It is common knowledge that obesity can have detrimental effects on our health, causing us to be prone to diseases that can be fatal. How then can we determine whether we are obese? To find out whether you are weighing in the normal range, a good gauge would be to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) or take the Waist-Hip ratio, which involves taking the measurements of your waist circumference as a ratio to your hips circumference. This could be done as a precursor to plan out your diet regime!

1）Body Mass Index
BMI is a formula which takes height and weight measurements to calculate the extent of obesity in humans. Do you want to know your BMI? Just follow the BMI formula! Check your findings against the Health Index table to see if you are in the unhealthy range!

BMI formula:

BMI =

NB: BMI is not a recommended health gauge for anyone below 18 years old, pregnant or lactating mothers, elderly persons with disabilities and athletes.

The following BMI table is a standard researched by the World Health Organisation (WHO):

NB: Malaysia is an Asian country and as such, you are advised to check your findings against the data as shown as the “Asian Standard”.

2）Waist-Hip ratio
For those whose weight measurements are off the acceptable range, finding out the fat-distribution in their body will be an important indication of their health status! The hips are the indicators of the amount of fat-distribution in our body. Excess fat in this area would increase the risks of progressive diseases (e.g. heart disease, diabetes, etc). Using the waist-hip ratio of obese individuals, the apple-shaped and pear-shaped bodies can be identified. Calculating the waist-hip ratio is relatively simple too, as shown below:

Waist circumference：______ cm/in

Waist-Hip ratio =

• If the waist circumference is larger than the hip circumference, the individual is in the ‘internal organ obesity’ category.
• Fat accumulates mostly in the abdomen and upper body areas.
• As fat accumulates around the important internal organs, this increases the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high-blood pressure, etc. As such, this form of obesity is classed as “chronic obesity”.
• Apple-shaped obesity has a higher rate of burning fats and hence, any form of weight-reduction will have more pronounced results.

• If the hip circumference is larger than the waist circumference, the individual is in the ‘skin-deep obesity’ category.
• Fat accumulates mostly in the hips, thighs or lower body areas.
• Pear-shaped obesity has a lower chance of causing health-related diseases and as such, it is classed as “benign obesity”.
• Pear-shaped obesity sufferers tend to store stubborn fat and most will find it hard to burn them off.

Information shown above is for reference only. Regular medical checkups are more effective indicators of health status.

Let us look at the BMI and Waist-hip ratio calculations of Miss Tan in the following example :

BMI =

_____________________

=

Waist-Hip ratio =

Waist circumference (cm/in)

Hip circumference (cm/in)

=

=

As the saying goes, “Health is wealth”. Being able to enjoy good health is akin to enjoying wealth. Is the fat accumulating around your waist and abdomen areas making you ‘rich’ in the stomach? We do hope that after you have worked out your BMI and Waist-hip ratio, you will be more careful in your daily dietary habits. You may want to consider introducing PHHP health supplements, such as the Phyto Fiber, into your diet so that you can gain more merit-points and be rich in your health!