Although many people are aware that being overweight increases the risk for many complications, they usually don’t know exactly what is considered overweight or obese. The good news is that it is pretty easy to find out.
By knowing your BMI (body mass index), you will be able to know whether or not you should be looking to lose weight. This can play a factor in deciding to get bariatric surgery. How does the BMI calculation work? Let’s take a look.
How BMI Works
To calculate your BMI correctly, you will need to know exactly how much you weight and also how tall you are. Then depending if you are using kilograms and meters or pounds and inches, will need to use the proper formula.
The formula will use your height and weight to come up with a number that is usually greater than 18.5. Anything below 18.5 is considered underweight, while normal weights will come up with a number that is between 18.6-24.9.Then anything between 25-29.9 is considered overweight and anything higher than 30 will be considered obese.
There are plenty of BMI calculators and charts out there, which make it really easy to keep track of your BMI. If you want to calculate your BMI on your own, you will need to use the following algorithm (for inches and pounds).
First, you need to take your height and multiply it by itself, Ex. 70 (inches) x 70 = 4,900. Then, you will need to divide your weight in pounds by your squared height, Ex. 180 (pounds) /4,900 = 0.036734693. Once you have done that you will need to multiply that answer by 703, which will then come up with your BMI, Ex. 0.036734693 x 703 = 25.82.
According to the aforementioned example, the BMI is considered to be a little overweight since it comes out to 25.82. While being just a little overweight might not be much concern to a lot of people, at least they will know where they stand when it comes to their weight and health.
For the people that score 30 or above, they need to be much more cautious because it has been proven that obese individuals are much more at risk to heart disease, diabetes, and many other illnesses.
Overcoming Obesity
Once someone finally does a BMI check and realizes that they are past the obese stage, they usually try to do what it takes to become healthy again. There are many options for them nowadays, including natural work outs, diet changes, supplements, or using a bariatric surgeon to get involved and help them.
Of course there are other factors, such as reducing alcohol intake, quit smoking, and becoming more physical, but when people are in serious need of weight loss, a bariatric surgeon will be one of the best options.
Surgeons have multiple different surgical options, it all just depends on how bad the situation is. They could do a lap band surgery, gastric sleeve, or a gastric bypass, either way, it will be well worth it in the end when the person is living a much healthier lifestyle and enjoying their new look.
If you are considering weight loss surgery options, contact Dr. Diego Velarde to see what bariatric surgery options are best suited for you.