Doctors and insurance companies like to use weight charts, but are they of any use to the rest of us?
Weight charts work on the simple principal that for any given height there is an acceptable range of weight - more (or less) than that might indicate cause for concern.
This is obviously a fairly blunt tool, with, for example, body builders and athletes often being assessed as too fat because of the extra muscle that they carry. For the rest of us, however, weight charts are a fairly good indication of whether we need to lose or gain some pounds.
The information you generally get from these ise based upon the idea that maintaining a healthy weight is important for protection against obesity related illness and disability.
This can include heart disease, diabetes, cancer and hypertension, the risk for all of which have been shown to increase if you carry too much fat.
In addition, shedding the extra pounds will help you to feel and look better.
Although it's less often thought of as a concern, being underweight is also an issue - it can be an indication of an eating disorder, or an underlying physical problem.
The irony is that whatever concerns you may have, whether you need to drop some pounds or add some, the answer is a well-balanced and nutritious diet.
