Weight

What is Weight?

Weight is the measure of your body’s total mass, including bones, muscles, organs, fat, and water. While it’s a useful health indicator, weight alone doesn’t provide a complete picture of your health status or body composition.

Understanding Body Weight Beyond the Scale

Body weight is the sum of multiple components—bone, muscle, fat tissue, organs, and fluids. The number on the scale can change daily based on hydration, food intake, digestion, and hormonal fluctuations. Two people of the same height and weight can have vastly different health profiles depending on the proportions of fat mass and lean mass.

The Components That Make Up Your Weight

Your total weight is composed of:

• Fat mass: All adipose tissue, which functions in energy storage, hormone production, and organ protection.
• Lean body mass: Everything else, including:
  • Muscle tissue (30–40% of body weight in healthy adults)
  • Bone mass (~15% of body weight)
  • Organs and other soft tissues
  • Body water (50–60% of body weight)
  • Connective tissue

These proportions vary by age, sex, activity level, and genetics—athletes typically carry more muscle, while older adults may experience muscle loss (sarcopenia) even at stable weights.

How Weight Relates to Health Markers

Weight changes, especially when linked to fat gain or loss, can influence key biomarkers:

• HbA1c: Reflects average blood sugar control over ~3 months.
• Cortisol: Stress hormone that can promote fat storage, particularly around the abdomen.
• hsCRP: An inflammatory marker that may rise with excess visceral fat.

Visceral fat—stored around the organs—has a stronger negative impact on metabolic health than subcutaneous fat. Tracking biomarkers alongside weight helps determine whether changes are improving or harming health.

Healthy Weight Ranges and Individual Variation

Body Mass Index (BMI) is commonly used as a screening tool:

• Underweight: BMI < 18.5
• Normal weight: BMI 18.5–24.9
• Overweight: BMI 25–29.9
• Obese: BMI ≥ 30

However, BMI doesn’t distinguish between fat and muscle mass. A muscular athlete may be “overweight” by BMI but metabolically healthy, while a normal-BMI individual with high body fat (“normal weight obesity”) can be at elevated risk.

Better assessments include body fat percentage, waist-to-hip ratio, and visceral fat estimation, especially when combined with biomarker analysis.

Strategies for Achieving and Maintaining Optimal Weight

• Focus on body composition—build or preserve muscle while reducing excess fat.
• Monitor metabolic biomarkers to personalize diet and activity plans.
• Consume adequate protein (0.8–1.2 g/kg body weight) to maintain muscle mass.
• Incorporate resistance training at least twice per week.
• Prioritize 7–9 hours of quality sleep and manage stress to regulate hormones affecting weight.
• Address hormonal and metabolic factors such as thyroid health, sex hormones, and insulin sensitivity.

Putting Weight Into Context

Healthy weight is individual—it’s the point at which you can maintain optimal biomarker levels, good physical function, and low chronic disease risk. Regular monitoring of both scale trends and internal health markers offers the most complete view of your wellness.

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT OR RELATED HEALTH MARKERS, PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN.