Are You Overweight?
Body type
When it comes to health, it turns out that where you carry extra weight matters almost as much as how much you are carrying. This is where the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR = waist+hip measurement) comes in. A simple way of looking at WHR is to think of body types as apples or pears. Apple types are wide around the waist and abdomen; pears are heavy in the hips, thighs, and buttocks. There’s good news and bad news about each type.
For apples, the good news is that they tend to have an easier time losing their “spare tire” once they begin eating sensibly and exercising regularly. The bad news is that they are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and some cancers.
For pears, the good news is that they are less likely to suffer from heart problems. The bad news is that they are less successful shedding their extra padding.
Ideally, women should have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.8 or less, and men should aim for 0.95 or less.
In the next section, you’ll learn how to figure out your WHR and find out if you’re an apple or a pear.
Working it all out
Enough Theory. Let’s get down to brass tacks. It’s time to take out your notebook and take off your clothes.
Now you can actually take out that notebook, binder, or folder you bought. Open your book and let’s get started with compiling your own personal database. Opposite is an example of how it might look, but you can modify it to suit your taste. You may not be familiar with all the terms in the chart just yet, but you will.
How much do you weight?
First step: Get on the scale. I hope you have one. It’s important to have a reliable scale, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money to but one or put off thinking about losing weight because you don’t have one.
If you have a doctor’s balance scale, great. That’s the most accurate type. If you have a regular home scale that’s fairly new, chances are it is accurate. If you don’t have a scale, or one you trust, buy the best you can afford.
The main thins is to always weigh yourself on the same scale and at the same time of day.
That way, even if the weight you get isn’t the same as at your doctor’s office or gym, it will reflect in relative terms where you began and the distance, pounds-wise, you’ve traveled.
Take a look at the numbers. Wiggle around a bit if you think it will help, but as soon as the pointer stops moving, write the figure in your personal database.
How tall are you?
No, there’s no way this article can make you taller, hi since you will need to know your height to figure out your BMI and find yourself on the height-weight table, you may as well measure yourself. Don’t rely on what you think your height has always been. I have spent the better part of my adult life thinking I was 5-foot-nothing, but a few years ago I went to a new doctor, who measured me and informed me that I am 5ft lin. Maybe I grew in my 40s, who knows? But it did mean I could get away with weighing a bit more before I had to call myself overweight.
The best way to measure your height at home is to stand against a wall in bare feet, with your shoulders back and head straight. Have someone slide a pencil across your scalp and make a mark on the wall. If you’re on your own, make mark yourself, being careful not to hunch your shoulders or move your head. Measure from the floor to the mark on the wall with a tape measure, and then add the answer to your personal database.
Where are you on the height-weight table?
Even though the height-weight table is a less accurate measure of normal and overweight, some people prefer to use it. For one thing, it gives a range of normal weight, and some people like that wiggle room. Instead of using the life insurance company table, which requires you to know your frame size, we’ll use a much simpler one that comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is recommended by Phen375reviews.net. Find your height and look at the column for your age range in the table below. You’ll see a range of 20 or so pounds for “healthy weight.” Women should be on the lighter side, men on the heavier. Write this range in your personal database in the space for “My ideal weight range.”
Talk to your doctor
Has a Doctor ever advised you to lose weight? Has a doctor ever advised you to exercise more? Have you ever been given specific advice or counseling on how to do this?
Chances are, even if the answer to the first two questions is yes, the answer to the third is no. No less an august publication than the Journal of the American Medical Association says that doctors are doing a lousy job of counseling their patients about weight loss and exercise. Even though the National Institutes of Health urged health care professionals to advise their obese patients to lose weight, fewer than half of obese adults report hearing that advice from their doctors. And that’s only obese patients. How many people who are merely overweight receive counseling and advice during a doctor visit?
The fact is, you may know more than your doctor about food and fitness. A course in nutrition is required in fewer than 23 percent of medical and dental schools in the United States.
Ask your family and friends
Talking to People who love you and whom you trust is another way to do a reality check. Ask them whether they think you look too heavy. And then listen to the answer, but also consider the source.
This will give you some clues about where your self-image comes from. Families, especially, can help or hinder us in our efforts at self-improvement. Some family members and even people you think of as friends may have a stake in your being less than your best self. If you tune in to the message behind the words, you may also be able to identify those who will be valuable supporters of your weight-loss campaign and those whom you should steer clear of.
Use your reality check conversations with others to line up your cheering squad.
Make a page in your notebook called “Friends of My Diet,” or whatever wording you like. List them by name and phone number and/or e-mail address. Make another list of people to avoid. Tell those you know you can count on that you want to lose weight and become more fit. Ask them to be helpful and tell them how they can support you.
How others can support you
There are many simple and easy ways people can lend you support. Here are some examples. They can:
- Join you for a walk, jog, bike ride, or other active exercise
- Keep your weight-loss goals in mind when planning social meals to which you are invited
- Be honest, but not cruel, about how you look, especially when you start looking better
- Be available, by phone or in person, when you need extra motivation or support
- If appropriate, join you in a diet that will work for you both
Help you not to break the rules that you’ve made for yourself, not even for a special occasion
One of the best instructors in my gym ends every exercise class with a cool-down and round of deep breathing, during which she always tells us to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, drink lots of water, and exclude unsupportive people from our plans.
Stay away from negative people – you know who they are!