BMI Calculator for Females: How Much Body Fat Do You Have?

The BMI calculator for females is actually the same as for males, which is one of the reasons people sometimes question the validity of its use for everyone over the age of 20. However, regardless of the critics, the BMI or Body Mass Index is still a good way to get a general overview of your health and whether you are overweight (or underweight) for your height.

To calculate your BMI you need to know your height and weight. You can do this using pounds and inches or kilograms and meters, whichever you are most familiar with.

Kilograms are simpler, so let's start there. Take your height in meters and multiply it by itself. So, if you are 1.6 meters, you will calculate 1.6 x 1.6 which equals 2.56. Next take your weight in kilos and divide by that multiplication figure. So, if you are 75 kilos, divide by 2.56 and your BMI is 29.29.

The calculation for pounds and inches is very similar. Multiply your height in inches by itself. Take your weight in pounds and divide by that multiplication, then multiply that figure by 703.

A healthy BMI is considered to be between 20 and 25. Under 18.5 you are considered underweight, while between 25 and 30 would be overweight. A BMI score over 30 puts you in the obese category.

Based on our calculation above that means you would fall in the top end of the overweight category, but just because you fall outside the healthy number range doesn't mean you have a problem. For example, the BMI cannot tell the difference between muscle and fat, and if you have a BMI higher than 25 but have a lot of muscle and very little fat, you are not likely to be overweight or obese.

The BMI calculator for females is not terribly accurate for determining the overall percentage of fat in the body and was developed as a simple way to determine body fat in large groups of people. We are all different shapes and sizes so make sure you use it as a quick reference only. If you want a more accurate determination of your health, consult a doctor or health professional. Many gyms will offer skin fold tests to calculate your body fat more precisely.

Remember, take your BMI result as an indication of how much body fat you have but don't rely on it as the final word on your health.

Blast Off Belly Fat - How To Eliminate Belly Fat? Find Out Now!

Blasting off belly fat away is the main concern of health conscious individuals nowadays. Aside from being not that comfortable going to beaches or wearing new trends of clothing fashion, having belly fat can also lead to some health problems. Belly fat is not that pretty and also it can lead to different health problems like heart diseases and type 2 diabetes. Having a regular exercise will gradually make it disappear eventually.

From the external view, many of us think that there is only one type of fat deposits in our body. But looking deeper in our anatomical structure, there are two types of body fat, the visceral and the subcutaneous. The visceral type of fat is located deep within the body and surrounds internal organs, while the subcutaneous fat is located superficially or just under the skin. This is the fat that wobbles like a jelly when you are jumping up and down or running. The only way to get rid of belly fat is to burn more calories more than you eat. It is about time to forget those advertised exercises that have made you believe that you can loose your belly fat in less time.

Not all exercises are designed to eliminate body fat. Packing a lot of extra weight around the mid section will not help to reduce the amount of body fat in the abdominal area, since the muscles of the lower back are doing most of the work. Too many sit-ups can also result to hunched back or a herniated disc. Starving your body of calories will not work either, and can even jeopardize your central nervous system.

If you are really determined about trimming your belly fat, get started while you are younger. The older the person gets, the harder it will be to blast off that fat, most especially to men over 40 years of age.

Here are two exercises that will tone the torso and put a minimal stress on your body muscles.

The first exercise is the side-lying curl. Using an exercise ball, kneel down on your right knee and pull the ball to the left side of your body. Slowly lean over so your right leg will be extended outward and the position of your right hand faces down. Gently reduce the distance between your ribcage and hip by lifting up your body, while keeping your head in line with your spinal column. Then drape your body all over the ball while placing your right hand on your ear. Lift the upper portion of your body while balancing yourself.

The next exercise is the bicycle crunch. This exercise is easy and will work out tour abdominal muscle. Lie flat and slowly bring your knees at a 45 degree angle. Lace your fingers behind your head then start pedaling as if you are riding a bicycle while bringing your right elbow towards the left knee and vice versa.

These exercises alone are not enough. A proper diet low in saturated fat combined with different exercises will be very effective. Determination and discipline is very essential when you plan to blast off your belly fat.

Next, learn how to stay motivated and accordingly to your weight loss plans without falling short. Click on the following link and learn what is needed in order to eliminate belly fat.

Burning the Candle at Both Ends - Why Chronic Disease Prevention and Wellness Need to Be Job 1

I recently attended a conference where, like many conferences around the United States, Healthcare Reform was the key topic. I was most impressed by Mika Brzezinski, from MSNBC's Morning Joe show, and her passion regarding America's Obesity issue. Our self indulgent lifestyle in the US has created many behavioral and lifestyle induced chronic conditions that dramatically affect the cost of healthcare and insurance in this country. As I listened to Mika speak, it made me think of many conversations that I have had with friends and peers regarding wellness and prevention. How does one define wellness and prevention? How does one create expectations for behaviors? How do you build a wellness program that rewards and creates incentives for individuals the take care of themselves? Since there are many opinions, it makes it difficult to establish a true definition of wellness, let alone define rewards, incentives and penalties required to make Wellness a clearly defined strategy to reduce Healthcare costs.

A McKinsey Quarterly report from June 2009 titled Why Understanding Medical Risk is Key to US Health Reform outlined several important points. These points included the shift in medical risk from random catastrophic events driven by things out our control, the misalignment of our current supply side fee-for-service incentives and the "lack of incentives for healthy behavior and overall long term health management".

The four most common causes of chronic disease are: lack of physical activity, poor eating habits, smoking and alcohol consumption. Statistics show these are the main causes of death and poor health. These causes are preventable and can be modified through lifestyle changes. Obesity alone costs the nation a total of $139 billion in direct and indirect cost per year. These stats alone are staggering but when coupled with the projected and uncontrollable end-of-life costs of the current baby boom generation, it tells us that dramatic change needs to occur in how we incent Wellness and individuals who refrain from these damaging lifestyle choices. This change will not happen without an "intervention" from all segments of our society, including healthcare, education, churches, government, and business. I am often amazed at the transformation of people's lives on the show "The Biggest Loser" - the goal is clearly defined, the "weigh-ins" include incentives and penalties - the expectations are clear to all. Wellness, to be successful in this country, will need the same model: well-defined outcomes, measurements of success, rewards and penalties, and clear expectations.

The rising costs of healthcare, even with current reform measures, are NOT sustainable. With the aging of America, we cannot afford to have the uncontrollable end-of-life medical expense, coupled with chronic disease lifestyle conditions of younger Americans, adding to the burden that will soon face our overwhelmed healthcare system.

Brian Hudson serves as Senior Vice President for Avant Healthcare Professionals, the nation's premier specialist for internationally educated nursing and allied health professionals. Six-Sigma trained, SHRM and ASTD certified, Hudson is a present and past member of numerous Healthcare Associations & organizations, such as, the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE - Board Member 2010) and the American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment (AAIHR) and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

Hudson brings extensive operational, human capital, marketing, and business development expertise. Previous experience includes diverse executive operational and human capital leadership roles; including Regional Vice President of Operations and Director of Training and Development for Fortune 50 companies, along with entrepreneurial experience as Co-founder and President of a small boutique healthcare firm. Hudson speaks and moderates discussions regarding various Healthcare Human Capital Recruitment and Retention issues across the country. Brian Hudson can be reached at bhudson@avanthealthcare.com.

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Article Submitted On: October 29, 2010

Are You Unknowingly Killing Your Children With What You Feed Them?

The truth shall set you free....

This is a brutal question for sure. My dearly departed wise old friend often told me, he would rather be hurt by the truth, than hurt by a lie. The short answer to this question likely is yes. I am going to stay away from all the emotional reasons and brain chemistry addictions every person has relative to overeating or eating for escape. If food is your addiction, you already know it.

The good news is, this is easily reversible and treatable. By the end of this article you will know exactly how to deal with toxicity, what to do next, and you can have a follow up from someone who lives this daily. You still have hope, especially if you do not go to your doctor or medical professional. I have stated in previous blogs, your doctor has received zero minutes in 8 years of schooling on nutrition. They not only are unqualified, they can only prescribe drugs, often recommend unnecessary surgery, and radiate you. Wake up people.

The second item is they also blame genetics. The statement, "it runs in your family" is not genetics. That is simply environmental. Genetics do not work that way. If your parents are huge, you likely sat at the same dinner table or went to the same fast-food restaurant and ate and drank the same toxins.

Were you taught to overeat as a child? Maybe your parents or grandparents were for sure. Someone survived the depression and thus you had to eat everything on your plate and hear that same stupid story again and now have guilt poured into your meal. If you did not hear that perhaps you were coerced by the fact that there are starving kids in Africa? When you make a fist, or better yet, have your child make a fist, that is roughly the size of your stomach. Eating more is simply overeating.

Let's look at some of the food supply itself-the root of many causes. Do you eat French fries? How many meals are fast food? Do you own and use a microwave? Do you drink any sodas, diet or regular? Do you eat anything with high fructose corn-syrup in it? It is now being relabeled corn sugar. Big business knows people are starting to wise up but also know many of you are asleep at the wheel. Maybe not if you are reading this at least. Wheat products of all kinds, (gluten) dairy products of any kind, (your stomach cannot digest dairy, (it breaks down in your colon) GMO foods or genetic modified, all corn products are GMO's. Is there anything with hydrogenated oils? These oils are not found anywhere in nature, they are man-made to add shelf-life to food that sits for long periods of time. The oils go straight to the arteries and begin to form plaque and start the process of diabetes complications, heart diseases, obesity, high blood pressure, so much more. Most potato chips, crackers, cookies, whole aisles in grocery stores are loaded with this deadly oil. Our bodies cannot break down hydrogen. Getting the idea yet?

When you eat any of these and so many more foods and drinks, you are filling yourself with toxins. The body is smart. When you eat this food and become large, it is not that you are not fat or obese, but more so that you simply are toxic. Your body encapsulates the so called food in brown fat and stores it to protect itself from you. You get bigger and more toxic.

I have been taking insulin for 35 years. I developed a gut about 11 years ago. While it may look like a beer gut, it was just a gut. I forgot we all have over 100,000 miles of arterial systems in our bodies. The micro-vascular capillaries get clogged easy with the food we eat. When those small blood flow suppliers clog they cannot remove waste and fat, one of their functions. I have not exercised a whole lot outside of winter snow-skiing. While sitting at my desk as I work from home, I melted off a couple of inches in a week's time, no diet changes, no exercise. I then was able to reduce my insulin intake by 10% as well from testing lower blood sugars. My friend who shared an amazing amino acid that is vital to every cell in our bodies was healing my body. More so, my body was healing itself due to now found blood flow. My friend lost 60 pounds, got off his type 2 diabetic medication, got off his high blood pressure meds, and his cholesterol medications as well. All this can be reversed from taking one food supplement. Go look up the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine and do your own research. Dr. Ignarro and his team is who to look for.

L-arginine was dubbed the miracle molecule by Columbia University as they tested over 10,000 patients and ran 750,000 tests. The pure protein produced the only natural source that converted into Nitric Oxide. We need it in every part of our bodies. Our muscular, skeletal, nervous, digestive, and immune systems all depend on this vital compound. It cleans out our arteries and allows all our systems to perform its functions. Our food supply used to provide enough, but those days are long gone of rich in nutrient foods. Oh yes, if you have a farmers market nearby you have more than most, but on an average day, no one eats live foods and drinks pure water anymore.

Statistics say something even more brutal than the title and opening statements. If your kids were born after the year 2000 they will have a 1 in 2 chance of heart failure or diabetes. It is worse. It is now predicted that they also will outlive their future children. This is an unprecedented setback for mankind. We are not so smart in some areas after all. It is not too late too. You can start reversing all the complications you may have from obesity and circulatory problems. All the diseases I mentioned are circulatory based. Clean your arteries, your complications abate.

Your doctor cannot and will not be able to help you do this. Their license forbids them. They can only write you a prescription for a chemical. They can only give you a drug. Something that likely blocks something, and then causes side-effects. If you are doing this, you are only changing seats on the Titanic. I host a live call 5 nights a week, I certainly invite any medical doctor to who writes scripts for patients to dispute with me their ability to heal, or cure anything. They are not allowed. They can only practice medicine, and treat symptoms. Doctors cannot help you other than to drain your wallet. The #1 reason for bankruptcy in the U.S. is medical bills.

If you cannot afford healthy food, whatever you are doing financially is not working then. You need to do something different if you want something different.

5 Under-Appreciated Things About Lap Band Surgery in Mexico

Mexico has fast emerged as a preferred destination for Bariatric surgeries like Lap band Surgery also known as Gastric Banding. Every year thousands of Americans visit Mexico for treatment. The advantages of Mexico as a centre for such surgeries are under-appreciated though. This article will be helpful if you are considering weight loss surgery in various cities of Mexico.

1. Surgery is cheaper than the US. The cost in Mexico is US $ 4,000 - $ 8,000 versus $ 10,400 - $ 20,000 in US. There is a significant cost saving for self-paying patients even after calculating traveling and lodging expenses.

2. Quality health care.
Many hospitals well equipped with state of the art medical equipments.Well-trained nurses are available in many hospitals to handle patient's queries and requirement.Availability of World-class hospitals with international accreditation.English speaking staffs are found at many places.

3. Experienced Bariatric Doctors.
The doctors in Mexico have been performing Gastric Banding Surgery since 1990's whereas in US the procedure got approval in 2001. Mexican doctors therefore might be more experienced than the US ones. o Many Mexican doctors are certified to train the US doctors. o Members of various medical associations.

4. Surgeons in Mexico have been performing Lap Band Surgery on Obese teens. In US, the process is not yet approved by FDA and thus conducted by very few surgeons after special permissions.

5. Acceptable waiting time for Lap band Mexico compared to long waiting lines in North America and many European countries. This facility of immediate treatment has attracted many medical tourists.

Tijuana in Mexico has emerged as preferred options for North Americans to opt for Lap Band Surgery.

Before and After Duodenal Switch Surgery

Choosing the best technique for weight loss surgery is an individual decision for every doctor and patient due to numerous factors that could contribute to it. Usually, those persons having a BMI higher than 40 or suffering of diabetes are the most suitable patients for vertical gastrectomy. The best candidates for this procedure are those persons having a great BMI, sometimes their BMI going over 55. Statistics say that candidates with BMI over 50 will loss more weight if they have duodenal switch surgery than if they would had a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Most of the times, heart failure patients and sleep apnea patients are excluded for this procedure, no matter what their BMI would be. Being a candidate for vertical gastrectomy surgery you must know that most of the bariatric clinics deem it as an experimental procedure.

Pre-surgery consultations will include a meeting with a dietitian, who will fix you a program to follow before and after the surgery. You will pass through some evaluations of your health situation regarding your heart, lungs, and your mental health. Before surgery, some patients will have to undergo an upper endoscopy examination to check if they have tumors, polyps, ulcer or the bacteria that causes ulcer, in their stomach.

You will be asked about the medication, vitamins, minerals or herbal treatments you are taking or of those that you might continue with after.

Your surgeon has to know if you are a smoker or if you are capable to quit smoking for at least six months after the surgery procedure because of the increasing risks a smoker has in this specific period of time like: pneumonia and other lung problems or blood clots. Drinking alcohol is also forbidden 48 hours before surgery; so you will be asked about having alcohol problems.

You will be recommended to try to lose few percents of your body weight before the duodenal switch procedure is programmed in order to benefit of a shorter hospital stay and a more rapid weight loss after the surgery.

A patient must always know those advantages that duodenal switch surgery might have for him:

1. The stomach remain bigger than in other bariatric surgeries types so you may eat larger meals without feeling any discomfort
2. The intestinal bypass is reversible for those patients that might have malabsorptive complications
3. Smaller risk of developing ulcers
4. Greater obesity-related illnesses disappearance
5. Weight loss process will continue for a longer period of time and the possibility to restart some unwanted gain weight is smaller.

A Long Term Solution To The Problem Of Obesity - Weight Loss Boot Camp

For many years, weight loss boot camp been seen as a location for obese adults to shed excess pounds gained from eating too much junk food. On such programs, those forced to go were mocked. The derisory nickname 'fat camp' was coined as a method of disparaging those who attended. Over the last decade with middle-aged men and women slowly coming to the realization that their eating habits and lack of exercise was destined to send them to an early grave, the significant issue of adult obesity has developed. In the modern era, weight loss boot camp programs enjoy huge membership each year as people's desire to lose fat is only exceeded by their propensity to consume too much of it.

A weight loss bootcamp image was previously that of an army officer screaming instructions at overweight individuals in an effort to make fun of them into slimming down. They were forced to eat barely edible food and perform exercises until they felt physically sick. These old style boot camps caused outrage as much individuals observed this kind of approaches as being draconian. A kinder approach is by modern weight loss camps, using encouragement rather as compared to insults to spur attendees on.

As the best camps get results, slimming bootcamps are also favorite. No " inside info " exists for losing a few pounds and legitimate camps recognize this. Their ability to drive themselves on and their hope to get results is what an individual's success depends on. Conducive to beneficial results are the group environment as it provides attendees using a ready made support system. If you happen to see a fellow camp member lose heart or say they want to quit you can step in and help them out. A huge weight (no pun intended) will be lifted off your shoulders by simply talking about the difficulties you're facing. Seeing your fellow members lose weight as well as receiving compliments on your own progress is also reassuring.

These camps also help you in the future, besides simply dropping pounds. You can add years on to your life by picking up healthy eating habits. Having too much salt and butter with your dinner are bad habits may seem innocuous, but the excess cholesterol and sodium accumulates to cause health problems. Overweight adults also have difficulties in terms of portion control. Overeating is normally the cause of weight gain, we all do it without realizing, and to top it off we manage to in good shape lots of junk foods like sweets and crisps in-between meals. The exercise routines that people who attend weight-loss boot camps experience are also a powerful way to improve heart health.

Even though they should not be seen as a answer, these camps are becoming very popular. They will help you in the short term and provide you with the means of being healthy in the long run but you must still put what you learn into practice. A stick to beat overweight adults with is not really the way of a weight lose bootcamp. Providing individuals with a nourishing eating and exercising philosophy that will hopefully stand them in good stead for the rest of their life is what they do.