There are new ways to evaluate if you have excess, health-damaging fat on your body. Using your BMI is outdated.

Instead, you want to determine your waist size by measuring your circumference at your belly button as you suck in your core. Low risk is 37 inches or less for men, 31.5 inches for women.

You also want your waist size to be less than half your height.

Even if you're a "healthy weight," you want to eliminate fat around your middle because it indicates you have unhealthy fat surrounding and in your vital organs. That increases your risk for high blood pressure, sleep apnea, certain cancers, dementia, and early death.

So what's a good waist-loss plan?

First, create a healthy eating approach — not a diet. This isn't about calorie-counting or deprivation, but exploration of what will provide you with a longer, happier, healthier life.

Focus on curbing carbs (especially highly processed ones) and added sugars. Opt for high-fiber foods and healthy proteins such as beans, fresh vegetables and fruits, fatty fish (salmon), and only 100% whole grains.

Exercise daily. It reduces fat droplets in cells and circulating levels of insulin — and that helps burn body fat. It also signals the liver to use fatty acids, especially those near deposits of visceral (belly) fat.

You should also include muscle-building resistance exercise to increase the calories you burn throughout the day.

And make sure to get seven to nine hours of restful sleep nightly.