By: Ms. Reema Bhatia (Nutritionist) Do you need to lose weight? If so, how much? For this, calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI). To work this out, divide your weight (in kilograms) by the square of your height (in meters). According to the latest guidelines, a healthy BMI is between 20 and 25. The range is wide because there is great individual variation in bone and muscle mass among healthy people. Women tend to have less muscle and bone than men do, so a healthy BMI for a woman will usually fall towards the bottom of the range.
A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is regarded as overweight; 30 or higher is considered obese. Today’s trend of being super-skinny may compromise your immune system. When there is a severe restriction of daily dietary intake, you certainly do not get sufficient amounts of important nutrients that your immune system needs, especially protein, zinc, and antioxidants. Besides suppressing your immune system, being underweight carries its own health risks.
For instance, it adversely affects fertility in both men and women if you are overweight, you do not have to get down to a normal weight as it sometimes compromises 5 to 10 percent of your body weight. You can boost your immune function and help get your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood-sugar levels under control. And, of course, getting more exercise is one of the best ways to shed excess kilograms.
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