Choosing Your Ideal Size

Your ideal size is the size that feels the best, at which you have the most energy, the best health, and the highest self-confidence and self-esteem. In the following, you will learn several methods for determining your ideal size. We recommend simple strategies but also have included the preferred medical ways to select your size.

Beware the Scales

Thank goodness, scales are finally out of favor. More and more people and professionals understand the limitations of scales and are finding other methods for measuring body size.

A scale doesn't really tell you much that you don't already know, but for a perfectly harmless device in itself, a scale sure can alter a person's moods. If you get on a scale in the morning and have lost a pound, you can feel great about yourself all day. Inside, however, you may be wondering why it wasn't two pounds. If you have stayed at the same weight as the day before, you are doing fine, but on second thought, not all that well. If the scale reads more than yesterday, you feel like a failure, get depressed, and question the validity of your diet and your self-discipline. You probably also will question the accuracy of the scale! By the end of the day, you can descend into a dire sense of failure that cries out for food, glorious food, to soothe your lowered sense of self-esteem.

Scales scientifically measure your specific gravity in relationship to the earth. That's all. They do not tell you how you look or how much body fat you have. They don't measure what's truly going on inside your body. They only measure your weight at a very specific point in time; they tell you nothing about how you fit into your clothes. But try explaining that logic to a person who compulsively visits the scale six to eight times a day.

A woman who has plenty of healthy muscle mass may appear to be the same size as a woman who has a high percentage of body fat. Who weighs more? The first woman weighs more because muscle weighs more than fat. A cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat. Every cubic inch of fat you release and every cubic inch of muscle you gain will make you look thinner, although your weight may not go down.

As you do the strength-training exercises to increase your muscle tone and shape, you could end up weighing more than your goal—and looking better than your goal.

One middle-aged male client, Bill, came to his fifth class session delighted that he needed to purchase a new belt. He had lost about 5 to 6 inches from his waist, but he lamented that he hadn't lost any weight at all. What happened? Bill's new exercise regime and eating patterns resulted in lost inches. Many inches. The weight on the scale was not relevant. He was already at the size he wanted.

It might feel scary to not step on the scale daily. Get over it. If the scale is too tempting, put it in cold storage and haul it out once a year for an annual “weigh-in.”

How Do Your Jeans Fit?

Jeans are rather unforgiving. They don't have an elastic waistband (at least, we hope they don't). They aren't made from some stretchy knit fabric designed to let you grow unhindered and unobserved. They are denim, rugged and classic denim. They don't budge for your bulges.

Do you have a favorite pair of jeans that you've saved because they once fit? Do you secretly long for the day when you can zip them up comfortably and know you look great? Save those jeans. They are your benchmark for how you are doing with your weight loss. Keep them for the rest of your life.

Now that you're heading toward your ideal size, try on your old favorite jeans every month or so. The jeans cannot lie. They're always the same size. As you progress toward your ideal size, you will easily see the progress you are making. When you finally fit into them, it's a real “hurrah!” moment, one you will savor and use for continual inspiration.

Using the jeans method for determining your ideal size means you don't need to weigh in. Of course, it's not a scientific measurement. Do you care? If you need a target number, you might need another measuring stick. But many people who are already thin use this method to stay at their ideal size. The instant their jeans are tight, they are careful about food intake for a couple of days or weeks until their jeans once again fit comfortably.

Jeans make you feel sexy. They are youthful, fun, and speak loudly and proudly of your weight-loss success.

What's in a Size?

Clothing sizes are an imprecise but highly effective guide to measuring your weight-loss success. If you're a woman, pick a dress size that you would like to wear. If you want to shop the size-8 racks, make them your target and imagine yourself doing just that. Go for it. You may find yourself picking a smaller dress-size goal after you've reached your first one.

One of our class participants, Marian, who is in her early 50s, made up a mantra that she said to herself often, “It's never too late to be an 8.” Upon reaching that goal, she wrote yet another mantra with the assistance of her son Michael, “It's the kicks to be a 6.” Within several months, Marian was buying size 6 shorts—a size she never thought possible when she was a size 12.

Women usually think of size in terms of dress size, men in terms of their belt size. So, fellows, if you want a waist size of 34, 36, or whatever, select the one that feels best to you. Using the select-a-size method to choose your ideal size is not particularly scientific, but it's a good measure for how you look—and no scale is needed. It works for many people. Before you select your ideal size for certain, you need to learn about your frame size.

The Frame You Were Born With

The size of your body frame gives a good indication of what clothing size would work best for you. Body frames come in three general sizes: small, medium, and large. A person's frame size doesn't change over a lifetime, just as the color of one's eyes doesn't change. Regardless of the size of your frame, you can get to a clothing size that feels good to you.

A woman with a small frame can wear a smaller size because her hipbones are closer together. She could be comfortable at a size 6 or 8, perhaps a 10. With a medium frame, a woman might choose to be a size 8, 10, or 12. With a large frame, perhaps she would choose a size 10, 12, or 14, depending upon her height. Although a size 14 could sound like a large size to you, we have plenty of clients who look terrific and thin at that size. Your dress size is actually less important than how you look in your clothes and the state of your health at that size.

Hollywood press releases and glamour magazines tell us that some of our favorite movie and television actresses wear a size 0 or 2. You may be wondering how this is possible. Many people who are highly photogenic—think high-fashion models and screen stars—have tiny little faces. Generally speaking, they have very small body frames. Their hipbones are quite close together, and they can wear very small sizes.

These people are genetically unusual—they simply aren't like most of us. Don't worry about it. It's important that you are comfortable and content with the frame size you were born with and make the most of it.

Fat and Muscle Weight Are Quite Different

Another significant measure of body size is body fat percentage. The higher your body fat percentage, the more at risk you are for health issues related to being overweight or obese. When you have your body fat tested at a health club or at the doctor's, the machine gives you a reading of body fat, water, and muscle percentages. All three add up to 100 percent. Assuming that the amount of water weight remains almost constant for each individual, the variables are body fat and muscle. The more muscle you have, the less body fat you have (and vice versa). Muscle weighs three times more than fat.

Here are ideal body fat percentages:

Women:	Up to age 20	14-21%
	Age 20 to 50	17-27%
	Age 50+	20-30%
Men:	Up to age 20	9-15%
	Age 20 to 50	14-21%
	Age 50+	19-23%

In body fat measurements, lower is not necessarily better. A person must have at least some body fat to be healthy. Fat pads internal organs such as the kidneys, and it also offers protection against cold weather. For women, the minimum recommended fat percentage is 12 percent. If a woman has less, her menstrual cycles could cease. Men must have a minimum of 5 percent to stay healthy.

As you lose weight and do strength-building exercises, your body fat percentage goes down, and your muscle mass increases. This is good because having more muscle gives you the following:

• More physical stamina
• More energy
• A higher metabolic rate
• Better muscle definition
• Better shape (for guys, muscle definition; for gals, curves)
• Higher weight as measured on a scale
• Lower risk of diseases associated with being overweight or obese

A high percentage of body fat is not good. More body fat puts you at a higher risk for diabetes and other medical conditions associated with being overweight or obese, such as high blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels, metabolic syndrome, cancers, autoimmune disorders, and heart disease. In addition, you will have less energy, a slower metabolic rate, and a flabby body.

Using body fat percentage as a method to measure your ideal size can be misleading. It's part of the picture, but it's not the total picture. One client, Susie, had a body fat reading of only 19 percent. She wore a size 10. However, her waist was quite thick, and her muscles were so large that she didn't like how she looked in clothes. Her jeans didn't fit. Her body fat percentage was ideal, but she still was a larger size than she wanted. Susie needed to eat and exercise differently. Consider using body fat as one measure of your goal, but not the only measure.

The Professional Choice—BMI

Health and medical professionals use the body mass index (BMI) to determine whether you are overweight or obese. The formula figures both weight and height together but doesn't take into account body fat percentage or muscle mass. You need to know your weight in pounds to use the BMI chart linked here.

If your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, you are in the healthy BMI range. If it is equal to or over 25, you are considered overweight. If it is equal to or greater than 30, you are considered obese. (If it's below 18.5, you're too skinny and need to get some meat on those bones of yours!)

If a person has lots of muscle, he or she can be well into the 25-30 BMI range and not look overweight or be at risk for health issues related to being overweight. This is because the BMI doesn't take into account that muscle weighs more than fat.

Nutritionists often modify the BMI measurements to take into account different categories of weight and size. The numbers for men are slightly higher than for women.

  

Women Are:
Underweight	If BMI is less than 19.1
Ideal weight	19.1 to 25.8
Marginally overweight	25.9 to 27.3
Overweight	27.4 to 32.2
Obese	32.3 to 44.8
Extremely obese	greater than 44.8
Men Are:
Underweight	If BMI is less than 20.7
Ideal weight	20.7 to 26.4
Marginally overweight	26.5 to 27.8
Overweight	27.9 to 31.1
Obese	31.2 to 45.4
Extremely obese	greater than 45.4

Another measurement that professionals use is the waist/hip ratio. Measure your waist at its smallest place and your hips at their widest. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. If the number is nearly 1.0 or greater, you are at greater risk for some health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain kinds of cancer. For a healthy weight, a woman's ratio should be less than 0.80; a man's should be less than 0.95.

Your Attainable Goal

Yes, you can determine your target ideal size in many ways. We generally recommend that your primary goal should be based on a measurable size, such as jean size, dress size, or belt size. These are measures of how you actually look—to yourself and to others.

Although we are not fond of the bathroom scale, you can consider a weight-based measure if you're so inclined. But if those daily weight fluctuations (and you will have them) cause you to suffer emotional fluctuations, too, just stay off the scale and use the fit of your clothes as your guide.

Getting your body fat percentage into a healthy range is an admirable goal, too, but you might find only limited benefit from highly precise measurements. Body fat percentage is certainly not something you should measure with great frequency. With a regular routine of moderate strength exercises, you will know your body fat percentage is decreasing. You can see—and feel—the new muscle. That's a lot more fun.

With all that said, we strongly encourage you to create your ideal size goal or goals. They are not just destinations on a journey; they are your guideposts along the way. Think of them as friends, not as enemies. Embrace them with optimism and determination. Simply assume that you will reach your goals.

Here is a place to write down your goals. We recommend that you include your desired jean size and body fat percentage as two of your weight-loss measurements.

My Weight Loss Goals:

My desired jean size __________

My desired body fat percentage __________

My desired dress or belt size __________

My desired BMI __________

My desired weight __________

My preferred weight-loss goal is __________ using the ____________________ method

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Healthy Weight Loss © 2005 by Lucy Beale and Sandy G. Couvillon. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

To order this book visit the Idiot's Guide web site or call 1-800-253-6476.