Ideal Weight Charts: A Myth

Along with the concept of "ideal weight" is the ideal weight chart, a document either printed or electronic that purports to lay out in easy graph form, usually by height and age, how much you should weigh.

Some charts go into a bit greater detail, giving sub-charts that differentiate between male and female, along racial lines or based on activity level. All of this is smoke and mirrors designed to make these charts look like they have a chance of being accurate. The reality is that ideal weight cannot be shown on a chart, because no chart can take into account the incredible intricacy of the human body. No piece of paper can analyze the most complex animal on the planet.

Get on your search engine and Google up ideal weight charts and you'll get hundreds of thousands of responses. If there were one authoritative chart that really worked, wouldn't there be just a few? Why is there all the competition? It's very simple: the diet business is very competitive, and credibility is its currency.

Every diet needs you to believe in it to get your money. One of the oldest tactics in the sales world is to get the customer to start agreeing with you. Think of the last time you bought a car or a major appliance. Didn't the salesman seem very friendly? Didn't he talk to you and get you engaged in conversation, floating softball topics that you agreed with easily? Of course he did. Once you start agreeing, it makes it that much easier to get you agree with anything else he's saying.

The same logic is in play with the charts offering to tell you the right weight for you. You'll notice each chart is always emblazoned prominently with the name of the doctor or diet program behind it. It's a not-so-subtle psychological tool to get you to start agreeing, just like the car salesman did. Once you agree that Diet X's chart defines your ideal weight well, you'll naturally be more susceptible to letting Diet X tell you how to get there.

example of a l weight chart Example of a weight chart

The best way to determine your goal weight is with your doctor or fitness consultant.

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