Don't sweat the scale

Excerpts taken from a 12/22/09 Miami Herald article by Nancy Churnin

Stop worrying about being up or down a few pounds. Instead focus on being fit says a consensus of doctors. The numbers you should pay attention to are your Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference.

That's because if you exercise the way you should, your body composition will change. Fat will be replaced by muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. So if you're near your ideal weight, the number on the scale may stay the same or even increase slightly as you become healthier.

Body Mass Index (BMI)
This number is the most important. It's your weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. No need to look up the conversion rate of kilograms to pounds, input your vital statistics on the Center for Disease Control's BMI calculator. Your target is to get between 18.5 to 25. A BMI of over 30 is obese and brings a substantially increased risk of health issues, ranging form diabetes to depression.

However, the calculator does not take into consideration exercise. There are professional athletes like tennis star Venus Williams that has a BMI that would classify her as overweight. Many professional football players would be considered morbidly obese.

But you're not a professional athlete, but what if you do exercise more, maybe a lot more than the average person. Doctors say that exercise is such an important component of fitness that people with a BMI of 30 who exercise four days a week have a lower risk of a heart attach than people with a BMI of 24 who don't exercise. That's where waist circumference comes into play.

Waist Circumference
Yes, it's what you think. It's the number of inches around your waist at the smallest area above the navel (and it's not your pants size, men). Men, you're shooting for 40 inches or less: Women, the number is 35. And those numbers are regardless of how tall you are.

Any number above that, your risk for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, strokes and some cancers is increased.

Other measures of fitness

Weight Doctors say this is the least useful measurement. Focus on losing sizes rather than losing pounds.

Bone Size Your doctor can determine this, but he'll also probably tell you that the differences between 'big boned' and 'small boned' is not significant enough to recommend higher BMI or waist size.

Skin-Fold Thickness Hold up your arms and let someone pinch your skin fold between the ribs and hips. The number of inches is directly related to your underlying body fat.