Maximum Weight Limit easier than BMI

RENO, Nev., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- A statistician has developed a "speed limit" for weight, a Maximum Weight Limit, for those who find body mass index complicated, U.S. researchers say.

George Fernandez, director of the Center for Research Design and Analysis at the University of Nevada, Reno, says he wanted to give people a simpler way of calculating their healthy weight that didn't involve charts or online calculators.

"It's a very simple calculation that most of us can do in our heads. For men and women, there is a baseline height and weight. For men, the baseline is 5-feet, 9-inches tall and a Maximum Weight Limit of 175 pounds, meaning that a 5-foot, 9-inch tall man should weigh no more than 175 pounds," Fernandez says. "For women, the baseline is 5-feet tall and a Maximum Weight Limit of 125 pounds."

From the baseline, calculate how much taller or shorter in inches -- for a man, add or subtract 5 pounds for every inch taller or shorter than 5 feet 9 inches. If a man is 5 feet 11 inches tall, 2 inches taller than the baseline, add 5 pounds for each of those 2 inches for a Maximum Weight Limit of 175.

For women add or subtract 4.5 pounds for each inch differing from the baseline height of 5 feet.