Most physicians prefer to look at body weight in relative, rather than absolute terms. In this way of look at things, body weight is looked against the height of the individual. And thinking about it seriously, it is a better way of looking at the whole issue of weight because what might be an ideal weight for a four foot person would surely not be ideal for a six foot person. Similarly, what is considered being overweight for a four foot person might be what will be considered the ideal weight for a six foot person.

The body mass index – which is a physician’s guide to understanding body weight, is obtained by dividing the weight of a person by the person height’s and the figure obtained this way is what a physicians use in advising people about their weight. This is why a person’s assertion that they are 90 kilograms won’t usually amaze a physician, until the person makes a revelation about their height, because 90 kilograms might not be too much for the tallest of people.

To make body mass index calculation simple and accurate, a standardized body mass index table has been developed, which is basically a schedule with height (measured in inches) on the vertical axis and the weight on the rows against the height, with the body mass index for each height and weight combination occurring on the first row – such that for every combination of body height and body weight, a body mass index is easily obtainable.

Since body mass index is a relative – rather than absolute measure, it becomes possible to make conclusions based on the figures it reveals, especially when the figures are in turn seen against the person’s waist size. For instance, where a person’s body mass index (BMI) happens to be 18.5 and less, such a person is said to be underweight – and driven to the extreme, this too can be considered an hazard, just as being overweight is. A body mass of between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal and optimal, especially when it happens to coincide with a waist size of 40 inches (and below) in men and 35 inches (and below) in women. A body mass index of between 25.0 and 29.9 is considered overweight and comes with an increased risk of diseases linked to weight and waist size whereas body mass indexes between 30.0 and 39.9 constitute obesity and come with a very high risk of diseases that come with being overweight, especially when they happen to coincide with a waist size that is greater than 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women. A body mass index that is greater than 40 – regardless of the person’s waist size is considered extremely high and needs to be treated as a serious health hazard.

Apart from the body mass index that is published in form of a table, various programs to calculate body mass index given an input of weight and height have also been developed and if you prefer to make use of one of these, you can enter the Internet search term ‘body mass index’ on your favorite search engine and it will lead you to at least one of these.

Being extremely underweight can be just as distressing as being overweight.

When you are extremely underweight, for one, people tend to take you ‘lightly’, quite literally. A huge body is seen as a sign of ‘strong presence,’ and huge bodied people are seen as dominant, which can be an attractive feature is some situations. A person who is extremely underweight will often find himself or herself having to assert themselves in situations where a bigger person would have gotten along quite effortless –all on the account of their small body forms.

Unknown to many people, the healthiness of body weight is measured using a relative unit referred to as body mass index (BMI) – rather than in absolute terms – and being too underweight for your height can be seen as just an unhealthy as being overweight. It is not unknown for people seeking to serve their nations in the armed forces to be denied the opportunity on the account of their being underweight, as the military is known to impose strict body weight thresholds in their recruitments, meaning that a severely underweight person has just as small a chance of joining the army or the air-force as a severely overweight person.

Furthermore, being severely underweight can make you just as conspicuous as being severely underweight, and as we all know, being conspicuous for the wrong reasons always feels uncomfortable. Being severely underweight is also subconsciously seen as a sign of poor health, and if you are in the dating game, it would be not be particularly surprising for you as a very thin person to be rejected by a partner on account of your thinness.

From those situations, one can see the kind of motivation one might have in looking for help in gaining a healthy weight. The tricky thing with this situation is that there is very little help for the person seeking to gain a healthy weight, as the relevant professionals who would help someone with this have their eyes trained on helping people lose unhealthy weight – which is a more common problem in today’s developed world.

Nonetheless, a frank chat with your doctor would be the first step in looking for help with gaining a healthy weight. As it were, looking to gain weight, just like looking for weight loss, has very serious medical implications and it is advisable to seek the input of a qualified health professional before making a step in that direction. Such a chat with a doctor is also likely to establish whether your desire to gain weight is medically justified – seeing that many people who are seeking to lose weight or to gain weight turn out to be people who have ‘body image’ rather than ‘body weight’ issues.

Having gotten your doctor’s blessings for your weight gain endeavors, you need to ensure that you follow the right method to gain weight, or risk gaining unhealthy weight which will come to haunt you in the future. Like weight loss, genuine weight gain efforts will revolve around the use of diet and exercise – and if it is healthy weight you are looking to gain, you need to give the project adequate time since gaining healthy weight, like healthy weight loss, takes some time to bear results.