BMI 25.4
BMI 25 to 29.9 is Overweight
You are a bit overweight compared to your height. You would benefit from finding healthy ways to lower your weight, such as diet and exercise. Individuals who fall in this range are at increased risk for a variety of illnesses. Check your waist circumference.
Overweight
With a BMI of 25.4 you have more body fat than is optimally healthy. You are overweight.
Being overweight is a common condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary.
Lots of people think that being overweight is an appearance issue. But being overweight is actually a medical concern because it can seriously affect a person's health.
The health problems that stem from being overweight go way beyond the ones we usually hear about, like diabetes, blood pressure or heart disease. Being overweight can also affect a person's joints, breathing, sleep, mood, and energy levels. So being overweight can impact a person's entire quality of life.
Being overweight has been identified as a cause of cancer, and is projected to overtake smoking as the primary cause of cancer in developed countries as cases of cancer linked to smoking dwindle.
Overweight treatment
Being overweight isn't a cosmetic problem. This condition greatly raises your risk for other health problems.
The usual treatments for overweight individuals are diet and physical exercise.
If you are considered to be overweight, losing as little as 10 percent of your body weight may lower your risk for several diseases, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Losing weight is not easy
Losing weight is not easy, and it takes commitment.
The key to success is to achieve an energy balance between calories consumed on one hand, and calories used on the other hand.
It's natural for anyone trying to lose weight to want to lose it very quickly. But evidence shows that people who lose weight gradually and steadily are more successful at keeping weight off.
Healthy weight loss isn't just about a "diet" or "program". It's about an ongoing lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits.
To reach this goal, people can limit energy intake from total fats and shift fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats; increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts; and limit their intake of sugars.
And to increase calories used, people can boost their levels of physical activity - to at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity activity on most days.
Dietitians generally recommend eating several balanced meals dispersed through the day, with a combination of progressive, primarily aerobic, physical exercise.
Be Active
Federal guidelines on physical activity recommend that you get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity (like biking or brisk walking).
To lose weight, or to maintain weight loss, you may need to be active for up to 300 minutes per week.
You also need to do activities to strengthen muscles (like push-ups or sit-ups) at least twice a week.