How Much Does an Average Half a Beef Weigh
If you've always shied away from obesity scare-stories in certain newspapers, usually you'd be right to do so: BMI, the metric the WHO uses to measure obesity, is wildly inaccurate from person to person. But the latest study from Frontiers of Public Health claims 90% of men in America, Greece and Iceland are "overfat".
While not obese, most men are still packing too much disease-causing body fat. The kicker? This has been calculated with the Body Adiposity Index, a so-called more accurate way of measuring fat than BMI. So which metric should you really trust - and by what yardstick should you measure your health? MH investigates.
Over and under
Obesity headlines are horrifying. The World Health Organisation predicts three-quarters of British men will be classed as overweight in the next 15 years, leading to a massive strain on the NHS as chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes drain its resources. We're rapidly aping our cousins across the pond, where a troubling two-thirds of people are already considered obese or overweight. Naturally, there's a lot of you wondering what your scales ought to be saying.
But those looking to trim down aren't the only ones worried about weight. According to the NHS, underweight men risk a weakened immune system, fragile bones and a severe lack of energy. A study published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology Journal also linked underweight individuals with an increased risk of dementia in later life, a prospect scary enough to make anyone consider reaching for a cheeseburger. So whichever side of the scales you are, what weight should you be aiming for? Unfortunately, there's no magic number.
"Weight is a bit of a red herring, really," says Jo Travers, dietician and founder of The Harley Street Nutritionist. "Although it is a risk-factor for certain diseases of ageing like diabetes and heart disease, risk is actually more to do with body composition." If you're a 'normal' weight but never train, your muscle-to-fat ratio could still put you at risk. But if you've got single-digit body fat with arms that strain your shirt sleeves, you're likely heavier than most couch potatoes. Which is why nutritionists like Travers advocate using body mass index (BMI) rather than kilos as a starting point.
BMI: A Load of Bull?
Your BMI is a simple calculation (check yours here); your weight in kilos divided by height in metres squared. A healthy BMI is classed as anywhere between 18.5 and 25. Below, you're underweight. Above and you need to consider ditching excess timber. If you're over 30.0, then according to science, you're obese. But BMI doesn't discriminate between fat and muscle, which skews its accuracy. The Rock, for example, boasts a BMI of 34.3. Fancy telling him he needs to get on the SlimFast?
Unfortunately, precisely analysing your body composition is tricky. So while BMI is useful at a population level, it's not going to give you an accurate read on your own physique. But Tam Fry, spokesman for the National Obesity Forum, believes your BMI is still worth consulting.
"A healthy BMI depends very much on your build and your fitness and your muscle," says Fry, "and it is absolutely true that BMI does not qualify other than saying: 'What is the proportion of your weight to your height?'" But if you haven't got a CAT scanner next to your sink, pinpoint accuracy isn't easy to come by. "My question to those that say it's not perfect is, what will you use?"
Because while the Rock and his ilk are outliers, coupling common sense with the calculations does add up. If your BMI's over 30 but you're deadlifting double your bodyweight, that's muscle busting the scales. If you can't see the number without pulling your belly in, it's time to swap Krispy Kremes for kale.
BMI alternatives
If your pysique isn't at the extremes, and you're looking for something more accurate than a BMI window that can cover 20kg in its "healthy" range, the Body Adiposity Index (calculate yours here) eschews weight entirely, instead calculating the relationship between your height and hip circumference to calculate your body fat percentage. According to the BAI scale, at 8% or less you're underweight, with a healthy BAI classed between 9 and 21%. Since men tend to deposit excess fat reserves around their waist, this generates a result very different to BMI and takes the fat/muscle dichotomy into account.
A 2013 study from the US National Library of Medicine reported that BAI estimates body fat with high accuracy. Since it's also simpler than tracking down a friendly hospital technician for a full-body scan, it's the best bet for tracking your progress, whether you're finally dealing with that spare tyre or in the last weeks of a holiday cut. And because hitting the gym for a better body composition is a wiser aim than targeting the 'right' number on your scales, it ensures you can finesse your training to get there faster.
Making a difference
When designing a programme, Travers starts at the percentage of fat to muscle in each of her clients. "Let's say body weight is in the healthy range but fat mass is high," says Travers. "I might suggest that we alter the percentages in favour of muscle. That may push them above the BMI healthy range but actually won't increase their risk of disease." Underweight men may need to gain both muscle and some fat in order to get to a properly balanced weight, but whether you're looking to cut or bulk, adding muscle is always the approach to best dodge diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Unfortunately, as you get older those ratios become harder to maintain. And your target weight doesn't increase with every candle on your birthday cake, you're going to have to work harder – and smarter, with a training plan suited to your age – as they add up and your levels of human growth hormone (HGH) drop.
"HGH is a lipid-eating hormone," he tells us – essentially, it chews up fat in its quest to bolster growth – "and as you grow older, you have less of it circulating, therefore find it more and more difficult to avoid that middle-age spread."
Growth hormone levels vary in everyone – some get a surplus until they're about 40, making gaining lean muscle easier right up to middle-age, but Fry recommends a basic approach for everyone. "The main thing is calories in, calories out," he tells us. "You do less exercise therefore you have no need to eat so much. A lot of people drink beer and get a big beer gut, which is basically the same as obesity." So it's a simple choice: abstain at the table to avoid piling on the pounds, or double down in the gym to ensure you can have your pint and drink it.
So in short, there is no ideal weight. But there is a body composition you should shoot for – between 8% and 21% body fat, which will help you stave off disease and, as you approach single digits, make it an act of willpower to keep your shirt on.
By: Matt Evans; Photography: Getty;
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
Source: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/weight-loss/a754492/how-much-should-i-weigh/
0 Response to "How Much Does an Average Half a Beef Weigh"
Post a Comment