How to identify overweight

 Until recently, overweight is defined simply. It was enough for the growth of the human body, is calculated in centimeters take a hundred. If, for example, a person with the growth of 162 centimeters weighed 65 pounds, it was thought that he had 3 pounds of excess weight. As considered normal weight equal to the growth of less than one hundred. Such a formula over a century ago proposed to calculate the normal weight person French surgeon and anatomist Paul Broca. If a person's weight exceeds its growth minus hundreds 15-20 pounds, can already talk about obesity.

The formula that was basically true, but too simple. Does not take into account individual properties of the shape of man, his muscle mass, skeletal structure. Was derived more exact formula that determines the BMI - body mass index.

For the calculation of BMI should be a person's weight in kilograms divided by its height in meters multiplied by itself. For example, if your weight is 60 kilograms during the growth of 1, 7 meters, the result of dividing 60 by 1, 7 squared equals 20, 7. This is your BMI. This result is placed in the normal, because it has a limit of 18, 6 and 25. Another should be noted that the waist does not have to be more than 80% of the hips. Thus, BMI over 25 means that you are overweight, it's time to start the fight with him.

However, these indicators are not entirely accurate. After all, they do not take into account the ratio of the weight of bone, muscle and adipose tissue. Fat can not be at all, especially for power athletes, and can be so much that it's time to sound the alarm. And there are internal obesity clearly has no effect on the figure. What to do in this case? The answer is obvious: check body fat. There is a special device - caliper. It calculates skinfold thickness. For example, in the abdomen at the level of the navel. Tuck this woman of normal stature should not exceed 2-3 cm. And not only at the parameters of 90-60-90, but 110-90-110. Remember that.