Weight Loss... Should I Lose Weight?

 

Should weight loss be in your future? Let’s see if this sounds like you or someone you know:

When I graduated from high school, I could eat and drink anything I wanted, it seemed. Weight loss was the furthest thing from my mind. Fast food, junk food, sodas full of sugar and caffeine, and alcohol on the weekends were the standard menu. Most people seem to follow this, shall we call it, healthy lifestyle. Does it sound like you? Roll the clock forward 20 years. You are married with kids. You have a job that puts you at a desk for several hours every day. Each year life becomes more sedentary and the pounds add up. Did you ever notice that weight gain seems to just creep up on you? Weight loss is now in the forefront of our mind. Does it seem that each time your kids outgrow their clothes, you do too? And before you know it, you’re unhappy with the way you look. You can’t do the physical activities as well or as long as you did before. Well? Does the need for weight loss seem inevitable? Maybe it’s time to decide if you need to lose weight, but how?

How do YOU jumpstart weight loss? The first step in losing weight is getting a baseline. You need to determine your height and weight. Yes, go get on that scale, make sure it is calibrated, and step on it. Whew! How’s it look? Are you surprised at what you saw? Based on your height and body frame (small, medium, or large), go to the height and weight chart to determine if your weight is within the appropriate range. Write down the range you should be in so that you have a goal weight to obtain.

Now that you have your height and weight, you can figure out your Body Mass Index (BMI). Go to the BMI table and then write down the result. This is your baseline. Make sure you put a date on it so you can chart your progress, which will be GREAT!

It's also important to determine your waist circumference. Check out what the National Institute of Health attributes to an analysis of your BMI and waist circumference.

These numbers are just guidelines for adults between 19 and 70 years of age. If you are muscular, you may have a higher BMI without any health risks. Calculating your BMI is not appropriate if you are pregnant, lactating, a bodybuilder or a competitive athlete or for children or teens under 19 years of age or very frail, immobile people. In June 1998, a healthy weight BMI was lowered from 25 to 24. This single number alteration has now increased the amount of people overweight from one in three to one in two. Being overweight increases your health risk for many chronic diseases. It is important to be honest with yourself and just use your BMI as a reference. You can make small changes today toward maintaining or achieving a healthy BMI. A loss or gain, depending on your goals, of as little as five percent can reduce your short and long term health risks significantly. Remember, after finding out your BMI, make a note of it and check it again in a few months after you’ve had a chance to make some positive changes towards a healthy lifestyle.

Your path to success will be filled with options, different methods for losing weight. You will probably find your biggest success using a combination of exercise, good eating habits, and the use of supplements to achieve long term weight loss. Weight loss can mean a lot more than looking good in a bathing suit. It can mean living longer and healthier.