The 'simple' test to check if you need to lose weight, according to NHS watchdog

An NHS watchdog has outlined a simple test you can do at home to check if you are a healthy weight. By taking a measurement of your waist and your height, you can find out whether you might need to lose weight, according to guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The NHS uses body mass index (BMI) as a measure to assess who is a healthy weight. In general, a BMI of 18 to 25 is considered a healthy weight, 25 to 30 is overweight, and over 30 is obese. However, healthcare professionals also take other factors into account such as how muscular someone is.

Now, for the first time, NICE has advised that adults with a BMI under 35 should measure their own waist-to-height ratio as part of wider plans to tackle obesity. The organisation says your waist measurement should be less than half of your height.

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NICE said that by using a waist-to-height ratio, together with BMI, people can work out whether they are carrying excess fat around their middle, which is known to push up the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

As an example, a 5ft 4in female with a waist circumference of 29in would have a healthy ratio, but 32in would push them into the unhealthy range. A man who is 5ft 10in would be at increased health risks with a 36in waist.

Dr Paul Chrisp of Nice said: “Our updated draft guideline offers people a simple and effective way of measuring their weight so they can understand the factors that could impact on their health and take action to address them. Our committee found that a clear benefit of using the waist-to-height ratio is that people can easily measure it