Losing Weight The Way Nature Intended.
Obesity in America is on the fast track to reaching epidemic proportions. It is estimated that 30 percent or more individuals are overweight, meaning that they are at least 10 pounds over their normal body weight for their height and build. Unfortunately many are considered to be morbidly obese with weight at 30 more pounds over the norm. Children also fall into this statistical category, and are rapidly gaining weight at an alarming rate and will become obese and morbidly obese adults. Obesity means there is too much body fat. Obesity increases your risk for serious consequences, such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, and sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition that causes the individual to stop breathing for a few seconds or more while asleep. This in turn can lead to insomnia and fatigue is often a side affect.
Obesity can have many causes, some of which are, stress, boredom, and not having a support system to fall back on, such as family and friends. Relationship in a supportive system can be of great help in preventing obesity. Unfortunately, these individuals are faced with a conundrum of being bombarded with a myriad of weight loss programs. It is impossible to read a newspaper or magazine, or even watch television or listen to the radio without being touted with a weight loss program. There are literally hundreds of diets, and each espouses their own unique way to lose weight.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon the individual to assess these programs before going on them. Some of these diets do work and the individual will loss weight.- at the beginning- and even for some period of time. Weight loss on these diets can be very dramatic, but unfortunately it is not a lasting solution to their problem. Once you are off the diet, the weight will start to return, and in some cases the weight gain is very rapid and sustained. It is indeed heartbreaking to have lost 20, 30, 40 or more pounds, only to see a return to the original overweight condition, and possibly even worse than before.
There are many individuals who appear heavy, yet they are not overweight because of having heavy musculature. It is for this reason, knowing your body mass index (BMI) can be of value in knowing how much weight you should lose. Normal ranges for women are 16 to 28 percent of body fat. For men it is 10 to 22 percent. The way to determine your BMI:
MEN:
Pinch a fold of the tissue on your abdomen and measure the width. A ¾ inch measurement will have 13 to 18 percent body fat. A 1 inch measurement will 18 to 22 percent body fat.
WOMEN:
Women will measure by pinching the soft tissue under the back of the upper arm. A ¾ inch measurement is equal to 18 to 23 percent of body fat. A 1-inch measurement is equal to 23 to 28 percent body fat.
ANOTHER METHOD FOR DETERMINING BMI IN BOTH MEN AND WOMEN
Use your height measurement in inches. Subtract the waist measurement from the height measurement; the result is your BMI. The normal range in this method of measurement is 36 or above. Any number below this signifies that there is an abnormal amount of body fat present.
EXAMPLE:
Height of 69 inches. Waist 35 inches…. 69 minus 35 = 34. A normal reading.
Many individuals, who are morbidly obese, will take more serious measures to combat their obesity. Bariatric surgery, such as Gastric Bypass and Lap Band surgery are serious ways to obtain weight loss. In these surgeries, the stomach is reduced to a little more than size of a thumb. This will only allow the patient to eat very small amounts of food at one sitting, forcing them to eat at least 6 or more meals throughout the day to satisfy the body’s need for the proper caloric intake.
Weight loss can be a tedious chore for those individuals who are 20, 30, 40 pounds over weight, and especially so for the morbidly obese. Trying different dieting methods will have a Yo-Yo affect where there is some loss, only to have the weight return, sometimes with more weight than when you first started. Some of these diets may be geared towards one food group, causing a detriment to the individual by not providing enough nutrients to maintain a healthy and vigorous body. The foods you eat while on any diet will be of the utmost importance. You need to be sure that you are getting the necessary vitamins and minerals that provide the antioxidants and amino acids that are needed for a healthy body. A good rule of thumb would be 40 % carbohydrates, 40% proteins, 20 to 30% fats, and an added 30 to 40 % fiber that consists of the soluble and insoluble variety. The types of food you eat will determine the health benefits derived from them. Do not eat refined carbohydrates. The carbohydrate food group should come from fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and legumes. The proteins should come from lean meat with all fat removed, as well as poultry with all skin removed and fish. The needed fats will come from the proteins. The fiber will be derived from the grains, fruits and vegetables. The vegetables will also supply the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that are so necessary.
NOTE: Every individual whether or not on a diet should take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement on a daily basis. This will make sure that you are getting the necessary vitamins and minerals in the event your foods are not supplying enough of the normal daily requirements.
Before going on any diet, the individual needs to determine what their daily calorie intake should be When you determine this, you will need to know the amount of calories you have been consuming on a daily basis. Keeping a daily log of the foods ingested for several days and then determining the calories of these foods on a good caloric food chart. There are many ways to determine this by using different formulas. I mention this formula in an article written on 5/19/04 in the “Doctor’s Journal” at: www.doctorsexercise.com. It will still hold true today, and here again is that simple guide for determining the calories you need on a daily basis.
FOR WOMEN:
● Sedentary: Weight times 12
● Light activities: Weight times 13
● Moderate Activities: Weight times 14
● Moderate to Heavy Activities: Weight times 15
●Heavy Activities: Weight times 16
EXAMPLE: Sedentary: A women weighing 130 lbs…..130 X 12 = 1560 Calories Daily To Maintain this Weight:
FOR MEN:
Sedentary: Weight times 13
Light Activities: Weight times 14
Moderate Activities: Weight times 15.25
Moderate to Heavy Activities: Weight times 16.5
Heavy Activities: Weight times 18
EXAMPLE: Moderate Activities: A man weighing 190 lbs…190 X 15.25 = 2897.50 Calories Daily To Maintain this Weight.
NOTE: Activities refers to any and all activities, such as household chores, gardening, work on the job, exercise, sports, walking, etc.
Once you have determined the normal daily requirements for your weight class, you can start on a weight reduction program. The first order of business is to decide how much weight you wish to lose. Once you decide, make that your goal. To start, you will need to reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 calories. With this reduction in calories you may achieve a loss of 2-3 pounds the first week, and 1 pound per week thereafter. Losing I pound per week is the safest way to loss weight and still maintains a healthy body. After several months the weight loss may start to taper off as you lose the excess body fat. From then on the weight loss will be slower until you have achieved your goal weight.
Eating the proper foods at this time is of the utmost importance. Because of the calorie reduction, the foods on your diet need to supply the proper nutrients to maintain a healthy body. For that reason you need to limit your diet to healthy foods and not waist calories on junk foods from which you will not derive the needed nutrients. To insure calorie reduction, you will to pay particular attention to portion size. A portion of meat, poultry or fish should not be any larger than can fit into the palm of your hand. A portion of vegetables will be cup size. A portion of fruit is the size of a medium apple. Special attention to portions is imperative when eating in restaurants, because of the amount of food in their servings. Do not hesitate to take a portion of your meal home to eat the next day. You should also acquaint yourself as to proper foods to eat that will supply the body with all the necessary vitamins and minerals. You can learn more at www.doctorsexercise.com. Click on “Journal Index” and find the article “Knowing Your Vitamins And Minerals”, dated 1/10/00. It will give you all the foods you need to have in your diet. It will only be a matter of choosing a variety of the foods you like and putting them into a desirable meal in the proper portions.
Once you become familiar with all the steps above, there is one more step you MUST incorporate into your diet program. That is finding an exercise program that you like, and know you will be able to stick with through thick or thin. Without an exercise program to help burn calories, you may just as well not be on a diet. Remember, you must like and enjoy this exercise program, or you will not stick with it. Most people, who start exercise programs, drop them within the first month. If you stay with your chosen exercise program for 3 months, you will become dedicated to it. You will know you are dedicated to your exercise program if you are not able to do it one day-and you miss it. As in everything, whether it is dieting or exercising, dedication is the key ingredient.