What does your body weight REALLY tell you?

Most of my clients are only interested in finding out if their body weight has decreased when they step on that dreaded bathroom scale.
For years this has been used to determine the "health" of an individual. However, this tool should not be used as the sole measurement of someone's health. Your scale, unless it has a body fat component to it, will not tell you the amount of fat weight versus muscle weight. Even the scales that do have a body fat measurement on it cannot be used as a stand alone tool to determine you overall health.

During a physical examination your Doctor used to look at your height and then compare it to your weight to see if you were considered to have a good Body Mass Index (BMI). In recent years this tool has come under intense scrutiny as it failed to account for someone's body fat %.
Believe it or not there IS a simple way to determine your health and that is the waist to hip ratio.

Divide your waist size at its smallest by your hip size at its largest and you get a key to how much fat is stored in the abdomen, where it raises the risk of heart disease. The lowest healthy ratio is not yet known. But many experts agree that women with ratios of 0.8 or lower and men with ratios of 1 or lower are in good shape. So, the next time you weigh yourself try to remember that this is just ONE tool that should be used when determining how well your diet is working for you.
For more information on how to find the best meal plan for YOU, contact me at gregdcruz@rogers.com