When it comes to health, there are a number of metrics that are critical. They are often called vital signs. These are the metrics checked by health professionals to assess the status of life sustaining functions of the body.

Generally these refer to body temperature, heart rate or pulse, blood pressure and respiratory rate (breaths per minute). If any one of these is significantly out of the healthy range, then a person’s life may be in jeopardy.

Less critical in the moment, but possibly more significant in the long-term is a different metric: your weight. An article by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists thirteen serious diseases for which people that are overweight are at much higher risk of contracting. Among them are, “All-causes of death.” In other words, anything that can cause death is more likely to cause your death if you are overweight.

A survey completed in 2013–2014 showed that in the Unites States, 32.5% of adults were overweight and an additional 37.7% of adults were obese. That leaves just 29.8% of adults in the United States that are at a normal, healthy weight. Those are pretty sobering statistics.

If we understand what causes this problem and the seriousness of its consequences, why is it that those numbers are increasing? We seem to want to blame others for this outcome, when in fact, no one is force feeding anyone against their will. The prevalence and convenience of unhealthy food options is a big factor, but as adults, we choose what and how much we eat everyday.

Growing up, I was skinny. My friend’s dad used to call me, “Skinny Jimmy.” At some point in my life that changed.

For years my weight gradually, but consistently increased. I was not particularly aware of it because I didn’t have the habit of weighing myself with any regularity. Every four years when you get a new drivers license, they ask you for your height and weight, but since they take your word for your weight, its easy to estimate conservatively, and maintain your peace of mind. It was only when I had a doctor’s visit that the truth came out. (Of course I always had very heavy clothes when visiting the doctor’s office).

If you would like to take better control of your health, here are some suggestions to help you succeed.

If you don’t have a reliable bathroom scale, get one.

Weigh yourself every day.

Weigh yourself at the same time of day. (Weight can vary by a few pounds during the course of the day).

I recommend weighing yourself as part of your morning preparation routine. After a morning bathroom visit, and just before getting into the shower, but before having something to eat or drink, provides a consistent time for checking your weight.

So what is a normal weight?

In 1964, Dr. GJ Hamwi established the following formula for determining a person’s ideal body weight:

For women, 100 lbs for the first 5' of height and 5 lbs for every inch over that.

For men, 106 lbs for the first 5' of height and an additional 6 lbs for every inch over that.

With these formulas you can quickly determine your ideal body weight. In table format they are:

With the above information, you can gauge where you are versus where you should be. Hopefully there’s not a big difference, but if there is, don’t give up hope.

In future articles I’ll outline some additional small steps, that if you take them consistently will help you get your weight to where it should be.

Once I became aware of how overweight I was, and by applying those items, I was able to reach my ideal body weight over the course of 6–8 months, shedding in excess of 25 lbs.

Take this two-minute quiz to determine where you are overall with your health.