Many people are very concerned about their weight. Some of these concerns are quite prudent; others are really not necessary. Some people are overweight; others are really at their ideal weight but unaware of this.

Naturally, being outside your ideal weight should be an issue of concern because there are potential health problems associated with weight challenges. Being underweight or overweight can be associated with hormonal problems which are signs or symptoms of more critical underlying problems. Thus, more serious conditions could be waiting to manifest themselves when our body's immune system is caught off guard. Weight measurement does not differentiate between 'lean body weight' and 'fat weight'. Because of this, people with different body type, body build or body frame can be misled.

Muscular people

Muscular people can have normal fat quantities even though they are overweight based on the measurement used. Others who are underweight, according to weight charts, can have excessive fat tissues when measured for fat mass. Various methods are used to assess body weight in relation to ideal or desirable body weight. Thus, body-weight assessments using only the height and weight of the individual are less than ideal as health guides.

Without the input of our body frame, our weight measurement is inadequate to guide our efforts to achieve our weight ideal. The frame of the individual helps to determine weight range for height. The wide range of weights for height helps us to understand various factors that affect weight gain. Taking one's weight is not adequate, by itself, to arrive at the conclusion that one is at the ideal weight, overweight or underweight.

What really matters is the quality of the weight, not the quantity. The ideal body weight for any individual can be different for people with the identical heights based on their body frame and muscle differences.

Estimates

Height, weight and measurements are really estimates to guide our assessments. Thus, my female reader whose height is 5' 5" with a medium frame and weighs 160 lbs would have an ideal weight that falls between 117 and 155 lbs.

Our weight measurement should really be a clinical assessment to ensure that our actual weight mirrors our desirable weight. With an inactive lifestyle, our weight can remain relatively unchanged while our body composition deteriorates by muscle mass being replaced with fat.

Regular exercise or an active lifestyle helps to control body weight and body composition.

Dr Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physiologist at Holiday Hills Research Center; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.