Maximum Weight Limit

A Novel Way of Calculating Body Weight

Sep 28, 2009 Alicia Richardson

No Ideal Body Weight Range; no conversions from pounds to kilograms, and from meters to inches. Just one number to remember from now on.

George Fernandez - professor of Applied Statistics at the University of Nevada (Reno, Nevada) - claims that the Body Mass Index System is too complicated a formula to figure out and remember for most people so he developed a new algorithm (method) that's easy to calculate and keep in mind.. In fact, it's so easy you can do the math in your head!

The Maximum Weight Limit System

Using an SAS software and statistical techniques, he used "baseline" weights and heights for adult men and women. For men, the baseline height is 5 - feet, 9 - inches with a baseline weight of 175 pounds, meaning that a 5 -foot, 9 inches tall man should not weigh more than 175 pounds - his "maximum weight limit." For adult women, the baseline is 5 feet tall and the maximum weight limit is 125 pounds.

"These are nice round numbers that people can easily remember: 5 - feet, 9 - inches tall, 175 pounds for men; and 5 feet tall 125 pounds for women," said Professor Fernandez.

From this starting point (baseline), you can calculate how much taller or shorter you are in inches. If you're a man, you can add or subtract 5 pounds for every inch that you're taller or shorter than the baseline figure.For example, if you are 5 feet, 11 inches, you will add 10 pounds to the 175 pounds (the baseline weight) allowed for a 5 feet, 9 inches man. Therefore your maximum weight limit should be no more than 185 pounds; that is 175 pounds + 10 pounds.If you are a woman, you can add or subtract 4.5 pounds for every inch that you're taller or shorter than 5 feet with a maximum weight limit of 125 pounds.

Professor Fernandez claims that this formula is very close to the body mass index (BMIs) for healthy adults: 25.5 for men and 24.5 for women. A BMI Range of 18.5 to 25 is considered healthy. Professor Fernandez used a slightly lower BMI range for women because women have less muscle than men. In comparison, he used a slightly higher BMI range for men.

He says: " Now people can calculate their own maximum weight limit based on the BMI Index, but without any calculators based on charts. And all they have to remember is that one number , 185 pounds for example is easier for most people than retaining a weight range sch as 155 to 185 pounds." He also stated that this simple formula can be very valuable in regions where medical services are not easily available, especially for people who have no access to height and weight scales, technology, and charts.

Professor Fernandez says: "Anyone anywhere can calculate their maximum weight limit if they know their height with this simple formula. People can calculate this in their heads and remember this." The technique was presented at the Public Health Association Conference, Sept. 22 2009 at the University of Nevada in Reno, Nevada.

Limitations of the Maximum Weight Limit Formula (MWL) and the Body Mass Index (BMI) System

Both formulas cannot be used to calculate the weights of infants, children and young adults as well as pregnant or expecting mothers, the very old, very sick, and muscular athletes such as body builders. Infants are measured lying down on a measuring board with a fixed headboard and a movable footboard. Two people are needed to measure the baby's length. Infants/babies lie or sit on scales designed to hold them while being weighed. Results are then matched against the Age for Weight Percentiles chart. There are separate charts for each gender which goes from birth to 36 months; and then from age 2 to 20 years.

References

"Nevada professor discovers new way to calculate body's Maximum Weight Limit" e! Science News

Website Friday, September 18, 2009

Whitney EN & Rolfes SR "Anthropometric Measurements" derstanding Nutrition, Ninth Edition, Wadsworth, 2002 pp:E-5, E-13

The copyright of the article Maximum Weight Limit in Health Field is owned by Alicia Richardson. Permission to republish Maximum Weight Limit in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.