What’s Your BMI?
April 23rd, 2010The body mass index, or BMI, helps clarify an important distinction between being overweight or being obese. If you weigh too much, you’re obviously overweight. But if you have a very high proportion of body fat, you’re obese. Based on your body mass index, your doctor or other health professional will classify your weight as healthy, overweight, or obese.
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the BMI “describes body weight relative to height and is correlated with total body fat content in most adults”. In almost all cases, this means that the BMI will accurately reflect your weight and proportion of body fat as a function of your height and weight when categorizing you as healthy, overweight or obese.
Calculating your approximate body mass index is relatively straightforward, although you’ll probably need a calculator just to save time. To get your BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703. Next, divide that result by your height in inches. Then divide that result by your height in inches one more time.
As an example, let’s say you weigh 180 pounds and are 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Multiply 180 by 703 to get 126,540. Next, divide this by 70 (70 inches is the same as 5′ 10″) to get 1807.7. Now, divide 1807.7 by 70 one more time. The result — 25.8– is your approximate BMI or body mass index. If you don’t have a calculator handy, you can get the same result using the free interactive BMI calculator at www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm.
If the above example sounds you, you might be surprised to learn that you’re ever so slightly heavier than your doctor might like. A BMI from 18.5 up to 25 is considered healthy, from 25 up to 30 is classified as overweight, and 30 or higher is obese.
Generally, says the NHLBI, the higher a person’s BMI, the greater the risk for health problems. In addition to causing your BMI to skyrocket, excess body fat is a well recognized health risk. Men and women with waist lines in excess of 40 and 35 inches, respectively, are much more at risk for health problems like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Like every rule of thumb, this one also has it exception. Body builders, for example, often have a body mass index above 25 and sometimes even above 30. In this case, however, the higher BMI reflects the fact that body builders have more muscle mass without having more fat.
Finally, there’s still only one sure way to lower your BMI if you’re overweight or obese: Eat less and exercise more. Your body will burn more calories than you eat and your body mass index will go down over time.
Are Meal Replacements A Good Idea?
April 18th, 2010Think about the number one reasons why people are overweight nowadays. Overweight people fall into one of two different categories.
Either they have an unhealthy lifestyle – working long hours, eating out all the time, not getting enough exercise – or they simply eat too much, often in a compulsive way.
This type of eating – eating when one isn’t hungry, for example, or eating for emotional reasons rather than physical hunger – is really a type of addiction. It should be understood as an addiction, and it often is.
For example, the group Overeaters Anonymous functions on many of the same principles as AA or other twelve step programs. Excessive eating is treated like an addiction because that’s exactly what it is.
But if that’s the case, it’s easy to see why this addiction might be harder to treat than some others. The way to deal with an addiction is to stay away from the behaviour that’s out of control – alcoholics can’t touch alcohol, for example. The idea is to not do it at all until the addiction becomes a thing of the past – in fact, for many addicts, they can never indulge in their addictive behavior again, not even once.
With food addiction, though, that’s obviously impossible. People have to eat – there’s no getting away from it. That’s why food addiction, though it’s an addiction to a non-lethal substance, may be the hardest of all to deal with. And that’s also why companies such as Slim-fast, who produce and market meal replacements for people to use while dieting to lose weight, actually do succeed in helping some people.
The idea behind meal replacements is that you don’t really eat at all for a good part of the day – instead, you have a special shake or other product that gives you all the nutrients you need, and stops you from feeling hungry. This works in two ways: first, it controls the calories you take in, because the meal replacements are quite low calorie. Second, it breaks the cycle of addictive behavior because you’re not really eating. You can get away from the behavior much as an alcoholic can (and must) get away from alcohol, and that gives you a better chance of breaking the addictive process.
Though most meal replacement plans do recommend that you eat one ‘normal’ meal per day, some people who are serious about losing weight don’t do even that. That’s precisely how Oprah Winfrey once lost a lot of weight – about fifty pounds. She said that she found it easier not to eat at all (subsisting on meal replacement shakes and bars) than to control her eating. When you know that you won’t be eating ‘real food’ at all for a while, it takes the guesswork out of it. Everything becomes very straightforward, and it’s a fact that many people have lost weight using this method of weight loss.
There are drawbacks, though. For one thing, while a weight loss program is supposed to teach you about how to eat for the rest of your life – to establish healthy habits, in other words – using meal replacements clearly doesn’t do so. Once you go back to eating real food, you might find that your problems with controlling your food intake are still there. Though you will have lost weight, you are more likely to gain it back if you haven’t learned healthy eating habits.
Also, there’s a danger that some people will keep on using the meal replacements for extended periods of time, just because it’s easier and more convenient. Thought they re designed to give you a minimum level of calories and nutrition, meal replacement bars cannot substitute for real food over an extended period.
However, if you know or suspect that your problem with food resembles an addiction or compulsion, it may be worth your while to think about using meal replacements for a while in order to lose some weight. Try to make the time you spend using them as productive as possible, though. Really come to terms with your past behaviour, and learn what it feels like to be full but not stuffed. Figuring out the answer to these and other aspects of healthy eating will help make your weight loss permanent.
A Vegetarian Diet
April 2nd, 2010Our society is set up to regard meat eating as the ‘norm’. Those people who choose a vegetarian diet are often thought of as difficut, ‘trying to be different’ or just odd. A common nutritional fallacy is that meat and animal products must be consumed in order to maintain a well-balanced, healthy diet.
Many people these days are finding out the many health benefits of a vegetarian diet. Additionally, many physicians and nutritionalists are prescribing and endorsing plant-based meals in order to promote health, prevent and treat certain diseases, and even to reduce weight. There are many products now becoming available in shops and supermarkets that contain health enhancing plant extracts.These are mixed in yoghurts,spreads and cheeses, to specifically lower cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, enhance energy levels and boost immune systems. Who knows what other benefits are just around the corner in plant extracts.
Although vegetarianism may seem like a modern idea, in reality, its health benefits have been known for many years in cultures around the world. India and the far east make up the largest percentage of the world’s vegetarians, both for health and spiritual reasons. One group of people, the Hunza, who live near the Himalaya’s have a diet which is exclusively vegetarian. Members of their community reportedly often live to be over 100 years of age.
The American Dietetic Association say that the benefits of a vegetarian diet can include;
Lower cholesterol levels
Lower levels of saturated fats
Lower body fat
Reduced rates of heart disease
Lower blood pressure
Lower incidence of type-2 diabetes
Lower instances of certain cancers
Higher levels of important minerals and antioxidant vitamins
Obesity is one of the major health concerns in the western world. It can be addressed with a vegetarian diet, one that eliminates excess protein and animal fat consumption, and increases fiber in the form of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Those who consume a vegetarian diet tend to maintain a lower body mass index (BMI), which significantly aids in the treatment and management of other chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. A lower BMI is an aim of anyone looking to improve their general health, whether by diet, exercise, or preferably both.
One question often asked by those considering a vegetarian diet is; “Will I get enough protein? This is certainly a valid question, as protein is necessary for the building, maintenance and function of all body cells. In fact, a varied and well-balanced vegetarian diet actually provides all the protein the body needs, obtained by eating such things as whole grains, beans, nuts and soy products.
In fact, meat-based diets typically provide an excess of protein, which may actually be harmful. High protein levels can put more strain on the kidneys. A leading gerontological journal reports that too much protein can cause a person to lose about 30% of their kidney function by the time they reach old age. It can also cause systemic acidity, which the body attempts to counter by leeching calcium out of the bones, which can lead to osteoporosis.
Becoming a vegetarian does not mean you are limited to eating carrots, fruit and nuts. There are many types of vegetarians that eat meatless diets in a variety of combinations. Some of the more common types include;
Lacto vegetarians, who do not eat meat or eggs, but do eat dairy products such as milk and cheese.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians do not eat meat, but will eat dairy products and eggs.
Ovo vegetarians do not eat meat or dairy products, but will eat eggs.
Vegans do not eat meat, dairy products, eggs, or any animal products at all.
There are many medical and health organizations that promote, endorse, and support people on a path toward changing their dietary lifestyle to one that includes more plant-based foods. There is a lot of information on the internet, as well as through medical providers and vegetarian organizations. Numerous books and articles are easily found.
Many restaurants, grocery stores and supermarkets now provide meals and products to vegetarians, making it simpler to choose this healthy lifestyle.
Remember that at the end of the day it is your decision. If you want to simply keep eating a little meat, while exploring deeper into the vegetarian side, then do that. Don’t worry about the ‘purists’. There is no law to say you cannot eat a little meat, fish or chicken along the way – it’s your life and your choice. Once you start eating more vegetarian food though, many people find they start to lose their taste for meat. The main thing is to enjoy the food and feel healthier by doing so.
On a final note, consider using either all organic vegetables and fruit, or at least as much as you can source. Organic produce really makes a great deal of difference to the taste and texture, and you have the security of mind that what you are eating is free of pesticides and other chemicals. More information on this will be found in the next article, or on our web site.
A 30-Minute Weight Loss Exercise
March 29th, 2010If you’re “averagely overweight,” that is, not doctor-diagnosed with extreme obesity, or if you just want to feel better by losing or shedding a few pounds, there’s good news for you – from ACCREDITED, reliable, trusted experts who also care about your well-being.
Truth: Ten minutes of daily exercise is admirable because it’s far better than zero minutes of productive energy expenditure. However, exercise physiology and weight loss science point to 30 minutes per day, at least three times per week, as part of your best body fat improvement scenario.
Why Does 30 Minutes Prove So Beneficial? What’s The Other Part of An Effective Weight Loss Scenario?
Your body has only three possible energy systems. Two of them are oxygen-INDEPENDENT. Yet, in order to metabolize fat, your body demands that oxygen be present. Long-story-short: brief, especially “quick” exercise bouts look for quick energy sources. These reside in blood and in muscle. It takes more than a few minutes to significantly tap into your fat stores, and especially, to burn enough of it for a long enough time to lose some substantial body weight.
This is almost the exact opposite of muscle tissue, where you can see and feel virtually immediate results. Burning fat requires patience. You simply have to allow yourself TIME to let exercise effects occur
Health and Weight Loss 4 Kids
March 28th, 2010Here are some tips to promote health and weight loss for your kids.
1 Role Model –Your heath and weight directly effect your child’s health and weight. Children with just one overweight parent have a 25% risk of becoming an overweight or obese adult. If both parents are overweight the risk of becoming an overweight adult jumps to 50%.
2 Be Positive- No one enjoys receiving negative feedback. Talk to your child with compassion and encouragement. Instead of saying, ‘Lose weight’, say, ‘Let’s be healthy and start taking care of our bodies’. Focus on the foods you can eat, not the ones that you cannot. Say, ‘Let’s go pick out fruits and make a fruit salad,’ not ‘Don’t eat that.’
3 Make healthy eating a family affair – A family that eats together, eats better, according to a recent study in the journal Archives of Family Medicine. Children who report frequent family dinners have healthier diets than their peers who don’t, the study showed. Also fill your refrigerator and cabinets with fresh fruits, nuts, low-fat cheese, and things for everyone to snack on.
4 Eat Breakfast – A breakfast that consists of protein, starch and fat will keep your children more alert during school. Studies have shown that weight loss is much more difficult in people who skip breakfast.
5 Make time for physical activity – Make physical activity a family activity. Every night after dinner in the summer, go for a half-hour walk and make it an activity that kids look forward to. If you can afford it, enroll your kids in dancing or a sporting activity that they enjoy because they need to enjoy it to keep doing it. Or just turn on some dance music and have a dance party around the house.
6 Don’t say diet – Put your child on any diet and you are setting them up for an eating disorder – whether binge eating or closet eating or another type of disorder. Lifestyle changes have proven to be the most effective to lose weight and keep it off.
7 Avoid portion distortion – When serving the food try to portion out meal on dishes and avoid buffet-type or family-style eating. When exposed to so much food it is easy for your eyes to be bigger than your stomach. Resist the first temptation to have seconds then check in with yourself to see if you are really hungry.
Lose Fat Sleeping
March 25th, 2010rmpHTMLEditBurn body fat 24 hrs a day is simple. Yes, I said simple but I did not say it is easy. That is because you must have a firm commitment and mental discipline to do it. However, it will get easier and easier when you adapt to your new lifestyle and when your lose fat goal is achieved.
So how do you burn fat 24 hrs a day? Here are some simple steps to lose fat 24 hrs a day.
• Build muscles. Muscles are active cells and they are great calorie burners. The more muscles you pack on, the more body fat you will burn because the calories you have eaten will be burned for energy by your muscles.
• Do your cardio exercises in the morning before breakfast. Make sure that your cardio exercises raise your heart rate sufficiently to burn more fat. The exercises must be intensive and will leave you puffing, panting and sweating. This is to make sure that you will continue to burn calories hours after you stopped your cardio exercises.
Do your cardio exercise 5-6 days a week. On top of that, because your carbohydrate store is low in the morning, your body will burn more body fat to fuel your cardio exercises.
• Eat 5-6 times a day with about 3 hrs intervals. Make the meals small consisting protein and complex carbohydrate. Complex carbs are carbs that are more difficult to digest so that they do not spike insulin quickly to be converted into body fat. So instead of eating white rice, eat brown rice. Instead of having white bread, substitute it with brown bread instead. Have plenty of fresh leafy fibrous vegetables.
The frequency of meals will tell your body that there is plenty of food and so your body need not store body fat for emergencies. On top of that, your digestive system will be constantly working to digest the food and so that means burning of calories.
• Do weight training 3 times a week with rest days in between. Do your weight workout in the evenings so that you will continue to burn fat. Workout with compound exercises such as bench presses, squats, lunges, dead lifts etc to activate more muscle fibers and so that these large muscles will carry on burning calories for many more hours into the night.
• Take slow release protein supplement before bed such as casein protein. This is to feed your body throughout the night and help your muscles to recover from the day’s activities and at the same because casein protein is slow to digest so will not turn to fat easily and thus your body will continue burning calories even when you are asleep.
So with a combination of all these activities, you will be burning body fat almost 24 hrs a day. Simple? Great. Let’s start to lose weight by burning body fat round the clock now.
Advice On Losing Weight After Pregnancy
March 9th, 2010By Peter Curtis
To lose weight after pregnancy is not always an easy thing. For one thing, you have more or less spent the last nine months indulging yourself, and pampering your hunger pangs. It can become extremely difficult to go back to normal eating habits after this, and you will find that it can take a large amount will power and control on your part to accomplish this.
The first that you need to do therefore if you want to lose weight after pregnancy is to make a conscious decision to lose the weight. Unless you do this, you will find that you are not really losing weight at all and instead that you are probably gaining weight. Just going with the flow and hoping that you will lose weight because circumstances force you to eat less or exercise more, is not going to work, because as soon as these circumstances change once again, you will find that so too does your weight loss.
To truly lose weight after pregnancy, you need to follow a sensible eating plan, something that will help you to shed the pounds at a reasonable rate, and in a reasonable and healthy manner. This is really very important when you look at the overall goal of your losing weight, because it must be said that to lose weight quickly and in a manner that is unhealthy, can and most likely will, produce problems for you later on.
A good rule of thumb when you are looking to lose weight after pregnancy, is to follow the nine months rule. Since you took nine months to put the weight on, it is therefore only feasible to lose the weight in nine months, and not in two months or something absurd along those lines. Sure, the celebrity mothers lose their pregnancy weight in such short time spans, but before you go around comparing yourself to these new moms, you need to look take a close look at what is really happening.
For one thing, they have a vested interest in regaining their figures since it is literally their meal ticket. And for another thing, they have the ability to hire the whole enchilada of fitness trainers, dieticians, nutritionists etc. to look after their welfare and to tell them the best and most healthy way to lose weight after pregnancy.
Now, come back to you life and decide whether you have the ability, the time or the money to do all of that. If you do, then you can probably lose weight after pregnancy in no time at all. However, if you don’t have the ability to do any of these things, you should seriously consider losing weight in a healthy manner. And the best way to lose weight after pregnancy in a manner that is healthy and safe, is to do it at a slow and steady pace, because ultimately you will also be able to keep the weight off as well.
Peter Curtis is a full time aerobics instructor in Las Vegas. Take a look at this great Aerobic Exercise advice site or more specific Pregnancy Exercise articles and resources.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Curtis
Intentional weight loss
March 7th, 2010From Wikipedia:
Intentional weight loss refers to the loss of total body mass in an effort to improve fitness and health, and to change appearance.
Therapeutic weight loss, in individuals who are overweight or obese, can decrease the likelihood of developing diseases such as diabetes,[5] heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoarthritis,[6] and certain types of cancer.
Attention to diet in particular can be extremely beneficial in reducing the impact of diabetes and other health risks of an expanding waist.
Weight loss occurs when an individual is in a state of negative energy balance. When the body is consuming more energy (i.e. in work and heat) than it is gaining (i.e. from food or other nutritional supplements), it will use stored reserves from fat or muscle, gradually leading to weight loss.[citation needed]
It is not uncommon for some people who are currently at their ideal body weight to seek additional weight loss in order to improve athletic performance, and/or meet required weight classification for participation in a sport. However, others may be driven by achieving a more attractive body image. Consequently, being underweight is associated with health risks such as difficulty fighting off infection, osteoporosis, decreased muscle strength, trouble regulating body temperature and even increased risk of death.[7]
