3 Essentail Keys To Losing Weight

by E-NewsCast Team
March 7th, 2010

One of the most important ways to improve your chances forlong-term health is to keep your weight in a “healthy” range. Itis now well known that excess weight is correlated with a numberof health problems such as cardiovascular disease, some types ofcancer, sleep apnea, adult-onset asthma, diabetes, and manyother medical problems.When discussing weight, three key questions should be posed. Howmuch do you weigh in relation to your height? What is your waistsize? And, how much weight have you gained since your early 20s?Your answers to these questions may strongly influence your riskfor a number of health concerns.So, what is a healthy weight? It is not always easy todetermine. For example, someone who is tall can carry moreweight than someone who is in the shorter side. One measure thattakes into account varying body heights is the body mass index(BMI). Calculating your BMI is fairly easy. Begin by dividingyour weight in pounds by your height in inches. Divide thatnumber by your height in inches. Then, multiply that number by703. Unless you are an extremely muscular body bulder, if yourBMI is between 25 and 30 you are considered overweight. If yourBMI is over 30, you are considered obese. Further, many peoplewho have a BMI between 23 and 25 are not at their healthiestweight.There is a good chance that you now weight more than you did inyour 20s. However, you should realize that gaining weight as weage is not inevitable. It is also not without risk. If you havegained more than five pounds since your 20s, you have a greaterrisk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, high bloodpressure, type 2 diabetes, and gallstones. If you have gainedmore significant amounts of weight, you have an even higher riskfor these diseases. These facts point to one of the majorproblems of the BMI. If you were relatively thin when you wereyounger, you may be able to gain a good deal of weight and stillhave a BMI that is considered relatively healthy.There are a number of possible reasons for your weight gain.These include eating larger amounts of higher caloric food andliving a relatively inactive lifestyle. But your genes may playa role. And, don’t discount cultural factors, such as feelingcompelled to eat all the food that has been placed on your plate.Consider where you store your excess fat. If it tends togravitate to your waist and chest, you may be labeled an“apple.” Or, if it is clustered around the hips and thighs, youare a “pear.” Fat that accumulates around the waist and chestincreases the risk of high cholesterol, high blood sugar andheart disease. However, it is probably most useful to test yourwaist measurement. If your waist has been expanding, it is timeto evaluate your diet and level of exercise.If you have determined that you need to lose weight, I wouldadvise a three-pronged strategy. Start by prioritizing exercise.There is no real way around it; if you want to lose weight andmaintain the weight loss, you need to participate in regularexercise. Exercise burns calories that might be converted intofat, and it builds muscle. An inactive 50-year old person whohas gained 10 pounds has often lost five pounds of muscle andgained 15 pounds of fat. With this increase in weight will comea deceleration in the resting metabolism; the body needs lessenergy for basic needs and increasing amounts of food become fatstores. Thus, as more muscle is converted to fat, it is easierto gain weight.I highly recommend a daily walk of at least 30 minutes. If youhave the time and inclination, walk even more. To keep yourselfmotivated, walk with a friend or listen to books on tape. If youhave a treadmill, watch a video or DVD. In addition to regularwalking, include more activity in your everyday life. Park atthe far end of the lot. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.Also, consider trying other forms of exercise such as tennis andswimming.While beginning your exercise program, you will need to take acloser look at your diet. I generally recommend aMediterranean-type of diet with lots of fruits, vegetables andwhole grains and smaller amounts of meat, poultry and fish. Mostfat should be obtained from olive oil or other vegetable oils aswell as small amount of nuts.And, you need to practice what I have termed “defensive eating.”It is best to stop eating before you are stuffed. Of course, youdon’t want to walk around with constant hunger pains. But, youshould stop eating before feeling overly full. And, do not eateverything that is put before you. So, if your waiter serves abasket piled high with various breads, do not feel that you musteat every last morsel. Replace the butter with olive oil. Sincethey are likely to have far more calories than you think, alwaysbe careful of desserts. Close your meal with a bowl of freshfruit.Defensive eating entails eating more slowly and gaining greaterawareness of what you are eating. Try keeping a journal thattracks your food consumption. It may be quite revealing. Have asnack or appetizer before a meal. It will quell your hunger.And, to reduce temptation, eliminate foods you should not beeating from your home.As I wrote in my book, Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, “Weightcontrol isn’t impossible, not does it need to mean deprivationor a boring, repetitious diet. With conscious effort andcreativity, most people can successfully control their weightfor the long term with an enjoyable but reasonable diet anddaily exercise. A longer, healthier life is definitely worth theeffort.”Walter C. Willett, M.D./DrPH Professor of Medicine, HarvardMedical School Chair, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School ofPublic Health Author, Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The HarvardMedical School Guide to Healthy EatingCopyright © 2005, by Weight Loss Buddy Press

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