In order to stay on track with that commitment to eat healthier and lose weight it's going to be important to control your diet but ...You Can Do It!
Have you ever wondered what/why Body Mass Index (BMI) is?
Your standard bathroom scale gives you one indication of your size, but unless you figure in your height, you might be “under tall” for your weight.
The body mass index (BMI) provides a more accurate assessment of your weight.
The categories are:
Under 25 - normal weight,
25 to 29 – overweight,
30 and above - obese
If you can’t find one of those BMI calculators you can use this formula to do it yourself. You might even build your own spreadsheet to do it. This example is of someone who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds:
1. Write down your weight in pounds (200).
2. Multiply that number by 703 (200x703=140,600).
3. Multiply your height in inches by itself (70x70=4,900)
4. Divide the answer to No. 2 by the answer to No. 3(140,600 ÷ 4,900=28.69)
So if you check your BMI and determine that you are indeed too short for your weight where do we go from here. We have all heard at one time or another that the optimum diet is balanced and varied. It includes fruits and dark green vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products in addition to fish and low fat meat and chicken.
If we can faithfully stick to that plan it will provide nearly all the nutrients that most of us need. On the other hand, if you are one of those who have trouble eating healthful foods on a regular basis, like dieters who avoid carbohydrates or consume less than 1,200 calories daily or strict vegetarians, you may need to add a daily multivitamin to help fill the shortcomings.
And for those people over 50 or those with chronic diseases we might eat healthfully but still need higher amounts of certain nutrients.
Eating healthy and staying trim is not about having a genetic advantage though. Consumer reports recently asked their readers about their lifetime weight history and their eating, dieting and exercise habits. The "always thin" group made up 16 percent of the sample, and successful losers who had dropped at least 10% of their heaviest weight and kept it off for at least 3 years, made up another 15%. Dieters who wanted to slim down but still weighed at or near their lifetime high were the largest group at 42%. The other 27% didn't fit into any of the categories.
Only about 3 percent said that they didn’t exercise and they could eat whatever they wanted. In order to maintain their weight and health the people who responded said they ate healthy foods regularly, watched their portions, and exercised regularly. The only advantage the always thin have over the successful dieters was that those habits seem to come a bit more naturally to them, according to Consumer Reports.
So it seems that if you want to stay fit and trim in this culture, you are going to have to work at it. About half of us can successfully lose weight by our own will power but others need the help of some type of sponsored diet program, a medical treatment, a book, or diet pills.
Under 25 - normal weight,
25 to 29 – overweight,
30 and above - obese
If you can’t find one of those BMI calculators you can use this formula to do it yourself. You might even build your own spreadsheet to do it. This example is of someone who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds:
1. Write down your weight in pounds (200).
2. Multiply that number by 703 (200x703=140,600).
3. Multiply your height in inches by itself (70x70=4,900)
4. Divide the answer to No. 2 by the answer to No. 3(140,600 ÷ 4,900=28.69)
So if you check your BMI and determine that you are indeed too short for your weight where do we go from here. We have all heard at one time or another that the optimum diet is balanced and varied. It includes fruits and dark green vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products in addition to fish and low fat meat and chicken.
If we can faithfully stick to that plan it will provide nearly all the nutrients that most of us need. On the other hand, if you are one of those who have trouble eating healthful foods on a regular basis, like dieters who avoid carbohydrates or consume less than 1,200 calories daily or strict vegetarians, you may need to add a daily multivitamin to help fill the shortcomings.
And for those people over 50 or those with chronic diseases we might eat healthfully but still need higher amounts of certain nutrients.
Eating healthy and staying trim is not about having a genetic advantage though. Consumer reports recently asked their readers about their lifetime weight history and their eating, dieting and exercise habits. The "always thin" group made up 16 percent of the sample, and successful losers who had dropped at least 10% of their heaviest weight and kept it off for at least 3 years, made up another 15%. Dieters who wanted to slim down but still weighed at or near their lifetime high were the largest group at 42%. The other 27% didn't fit into any of the categories.
Only about 3 percent said that they didn’t exercise and they could eat whatever they wanted. In order to maintain their weight and health the people who responded said they ate healthy foods regularly, watched their portions, and exercised regularly. The only advantage the always thin have over the successful dieters was that those habits seem to come a bit more naturally to them, according to Consumer Reports.
So it seems that if you want to stay fit and trim in this culture, you are going to have to work at it. About half of us can successfully lose weight by our own will power but others need the help of some type of sponsored diet program, a medical treatment, a book, or diet pills.
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