While these medications may be appropriate in some medical situations, they can cause serious problems for the casual user, including possible abuse or addiction. For the vast majority of people, a sensible, gradual weight-loss program that emphasizes permanent changes in eating and exercise habits is the most appropriate approach to losing weight. Here's another simple but rather crude way of calculating your ideal body weight. This simple formula for calculating basal metabolic rate has been developed by the Food and Nutrition Board, National Academy of Sciences. Multply your weight in pounds by 11 and then subtract 2 percent of the total for every decade you are over 20 years of age.
Values vary based on body weight and the vigor with which activities are performed.