How much do you weigh?  It's such an invasive question, and interesting too.  You might be surprised to see where your number fits with the rest of America's. 

A new Gallup survey says the average weight of people in the U.S. is 178 pounds for the decade that's winding down now (2010-2019).  That's up 4 pounds from the decade before, when we collectively tipped the scale at 174.

That average of 178 is made up of men and women, short and tall people, offensive linemen and marathon runners.  And since it's all shapes and sizes, it doesn't really tell us how we compare with people who have body styles similar to ours.

When the Gallup results are broken down further, it shows the average weight for men is 196.  The average weight for women is 159.

When I was overweight as a freshman in high school, the last time I looked at the scale before setting my mind to lose weight it said 187.  I sure was helping keep America's average up back then.  My weight was up and down most of my life, but in the past ten years or so I've managed to keep it under control with the help of swimming, the treadmill, and good salads.  I know how hard it is to conquer weight and keep it where you want it.

Do you know your body mass index?  If you have a BMI between 25 and 30, it falls within the overweight range, according to the CDC.  If a BMI is 30 or greater, it's in the obese range.  And if a BMI is between 18 and 25, it's in the normal range.  The CDC has a handy BMI calculator that uses height and weight to come up with your number.

I don't know why they give us all of this information during the holidays when we've just finished eating our weight in yams and we're looking forward to polishing off entire trays of cake balls at holiday parties later this month.  Nonetheless, it's interesting to know where we fall on the charts.

The most important thing is to find a healthy, comfortable weight for ourselves where our clothes fit and we feel fine.  Then we win!  No matter what the number on the scale turns out to be.

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