I know I need to lose weight, but how do I figure out how much I should lose? There is no hard and fast answer to how much a person should weigh in order to be healthy. But, women need to be concerned about weight because it can and does affect overall health. Obesity, or being overweight, can result in premature death and can contribute to many problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, breathing problems, arthritis, and problems with pregnancy, labor and delivery.
The first, and best, thing to do is to talk with your health care provider about your weight. Together, you can talk about what a healthy weight is for you, based on your height, build (bone size, amount of muscle) and age. You can also use a tool called the Body Mass Index (BMI) to give you a pound range for a healthy weight. You take your weight and height and see where you fall on the BMI table for adults (see below). There is also a handy
BMI calculator
at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's web site.
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The first, and best, thing to do is to talk with your health care provider about your weight. Together, you can talk about what a healthy weight is for you, based on your height, build (bone size, amount of muscle) and age. You can also use a tool called the Body Mass Index (BMI) to give you a pound range for a healthy weight. You take your weight and height and see where you fall on the BMI table for adults (see below). There is also a handy
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