Waist Hip Ratio Measurement are you familiar with this?
Waist Hip Ratio. I released a recent blog highlighting the positives and negatives of the BMI calculation and wanted to follow up on this with another measurement that you may find useful. Just to recap, BMI (Body Mass Index) is a well-known measurement that checks weight against height to select a number that you then can plot in a range for health. You can check yours here on our BMI calculator. This unfortunately in some circumstances can be misleading, and my BMI blog covers this in more detail. One example is if you have a high muscle mass, you may see your BMI number to be ‘overweight’.. What to use instead of BMI? The measurement that is now recommended as standard by the British Diabetes Association is the Waist : Hip Ratio This is a simple and quick-to-do measurement that just requires a tape measure. The tape measure below is designed to assist you to be more accurate as it holds the tape in place as required so you can record your numbers.. How to take your own Waist-Hip Ratio Start with the tape around your tummy, this should be the smallest part of the waist. Record this number. Next, drop the tape down around the hips, you need to measure the widest point across your bottom. Take down this number. Next, you need to divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement this will give you another number called the ratio. You use this number to check against the guidelines below. Waist Hip Ratio Guidelines The following are the recommended parameters: What does the Waist Hip Ratio number show? In simple terms the nearer this ratio you have recorded is to 1, the more likely you are to be insulin resistant and at risk of developing Type-2-Diabetes. If you have a high waist-hip ratio you may notice you have more of an ‘apple’ body shape. This body shape means you are carrying excess abdominal fat. Why does this matter? Health risks rise significantly with increased abdominal fat as many of our vital organs like your liver and pancreas are located here, if these organs are restricted by excess fat they are put under extra pressure. What can you do to lower your Waist Hip Ratio? Thankfully you can assist your waist-hip ratio by taking action in several ways. What to do next about your Waist Hip Ratio or anything else.. If you are unsure of how to increase or decrease your weight, change your eating habits or need help optimising the foods you eat and are not sure what programme to select please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition-related queries big or small. If you want to book your programme TODAY we would love to help you. You can book a 121 Dietitian Programme today by clicking on the link below If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Do visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. If you are interested in how I overcame my Thyroid Autoimmune Condition do check out the About section below Before you go please check out our 121 Dietitian Shop created specifically for optimising your health. Gillian x
Check your BMI – Body Mass Index calculator
Check Your BMI BMI Calculator BMI (body mass index) is a measure of whether you’re a healthy weight for your height. BMI gives a good estimate of your weight-related health risks for most adults, there are exceptions. Ethnicity, pregnancy, being muscular and anyone under 18 or over 60 this calculator may over or underestimate and so additional calculations or measurements are required. I will cover this in another blog. How to check your BMI (BMI Calculator) to see if you are in a healthy weight range. To do this you need your current weight (kg) and height (cm) measurements. This will give you a number that is called your Body Mass Index (BMI) Generally if your BMI is over 35, or under 18, your health is at risk. You can calculate your Body Mass Index using the BMI Calculator below. Understanding your BMI result Underweight Being underweight (BMI<18.5) could be a sign you’re not eating enough or you may be ill. If you’re underweight, we can assist you with nutritional advice on how to get your weight back to a healthy range. A detailed programme is created for you with recipes and a shopping list to make it as easy as possible. Healthy weight A healthy weight range (BMI 8.5-24.5) is where you want to be, so that is great if you are at the ideal body weight for you. But do remember this is a wide range and further tweaking may be required regarding your fat stores and muscle mass. Important to prevent future health issues. Overweight If you are overweight (BMI 24.5-29.9) chances are you have tried a few if not several times to change this. Weight loss is a specialist area at 121 Dietitian and we have helped thousands of people safely lose weight and most importantly keep this in control and enjoy life. Following our specialist, personalised plan and building in appropriate exercise is the goal. Obese A BMI of over 30 means you are in the obese category and clinically obese is where your BMI is over 35. It can feel overwhelming and lonely when you are faced with the thought of losing weight, especially if you have a lot to lose. Chances are like many you have tried repeatedly to tackle this yourself or with some form of generic programme and ended up back to the weight you were or heavier. Here at 121 Dietitian we work with you to ensure this doesn’t happen again. We know it can take a few weeks to several months to get everything optimal in your life and health to see successful and permanent weight loss. You may need some blood tests for this which we will guide you on. A personalised programme is created for you taking into account every aspect of your life: including your health, your likes, dislikes, cooking ability, finances etc. Our Plus programme will monitor you for up to a year to ensure you are meeting your goals AND more crucially keeping the weight off for good. BMI for Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups have a higher risk of developing some long-term (chronic) conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. Checking your BMI figure Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups adults with a BMI of: 23 or more are at increased risk 27.5 or more are at high risk What to do next about your BMI or anything else.. If you are unsure of how to increase or decrease your weight, change your eating habits or need help optimising the foods you eat and are not sure what programme to select please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition-related queries big or small.
Obesity Statistics and Health Risks
While obesity stats might be shocking, the good news is that there is still time to do something about it. Here, we get clear on the obesity statistics and share how 121 Dietitian has been successfully helping patients to lose weight for good. A person with obesity (BMI – Body Mass Index of 30 and above) is: 6 times more likely to develop high blood pressure 4 times more likely to develop diabetes 2 times more likely to develop arthritis 6 times more likely to suffer gall bladder disease More likely to be infertile More likely to suffer from back and joint problems More likely to have problems with asthma exacerbated Increased risk of suffering depression More likely to suffer sleep problems such as sleep apnoea Increased risk of heart problems and stroke And have a shortened lifespan (1 in every 11 deaths in the UK is linked to obesity related problems) More likely to have nutritional deficiencies Reverse these obesity statistics This is not a scare tactic message, but rather, we feel, an important message to highlight the negative health implications associated with obesity that we treat every day. It may surprise you to know that many of the men and women who come to our clinics are unaware of the risks associated with obesity. When informed they are so grateful they could do something about it before their problems became irreversible. If you wish to reverse the risks as mentioned above, the good news is something can be done. Losing weight and lowering your BMI (body mass index) to normal or lower levels, or with a 5-10% reduction in weight as a starting point will significantly reduce your likelihood of developing these potentially serious medical conditions. Significant weight loss can resolve many pre-existing conditions associated with obesity. Of course there are also many, many psychological benefits in losing excess weight. People become more confident, feel less isolated, feel more attractive and feel more assertive as well as the obvious benefits associated with feeling healthy like a new wardrobe! HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND ENJOY DOING SO! Our team are highly skilled weight management Dietitians, providing a unique evidence based programme, tailored to each individual. Over the years, we have helped many people to successfully lose weight, when they have struggled in the past. You will learn how to enjoy foods and how to manage your diet, weight and health for life. No kcal counting, macros…. If you need to lose more weight, then you can safely do so, as you will know exactly how to do it safely for optimizing health for life. Unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop this has been expertly created for you. If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed] Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018 rechecked Jan 2021.
