About two months ago, Filipinos all over the world celebrated their Christmas Eve with Noche Buena and their New Year’s Eve with Media Noche. These special times are celebrated with friends, family, and of course, lots of food!
Filipino-Canadians’ tabletops were most likely a fusion of traditional Filipino and Western fares. During my family’s annual Noche Buena feast, I always look forward to having turkey for our main ulam and Bibingka for dessert.
By this time of the year, people have probably forgotten about the ever so popular New Year’s resolution they have set for themselves: to lose weight.
As a Filipino Registered Dietitian, I’ve had many Filipinos ask me questions about how much they should weigh.
Health Canada recommends the use of Body Mass Index (BMI), a calculation that classifies one’s body composition and estimates the potential for developing chronic diseases.1 Note that BMI is not applicable to individuals below the age of 18, and pregnant and lactating women.
BMI = weight (in kg) / height (in m)2
BMI Classification
Less than 18.5 Underweight
18.5 to 24.9 Normal weight
25.0 – 29.9 Overweight
30.0 – 34.9 Obese class I
35.0 – 39.9 Obese class II
40.0 and above Obese class III
In summary, those with BMI ranges below and above normal have higher chances of developing health problems. Overweight and obese ranges are associated with increased risks for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, and some forms of cancer. On the other hand, being underweight may be a predisposition to osteoporosis and undernutrition.1
Another tool used in combination with BMI is Waist Circumference (WC). Fat around the waistline may contribute to high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol.1 Men with WC above 102 cm or 40 inches, and women with 88 cm or 35 inches may have higher risks for developing chronic diseases.
Both the BMI and the WC should be interpreted with caution, as they may not accurately predict the risk of disease for specific ethnic groups. Those of South East Asian descent, including Filipinos, have body compositions that are biologically different to the reference population of BMI and WC, composed mostly of Caucasians. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggested that there might be a need for different ranges for those of Asian descent. 2 This is because between an Asian and a Caucasian of the same gender, age and BMI, an Asian individual would have a higher body fat percentage. This means that the BMI and WC cut-off point at risk of chronic diseases may be lower for Asians. In other words, even if a Filipino is within the higher end of the normal BMI range and below the risky range of the WC, he/she may already be at risk for developing chronic diseases.3
However, BMI and WC are only tools used to loosely estimate the risk of disease. Again, these estimations should be interpreted with caution. There are multiple factors to consider when assessing one’s health, including their overall lifestyle, diet, level of physical activity, alcohol consumption and whether they smoke or not.
To answer their question, I do not give an actual number of how much an individual should weigh. I do encourage them to ask themselves what their overarching reasons are for wanting to lose weight. If the answer is a desire to spend as much time with their family while healthy and disease-free, a commitment to living a healthy lifestyle will prove that their weight is nothing but a number.