If you are overweight, you are certainly not alone.
Fifty percent of adults in the U.
K.
and sixty-six percent of adults in the U.
S.
are overweight or obese.
Achieving a healthy weight is very important.
Why? Well it can help you control your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.
It might also help you prevent weight-related diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers.
Eating too much and not being physically active enough are the basic causes of becoming overweight.
Eating and exercise are like two ends of a balancing scale.
To maintain your weight, the calories you eat must equal the energy you burn.
To lose weight, you must use more calories than you eat.
For instance, a weight-control strategy might include: • Choosing low-fat, low-calorie foods; • Eating smaller portions; • Drinking water instead of sugary drinks; or • Being physically active.
Aside from a few details that's basically it - whether your objective is losing weight fast and easy, or taking time by working hard over your efforts.
Anything contrary to the above is, at best, an embellishment of the truth, or at worst - a down-right lie.
So how do we test your healthiness? Well, there are several tests available to ascertain our levels of health and fitness.
For example, we can look at indicators such as Body Mass Index (BMI).
To be clear, this measurement in isolation cannot predict your health risk, but it does provide a good indicator of what is likely to be unhealthy.
Body Mass Index (BMI) BMI basically determines whether or not you have a healthy weight in relation to your height.
It provides a useful indicator of how over-weight you might be.
Being overweight puts strain on your heart and can lead to serious health problems, which include: • Heart disease; • High blood pressure; • Sleep apnea; • Type 2 diabetes; and • Varicose veins What I'd like you to do right now is calculate your own BMI.
Don't worry - it's quite simple.
All we're really doing is estimating how much you should weigh, based on your height.
Here are the steps to calculate it: • Multiply your weight in pounds by 703.
• Divide that answer by your height in inches.
• Divide that answer by your height in inches again.
For example, a woman who weighs 270 pounds and is 68 inches tall has a BMI of 41.
0.
You can use the chart below to see what category your BMI falls into, and whether you need to be concerned about your weight.
BMI CATEGORY Below 18.
5 Underweight 18.
5 - 24.
9 Healthy 25.
0 - 29.
9 Overweight 30.
0 - 39.
9 Obese Over 40 Morbidly obese I should point out that BMI is not always an accurate way to determine whether you need to lose weight.
Here are some exceptions: • Body builders: Because muscle weighs more than the equivalent volume of fat, people who are unusually muscular may have a high BMI.
• Elderly: In the elderly it is often better to have a BMI between 25 and 27, rather than under 25.
If you are older than 65, for example, a slightly higher BMI may help protect you from osteoporosis.
• Children: While an alarming number of children are obese, do not use this BMI calculator for evaluating a child.
Talk to your pediatrician about the appropriate weight for your child's age.
Fifty percent of adults in the U.
K.
and sixty-six percent of adults in the U.
S.
are overweight or obese.
Achieving a healthy weight is very important.
Why? Well it can help you control your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.
It might also help you prevent weight-related diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers.
Eating too much and not being physically active enough are the basic causes of becoming overweight.
Eating and exercise are like two ends of a balancing scale.
To maintain your weight, the calories you eat must equal the energy you burn.
To lose weight, you must use more calories than you eat.
For instance, a weight-control strategy might include: • Choosing low-fat, low-calorie foods; • Eating smaller portions; • Drinking water instead of sugary drinks; or • Being physically active.
Aside from a few details that's basically it - whether your objective is losing weight fast and easy, or taking time by working hard over your efforts.
Anything contrary to the above is, at best, an embellishment of the truth, or at worst - a down-right lie.
So how do we test your healthiness? Well, there are several tests available to ascertain our levels of health and fitness.
For example, we can look at indicators such as Body Mass Index (BMI).
To be clear, this measurement in isolation cannot predict your health risk, but it does provide a good indicator of what is likely to be unhealthy.
Body Mass Index (BMI) BMI basically determines whether or not you have a healthy weight in relation to your height.
It provides a useful indicator of how over-weight you might be.
Being overweight puts strain on your heart and can lead to serious health problems, which include: • Heart disease; • High blood pressure; • Sleep apnea; • Type 2 diabetes; and • Varicose veins What I'd like you to do right now is calculate your own BMI.
Don't worry - it's quite simple.
All we're really doing is estimating how much you should weigh, based on your height.
Here are the steps to calculate it: • Multiply your weight in pounds by 703.
• Divide that answer by your height in inches.
• Divide that answer by your height in inches again.
For example, a woman who weighs 270 pounds and is 68 inches tall has a BMI of 41.
0.
You can use the chart below to see what category your BMI falls into, and whether you need to be concerned about your weight.
BMI CATEGORY Below 18.
5 Underweight 18.
5 - 24.
9 Healthy 25.
0 - 29.
9 Overweight 30.
0 - 39.
9 Obese Over 40 Morbidly obese I should point out that BMI is not always an accurate way to determine whether you need to lose weight.
Here are some exceptions: • Body builders: Because muscle weighs more than the equivalent volume of fat, people who are unusually muscular may have a high BMI.
• Elderly: In the elderly it is often better to have a BMI between 25 and 27, rather than under 25.
If you are older than 65, for example, a slightly higher BMI may help protect you from osteoporosis.
• Children: While an alarming number of children are obese, do not use this BMI calculator for evaluating a child.
Talk to your pediatrician about the appropriate weight for your child's age.