Usually, we do not feel our best carrying around excess weight. Clothes don’t fit well and the image staring back at us in the mirror is not the image we want to portray to the world. While these issues are important, there is an even more pressing reason to slim down: Being overweight can often be fatal.
Nearly two-thirds of American adults can be classified as either overweight or obese (having a high proportion of body fat), while less than half of the population is considered a healthy weight. Approximately 300,000 deaths each year can be attributed to poor dietary and exercise habits. In other words, being overweight can kill you!
Countless diseases are also attributed to being overweight or obese. By being overweight you put yourself at risk for life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and life-altering diseases such as arthritis.
Slow and steady weight loss of no more than one pound per week is the safest way to lose weight. Very rapid weight loss can cause you to lose muscle rather than fat. It also increases your chances of developing other problems, such as gallstones, gout and nutrient deficiencies. Making long-term changes in your eating and physical activity habits is the best way to lose weight and keep it off over time.
Many overweight people have difficulty reaching their healthy body weight. However, studies show that you can improve your health by losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds. Get started today by consulting your doctor and following the tips found in this booklet.
BMI, or body mass index, measures your weight in relation to your height, and is closely associated with measures of body fat. You can calculate your BMI using this formula:
For example, for someone who is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds, the calculation would look like this:
A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy. A person with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, and a person with a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.
You can also find your weight group on the chart below. The chart applies to all adults. The higher weights in the healthy range apply to people with more muscle and bone, such as men. Even within the healthy range, weight gain could increase your risk for health problems.
Find your weight on the bottom of the graph. Go straight up from that point until you come to the line that matches your height. Then look to find your weight group. The higher your BMI is over 25, the greater chance you may have of developing health problems.
Measure yourself without shoes and weigh yourself without clothes.
Two common reasons for being overweight are eating too much and not being active enough. If you eat more calories than your body burns up, the extra calories are stored as fat. Everyone has some stored fat, too much fat results in being overweight.
Successful weight loss and healthy weight management depend on sensible goals and expectations. If you set sensible goals for yourself, chances are you'll be more likely to meet them and have a better chance of keeping the weight off. In fact, losing even five to 10 percent of your weight is the kind of goal that can help improve your health.
Following a weight-loss program that helps you to become more physically active and decrease the amount of calories that you eat is most likely to lead to successful weight loss. The weight-loss program you choose should also help you keep the weight off by making changes in your physical activity and eating habits that you will be able to follow for the rest of your life.
The word “diet” probably brings to mind meals of lettuce and cottage cheese. By definition, diet refers to what a person eats or drinks during the course of a day. A diet that limits portions to a very small size or that excludes certain foods entirely to promote weight loss may not be effective over the long term. Rather, you are likely to miss certain foods and find it difficult to follow this type of diet for a long time. Instead, it is often helpful to gradually change the types and amounts of food you eat and maintain these changes for the rest of your life. The ideal diet is one that takes into account your likes and dislikes and includes a wide variety of foods with enough calories and nutrients for good health.
Skipping meals is usually not a good idea, either. Surprising study results from the University of California at Berkeley have found that people who skip breakfast tend to be just as overweight as those who indulge in large helpings of bacon and eggs for their morning meal. Researchers at the school discovered that people who ate a sensible breakfast, cereal or oatmeal, were the thinnest.
Another obstacle many people encounter occurs after they have lost the weight: keeping it off. Numerous studies have found that long-term weight maintenance is achieved by only a small portion of dieters. In order to determine the most effective means of keeping the pounds away, researchers from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute have begun recruiting for a three-year study known as the Weight Loss Maintenance Trial. Researchers from four clinical sites will study the effects of weight maintenance approaches such as personal counseling and Internet-based, personally tailored interactive programs.
Most weight-loss diets provide 1,000 to 1,500 calories per day. However, the number of calories that is right for you depends on your weight and activity level. At these calorie levels, diets are referred to as low-calorie diets. Self-help diet books and clinical and non-clinical weight-loss programs often include low-calorie diet plans.
The calorie level of your diet should allow for a weight loss of no more than one pound per week. If you can estimate how many calories you eat in a day, you can design a diet plan that will help you lose no more than one pound per week. You may need to work with a trained health professional, such as a registered dietitian. Or, you can use a standardized low-calorie diet plan with a fixed calorie level.
Lower-calorie diets may also have another hidden benefit – a longer life. A recent study performed on Labrador retrievers found that dogs given 25 percent less food than a control group not only lived longer, but also lived healthier lives. Researchers also found that when dogs that did need treatment for disease it was at a significantly older age than the retrievers eating higher-calorie diets.
These results, although positive, offer no definitive answers about how a lower calorie diet extends life. Disease patterns in humans link high body fat with increased chronic disease and death. Studies in rats, however, have raised the idea that the amount of body fat is less important to longevity than the amount of food eaten. Genetically obese rats that eat less food outlive normal-weight rats that eat a normal diet. Limiting calories may cause positive changes in the body that go beyond preventing diseases that accompany high body fat.
Make sure that your diet contains all the essential nutrients for good health. Using the Nutrition Facts Label that is found on most processed food products can help you choose a healthful diet. Labels will help you select foods that meet your daily nutritional needs. A healthful diet should include:
Eating a wide variety of foods from all the food groups will help you get the vitamins and minerals you need. Be sure to fit in at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Produce is an important source of numerous health-enhancing vitamins and minerals. If you eat less than 1,200 calories per day, you may benefit from taking a daily vitamin and mineral supplement.
The average woman 25 years of age and older should get 50 grams of protein each day. Adequate protein is important because it prevents muscle tissue from breaking down and repairs all body tissues such as skin and teeth. To get adequate protein in your diet, make sure you eat two to three servings from the Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group on the USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid every day. These foods are all good sources of protein.
At least 100 grams of carbohydrates per day are needed to prevent fatigue and dangerous fluid imbalances. To make sure you get enough carbohydrates, eat six to 11 servings from the Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Groups each day.
Adequate fiber helps with proper bowel function. If you were to eat 1 cup of bran cereal, 1/2 cup of carrots, 1/2 cup of kidney beans, a medium-sized pear, and a medium-sized apple together in one day, you would get about 30 grams of fiber.
with less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat (such as fat from meat, butter, and eggs). Limiting fat to these levels reduces your risk for heart disease and may help you lose weight. In addition, you should limit the amount of cholesterol in your diet. Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in animal products such as meat and eggs. Your diet should include no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day (one egg contains about 215 milligrams of cholesterol, and 3.5 ounces of cooked hamburger contain 100 milligrams of cholesterol).
or water-based beverages, per day. You need more water if you exercise a lot.
It would be unrealistic to assume that you are never going to eat another cheeseburger or ice cream cone. Fried foods, high-fat foods, and take-out foods can be part of a balanced diet, if you don’t eat them every day and only eat small amounts.
Don’t think of yourself as athletic? Don’t think you look good in Lycra? Don’t worry! If you can build up as little as 30 minutes of physical activity each day, you can seriously improve your health, your looks and your attitude. Physical activity lowers your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and back pain. It also improves strength and endurance, helps maintain healthy bones and muscles, helps control your weight and improves your mood.
ü Gradually increase the time and pace of your activities.
ü Choose activities you enjoy and that fit your personality and lifestyle.
ü Exercise regularly; it becomes a habit.
ü Remember comfort and safety - choose appropriate clothing, locations and weather conditions.
ü Vary your activities so you don’t get bored.
ü Don’t give up if you have to miss a few days.
ü Encourage family and friends to join and support you.
ü Challenge yourself and celebrate your successes.
· Take a walk.
· Use the stairs.
· Ride a bike.
· Do housework.
· Go dancing.
· Walk the dog.
· Work in the yard or garden.
· Play actively with your children.
· Get off the bus one or two stops early and walk the rest of the way.
· Park farther away from the store or office.
· At work, use a restroom on a different floor.
· Combine quality time with your family and friends with physical activities you enjoy. (Play pickup baseball games, plan trips and outings that include activities such as hiking, swimming, dancing or skiing.)
Strength training is another way for you to meet the recommended minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day. Strength training will also help you burn extra calories and build strong muscles, bones and joints.
Experts recommend strength training two to three days each week, with one full day of rest between workouts to allow your muscles to recover. If you are new to strength training, or physical activity in general, consider hiring a certified personal trainer who can plan an individualized program to help you work out safely and effectively. A personal trainer who has a degree in exercise physiology or is certified through a national certification program such as the American College of Sports Medicine or National Strength and Conditioning Association may be able to help you reach your physical activity goals.
Some strength training exercises you can try include:
¨ Lifting weights.
¨ Using resistance bands.
¨ Using stability or medicine balls.
¨ Doing push-ups and abdominal crunches.
You can also meet your exercise goal by participating in aerobic activities. Aerobic exercise includes any activity that makes you breathe harder than when you are resting and increases your heart rate.
Experts recommend moderate-intensity exercise. At this pace, you may breathe harder and find it more difficult to talk, but you should still be able to carry on a conversation. If you are just beginning, slowly work up to moving at a moderate-intensity pace.
To add more aerobic activity to your daily life try:
· Taking a brisk walk around the block with family, friends, or coworkers.
· Raking the leaves.
· Walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator when it is safe to do so.
· Mowing the lawn.
· Taking an activity break at work or home. Get up and stretch or walk around.
Exercise physiologists place people into three fitness categories: low fit, moderately fit and highly fit. Where do you fit?
à Low fit people do somewhere between less than 30 minutes of exercise a day and nothing.
à Moderately fit people accumulate 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most days. This might include a brisk two-mile walk or gardening or a game of golf (without using a cart).
à Highly fit individuals do more and higher-intensity exercise such as jogging or aerobics.
But experts agree, doing anything is better than doing nothing at all. That’s because getting off the couch and exercising can ward off life-threatening illnesses such as heart disease, colon cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes.
In addition to aerobic activity and strength training, you may wish to include other forms of exercise in your physical activity program. Alternatives to traditional aerobic and strength training exercises provide variety and fun. They may also help reduce stress, increase muscular strength and flexibility, and increase energy levels. Examples of these exercises include yoga, Pilates, tai chi and qi gong.
This type of exercise combines physical movements with breathing exercises and meditation. Yoga benefits include reduced stress and anxiety, improved fitness and flexibility; it may also lower blood pressure. Yoga is most often taught in a group setting. Classes often begin with gentle warm-up stretches followed by breathing exercises. Your teacher will then guide you through a series of postures that are held for varying lengths of time. Finally, at the conclusion of your class you will be given time to meditate and cool down.
This method has grown in popularity recently. Developed in the 1920s, Pilates consists of a series of controlled movements that help to build flexibility and tone muscles without adding bulk. Proponents state that Pilates also exercises your mind and helps to release stress and tension. Classes are often held in dance, fitness and health centers.
The ancient Chinese form of exercise known as tai chi is especially beneficial for older people. Derived from the martial arts, tai chi consists of a number of graceful, fluid moves connected into one continuous movement. Practitioners of this form of exercise often report numerous benefits including increased energy, increased strength and muscle tone and enhanced range of motion.
A combination of Chinese words meaning energy and skill, qi gong incorporates both physical movement and meditation for an integrated approach to improving your overall physical fitness. Experts recommend beginners take a class to get started. Once you’ve mastered the movements qi gong exercises can be done almost anywhere.
As you can see, getting older doesn’t necessarily mean getting heavier. There is a lot you can do to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Watch what you eat and begin to incorporate some physical activity into you everyday life. Also, before you begin any weight loss program, be sure to consult your doctor for the safest results.
