Weighing In Ahh, the dreaded scale. Women have learned to treat its revolving numbers as the measure of truth when it comes to their worth and health. They look for that one magic number that will tell them everything is all right. But science has moved beyond the actual digits that show up on the scale and has found that factors other than weight alone have much more significant influence on your health. Many weight experts now rely on the body mass index, better known as the BMI, to gauge your well being. The BMI compares your height to your weight. A healthy BMI usually falls into the 20 to 25 range, says Susan Fried, Ph.D., associate professor of nutritional sciences at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. So if you had a BMI of 21 when you were in your twenties but now have a BMI of 23, you are still considered to be at a normal, healthy weight. If you're in the over 25 range, it may be time to make some changes. A BMI of 25 to 30 is considered overweight; and a BMI over 30 is in the obese category. If you find yourself in either of those ranges, you'd do your health a favor by losing some weight. Why? Because numbers above 25 have been linked to increased rates of heart disease, diabetes, and breast cancer. Numbers above 30 have been even more closely linked with these problems. Here's how to determine your BMI: Multiply your weight in pounds by 705. Divide the result by your height in inches, then divide that result by your height in inches again. So if you are 145 pounds and 66 inches tall, your BMI would be 23.4, well within the healthy range. But BMI isn't the whole story. Where you add on weight may be as important as how much, says Dr. Fried. Women who carry extra fat in their abdomens are at greater risk for weight related diseases than are those who gain in their thighs, hips, or butts. So researchers have devised another guideline to assess weight and health risk: your waist circumference. If your waist is larger than 35 inches, says Dr. Fried, you may be at higher risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain cancers. The BMI and waist circumference act as good general guidelines, but it is possible to be, perfectly fit with a BMI over 25. And you can be out of shape and live a nonhealthy lifestyle and have a BMI under 25. Here are some other criteria to help you decide where your weight should be. Fitness level. If you carry an extra 10 to 15 pounds but are physically active and can do daily tasks walk up and down hills, climb steps, run to catch a bus without a problem, then you are probably fine, says Jill Kanaley, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and director of the human performance laboratory at Syracuse University in New York. If you aren't fit and you have a problem getting around, then your weight may pose a health risk. Family history.If your parents are overweight and have problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, chances are the extra weight may cause the same problems for you, says Dr. Kanaley. But if Mom and Dad were overweight all their lives, yet were fit and lived into their eighties or nineties, you have less to worry about. Other risk factors. Women who are carrying a few extra pounds but are otherwise healthy shouldn't worry too much. "They shouldn't beat themselves up over their weight," Dr. Kanaley says. But if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, losing the extra weight could lessen your risk of developing serious health problems in the future. If you do need to lose weight, you don't necessarily have to go from a BMI of 30 to the low 20s to get health benefits. Expert panels and government guidelines have determined that a 5 to 10 percent drop in body weight maintained for one yearshould be considered a success, says Gary Foster, Ph.D., clinical director of the weight and eating disorders program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. In other words, if you weigh 200 pounds and are considered overweight, a loss of 20 pounds would be a reasonable and healthy goal. Why 10 percent? It is a realistic goal, it is easier to maintain, and various studies have shown that just a 10 percent loss improves many of the medical conditions associated with excess weight such as diabetes and high blood pressure, Dr. Foster says. 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