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The 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.
Our 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.
If 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
Here 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.
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Nowadays the market is saturated with low-fat, low-carb and sugar-free foods. Despite all the popular diets, “magical” pills and the latest, greatest fitness machines that all promise to melt away the pounds, more than half of American adults are overweight!
For true weight-loss success, health experts really stress the importance of changing your lifestyle for the long term and also exercising regularly. Do you need some creative ways to make fitness fun again and help you win the battle of the bulge once and for all?
* Take “healthy vacations” that means make fitness part of your travels. Head to a spa where, along with a little pampering, you can enjoy hiking, rock climbing, kickboxing, aqua aerobics and yoga.
* Walk or run for a good cause. Training for a 5000 meter charity walk, for example, may be all the motivation you need to get started on a regular fitness routine. Best of all, at the same time you’ll be helping your favorite charity accomplish its goals.
* Dance. Join a ballroom or hip-hop dancing class. It’s a great way to shed the pounds, learn how to dance, sweat and have fun.
* Strip the weight away. New DVDs featuring Carmen Electra help you spice up your regular workout routine and provide a fun new way to tone your body right in the comfort of your own living room.
“Carmen Electra’s Aerobic Striptease” and “Carmen Electra’s Aerobic Striptease – Fit to Strip” are fast becoming wildly popular. With the help of fitness experts, Electra teaches viewers how to trim down with high- and low-impact dance and fitness techniques.
* Do Pilates. Find out what makes Pilates the workout of choice for countless celebrities, and why your gym’s Pilates classes are always full. The “MTV: Pilates Mix” DVD, hosted by renowned Pilates and yoga instructor Kristin McGee, is perfect for those who want to add a more cutting-edge beat to their workout. The DVD features two half-hour workout sessions that focus on toning the arms, legs and abs, with a music mix that motivates you to get up and work out.
The Secret to Fast Weight Loss!
Ever heard of super weight loss foods? Probably not, as most diet plans don’t show you how to use foods to lose weight fast. They only have you count calories, carbs or fat grams. Some foods actually cause your body to burn fat and calories. Let me tell you how eating certain foods can cause weight loss.
Foods like apples, which contain pectin, are extremely effective at raising your metabolism, which in turn burns calories. Other foods like nuts, avocados, whole grains and dairy foods also burn fat. Olive oil, cayenne pepper, ginger, and cinnamon are great for seasoning foods, as they are also super weight loss foods.
Another factor that is very important for fast weight loss is how often you eat, and when. Most people are used to the basic concept of breakfast, lunch and dinner. With the Fat Loss 4 Idiots program, you will find out that it is much more effective to eat smaller portions and eat more often to lose weight. You also don’t experience the hunger associated with most other diets.
With the Fat Loss 4 Idiots program, you can eat foods you love and lose weight very fast! This plan takes you step by step through the whole process of how, when and what to eat in order to train your body to burn fat. Now you know how some people seem to have the ability to eat all day long, and stay “skinny as a rail”. It’s their metabolism.
If this diet had existed a decade ago, there wouldn’t be nearly so many obese people in the world as there are now. This plan is easy, you will never suffer hunger pangs, and you will keep the weight off for good. Sound like a plan? Try the Fat Loss 4 Idiots program and see for yourself how easy it is to lose weight with the power of super weight loss foods!
Did you ever stop and think about how much money you’ve spent on dieting over the years? There’s the diet programs, the diet books, the replacement shakes and meals not to mention the weird, wonderful and generally expensive fad diet foods that you just couldn’t live without when you were doing a new diet. It’s hardly any wonder that the diet industry is one of the most profitable sectors in the business world. The way to lose weight is not to try miracle remedies. Read more
