Nestlé Caribbean Region. Take a High Five for Life.

Check Health, take a hi five for life

The BMI or Mass Index gives us an indication of how much fat a person has in relation to their weight and height. It helps to determine weather a person is underweight, normal, overweight or obese. Even though it does not provide us with a distinction between the fat and the non fat components of the overall body mass (muscle to fat ratio), it is still the most practical method to evaluate one’s degree of risk associated with obesity.

Your BMI is , if your BMI is less than 18.5, based on your height, you are considered to be underweight. You should speak to your doctor or health professional to help determine the possible causes, as well as for the best advice on weight gain.

Your BMI is , if your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, based on your height, you are considered to have a healthy weight. A healthy/ normal body weight is one that would lower your risk of nutrition-related diseases.

Your BMI is , if your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, based on your height, you are considered to be overweight. In this group, there is a growing risk to develop chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Your BMI is , if your BMI is 30 or more, based on your height, you are considered to be obese. At this point, there is a moderate to high risk of developing chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol.

Your BMI is , if your BMI is 40 or more, based on your height, you are considered Morbidly Obese. Suffering Morbid Obesity puts you at a very high risk of developing chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiac arrest, arthritis and other life threatening illnesses.

It is very important to put life measures in place to reduce your weight and as such improve your health. The best way is usually to combine a healthy diet with regular physical exercise. You should speak to your doctor, health care professional, and dietician, to determine the best suited way for you to lose weight.

How to weigh yourself best NEW!

- Make sure that the bathroom scale you use is from a reputable company.

- Weigh yourself once a week, always in the same way i.e. in clothes, in your underwear, or naked.

- Always weigh yourself at the same time of the day, ideally in the morning before breakfast with an empty bladder.

- Don’t weigh yourself more than once a week. We all have normal fluctuations in body weight, especially women during their menstrual cycle. Avoid feeling disheartened if you weigh more than on the previous day.

- If you are trying to lose weight through an exercise regime, you should be aware that muscle weighs more than fat tissue. There may be a point in your weight loss plan where you look slimmer and more toned but you stay the same weight or even more due to your muscles built.



Good to know

Beware of using the scales in the gym. They may seem accurate, but hundreds of people use them and they are prone to wear and tear and adjusted calibration.