BMI 20
BMI 18.5 to 24.9 is Normal weight
Your weight is normal. This BMI score is associated with living longest, the lowest incidence of serious illness, as well as being perceived as more physically attractive. However, it may be a good idea to check your waist circumference and keep it within the recommended limits.
Normal weight
With a BMI of 20, you weight is healthy, congratulations.
It reduces your risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, blood pressure and diabetes.
The benefits of maintaining a healthy body weight are numerous, not only to the quality of life, but also the quantity of life. Some of these benefits are:
- Decreased breast cancer risk
- Being overweight can increase your odds of breast cancer by 60 percent.
- Abdominal fat is particularly dangerous.
- Improved heart health
- People with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 is more likely to show signs of early plaque
- Increased fertility
- 12% of infertility cases are because of weight-related issues.
- Your weight can affect your periods and ovulation, so if you're not at a healthy weight, your fertility can suffer.
- Better sleep
- Fat (and particularly belly fat) interferes with lung function. It becomes harder for the lungs to expand because fat is in the way. And since breathing issues can lead to nighttime problems like sleep apnea, it takes a toll on your shuteye.
- Decreased risk of diabetes
- For people who are overweight, even minor weight loss is associated with delaying (or preventing) diabetes.
- Cancer avoidance
- Losing weight won't prevent you from developing cancer, but it can greatly reduce the possibility of developing certain forms of cancer.
- Women who are overweight are more likely to develop uterine, gallbladder, ovary, breast, colon and cervical cancer.
- Men can also benefit by lowering the likelihood of developing prostate, colon and rectal cancer.
These are only a few of the many benefits of maintaining a healthy body weight.
Eating a healthy diet and performing light exercise, is a great way to begin to see the benefits of maintaining a healthy body weight.
Normal weight treatment
Maintaining a healthy weight is an extremely important part of overall health.
Maintaining a healthy weight is not always easy. The key to success is making changes in daily eating and physical activity habits that can be maintained over one’s lifetime.
To maintain a healthy weight, one needs to balance the calories they use with those they take in.
Some ways to create a caloric deficit are:
- Spend less time in sedentary activities (such as watching tv, internet surfing...).
- Engage in daily activities (walking, bicycling, housework...).
- Eat more fruits and vegetables (and reduce food portion sizes).
Maintaining your weight is not an impossible task.
It simply means burning the same amount of calories that you eat. Eating smaller portions and choosing foods that are low in total fat and added sugar, are essential to maintaining your desired weight. Establishing a regular exercise routine is equally important.
Check your Waist Circumference
Another way to assess your weight is to measure your waist size. Your waistline may be telling you that you have a higher risk of developing obesity-related conditions if you are:
- A man whose waist circumference is more than 40 inches.
- A non-pregnant woman whose waist circumference is more than 35 inches.
Excessive abdominal fat is serious because it places you at greater risk for developing obesity-related conditions, such as Type 2 Diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease.