A healthy weight boosts energy and improves quality of life. It's well worth the hard work and diligence required of most people who live in developed countries.

With food easily available 24 hours a day, and much of this tasty but high in fat and calories, resisting the temptation to indulge can be a struggle. Finding the time and energy to exercise regularly is another struggle for many with busy schedules and a high-stress environment. The average adult in the United States gains about 1 to 2 pounds per year. Over time, this can add up to a lot of extra poundage.

The change is so gradual that it's easy to avoid taking an honest look at the person who stares back from the mirror. Concrete numbers are harder to dispute, so the best measure of an individual's relative weight is the body mass index. To find this, use the following formula:

Divide weight in pounds by height in inches. 

Divide this figure by height in inches. 

Multiply by 703.

Alternatively, use a BMI chart or an online BMI calculator. This will give the individual's body mass index. A BMI over 25 increases the chance of premature death, usually from heart disease or cancer. A BMI over 30 dramatically increases it. Most health practitioners agree that a body mass index of 25 to 29.9 indicates an individual who is overweight, and a BMI over 30 indicates one who is obese.

Another factor to consider is waist size. People who are "apple shaped" and carry a lot of weight around the middle are more susceptible to heart disease than those who carry their weight around the hips. While this is a point to consider, it does not mean than anyone can safely ignore an overweight condition. For men, a healthy waist size is under 40". For women, the waist should measure less than 35".

Regular exercise can help to mitigate the effects of being overweight in some people. In fact, an overweight individual who engages in moderate exercise may be healthier than a thin person who lives a sedentary life. Overweight or not, anyone who plans to embark on a program of exercise should consult a physician before starting out.

If the Body Mass Index is too high, the first step in getting it under control is to stop gaining weight. To do this, take a careful look at diet and activity level. Making simple changes in the diet can have a positive effect. Just giving up soda pop and learning to drink water instead will save 100 calories or more per 8 ounces. Sweetened drinks, in fact, are the one food that has been linked by research studies to weight gain.

Just shaving 100 calories off the diet per day will result in the loss of a pound over a year's time. A calorie deficit of 500 calories per day (using 500 more calories than are taken in) will cause a pound of weight loss in a week. Instead of making huge changes that are hard to stay with, it is wise to begin with small steps that will become health-promoting habits.

Don't just stand there looking in the mirror and wishing for a thinner reflection and smaller clothing size. Do the math or use a chart to find a concrete number that is hard to ignore. Then take the steps needed to stop the weight gain and instead gain a healthy lifestyle. Only the person in the mirror can accomplish this.