Where do you stand?

Hi!


The followings are a few indicators of how healthy you are and what are your daily needs in terms of energy. It will help you identify what do you have to work on and how to regulate your food.


1. The BMI (Body Mass Index) is an index of weight-for-height that is used to determine if you're underweight, normal, overweight or obese:

The BMI table:

Source: AdaptedfromClinicalGuidelinesontheIdentification,Evaluation,andTreatmentofOverweightandObesityinAdults:TheEvidenceReport.

The BMI graph:

Calculate it yourself:

Now, what does your BMI means for you:

-severely underweight: <16

-underweight: 16 - 18.5

-normal: 18.5 - 25

-overweight: 25 - 30

-obese class I: 30 - 35

-obese class II: 35 - 40

-obese class III: >40

source: wikipedia

2. The BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) indicates the number of calories your body burns daily without you having to do anything (so you wanna try to raise it).

The BMR depends on:

     -gender: men have a higher BMR than women (which is why they eat more and consumer more calories)

     -genes: I know it's unfair but some people naturally have a faster metabolism and burn calories more easily...

     -age: BMR declines with age

     -exercise: it raises your muscle volume -> raises your BMR (those who regularly exercise burn calories when they do but in addition, eliminate calories more easily in general)

     -body fat percentage: the lower your body fat percentage the higher your BMR

     -diet: it will reduce your BMR because your body detects that you are eating less calories and reacts by holding on the the calories you eat and stores them as fat...

Calculate your BMR: the Harris-Benedict Formula

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 * weight in kg) + (5 * height in cm) - (6.8 * age in years)

 = 66 + (6.23 * weight in pounds) + (12.7 * height in inches) - (6.8 * age in years)

 Women = 655 + (9.6 * weight in kg) + (1.8 * height in cm) - (4.7 * age in years)

= 655 + (4.35 * weight in pounds) + (4.7 * height in inches) - (4.7 * age in years)

Now this is what your body needs without you having to do anything, and it does not equal what you should eat daily, because it doesn't take into consideration what you actually do. But the TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) does. It tells your the total number of calories your body expends daily including all activities = the number of calories you should eat daily.

Calculate your TDEE (activity multiplier):

-sedentary = BMR  * 1.2

-lightly active = BMR * 1.375

-moderately active = BMR * 1.55

-very active = BMR * 1.725

-extremely active = BMR * 1.9

source: http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html

"the dorm room diet" Daphne Oz