desirable body weight
There are a number of different ways to compute an desirable body weight. Method A of this laboratory allows you to compute and record your ideal body weight using the percent body fat method. Method B allows you to calculate and record your desirable body weight using the body mass index procedure.
Choose one of these techniques and complete the appropriate section.
Method A: Computation of Ideal Body WeightUsing Percent Body Fat
Step 1: Calculate fat-free weight
100% - your percent body fat estimated from skinfold measurement = ______% fat free weight.Therefore,
______% fat-free weight expressed as a fraction x your body weight in pounds = ______ pounds fat-free
weight.
Step 2: Calculate optimal weight
Remember: Optimal body fat ranges are 10% to 20% for men and 15% to 25% for women.Optimal weight = fat-free weight/(1.00 - optimal %fat), with optimal %fat expressed as a fraction.
Therefore,
The low and high optimal weight ranges for your gender are:
For low %fat: Optimal weight = ______ pounds
For high %fat: Optimal weight = ______ pounds.
Method B: Computation of Ideal Body WeightUsing Body Mass Index
The BMI uses the metric system. Therefore, you need to determine your weight in kilograms (1 kilogram =2.2 pounds) and your height in meters (1 inch = 0.0254 meters).
Step 1: Compute your BMI.
BMI = body weight (kg)/(height in meters)2Your BMI = ________________
Step 2: Calculate Your desirable Body Weight Based on BMI*.
The desirable BMI is 21.9 to 22.4 for men and 21.3 to 22.1 for women. The formula for computing ideal bodyweight using BMI is:
desirable body weight (kilograms) = desired BMI x (height in meters)2
Consider the following example as an illustration of the computation of ideal body weight. A woman who
weighs 60 kilograms and is 1.5 meters tall computes her BMI to be 26.7. Her ideal BMI is between 21.9
and 22.4; therefore, her ideal body weight range is:
Ideal body weight = 21.9 x 2.25 = 49.3 kilogramsIdeal body weight = 22.4 x 2.25 = 50.4 kilograms
Now complete this calculation using your values for BMI.
My ideal body weight range using the BMI method is ______ to ______ kilograms.
*Note: BMI may not be a good method to determine ideal body weight for a highly muscled individual.
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