Lecture 4: Energy Balance and Healthy Body Weight

Question 1

BMI weight categories

Answer 1

<18.5 = underweight
18.5-24.9 = healthy weight
25-29.9 = overweight
30-39.9 = obese
>40 = extreme obesity

Question 2

BMI limitations

Answer 2

• doesn’t account for muscle mass
• can’t use with pregnant women
• not reliable for older people (65+)
• not a diagnostic tool
• BMI increases with age
• Males are slightly heavier than females
• BMI is slowly rising as the population becomes heavier

Question 3

BMI Strengths

Answer 3

• easy to use

- valid screening tool –> assessment to put you in a relative risk factor

Question 4

visceral fat

Answer 4

accumulates within the abdominal cavity

Question 5

subcutaneous fat

Answer 5

accumulates just below the surface of the skin

Question 6

intramuscular fat

Answer 6

accumulates in the muscle

Question 7

Body Composition

Answer 7

Visceral fat
Subcutaneous fat
Intramuscular fat

Question 8

Body Composition Measures

Answer 8

1) skin fold
measures subcutaneous fat and estimates total fat
2) Bioelectric Impedance
uses electric current to estimate body composition
–> muscle, body water: electricity flows easily
–> fat: electricity does not flow easily, high impedance
–> drinking lots of water can influence it and make you seem lighter than you are
3) DEXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry)
works by passing two very low dose x-ray beams at differeing energy levels through the tissues of the body
measures bone density
considered to be the “gold standard”
4) Waist Hip Ratio
used as an indicator of health and risk of developing serious health conditions
better predictor of CVD than waist circumference and BMI
not considered valid for children, those under 5 feet, or BMI >35

Question 9

Basal Metabolic Rate

Answer 9

energy for internal mechanical activities and maintenance of body temp.
resting metabolic rate