If weight management can be distilled into this nice, neat box, why do the numbers of overweight individuals continue to climb? And why do certain people have problems gaining weight? Click here to read about Reaching a Healthy Weight. The day-to-day weight management basics, such as portion control and daily exercise, are where things tend to fall short. Let's face it, when stressful situations arise and you reach for the carton of Ben and Jerry's, you're not worrying about the balance of calories in and calories out! Some days this is just the way it is, no sense beating up on yourself. An indulgence once in a while is okay. The key to healthy weight loss and weight maintenance involves feeling good. It may mean eating ice cream once in a while. Focusing on the big picture leads to a healthy body and a healthy mind. Click here for Healthy Weight Loss: The Top 10 Essentials for Weight Loss Success.
Personal genetics: Your Genes and Your Weight
Nature or nurture? For years scientists have debated whether our weight is due to "nature vs. nurture." Healthy weight management turns out to be a bit of both. Our genes definitely play a major role. Think about it. They affect everything from our drive to eat, our appetite, our food preferences, how efficiently we convert food into energy, whether we tend to store fat easily (and where), whether we build lean muscle mass readily, how rapidly we burn stored fat, and so on. That's the "nature" part.
The "nurture" part has to do with the choices we make, what we do with the genetic predispositions that we inherit. What researchers think at this point is that our genes give each of us a unique set of advantages and challenges when it comes to managing our weight. How we balance those assets so that calories in = calories out is, in large part, up to us. Even more challenging for most people than losing the excess weight is being able to maintain a healthy weight once it's reached. The expectation is that identifying weight-related genes in our genetic makeup will give us a better understanding of what we're up against and how best to approach our particular challenges.
Over a hundred genes have been identified that relate to weight management so it's not surprising that a personal genetic test for how to stay slim and trim is not yet available. However, the connection between genes and weight management is of enormous interest to researchers. Appetite regulation and how the body burns food are among the hot topics currently being studied but even more intriguing is the emerging association between knowing our genetic makeup and our ability to lose weight AND KEEP IT OFF!
Even though weight loss genes per se cannot be tested for as yet, tuning into our genetic makeup and aligning our eating, exercise, and other lifestyle habits with our genes appears to be very helpful in weight management. Preliminary studies from a weight loss clinic are finding that those who have a comprehensive personal genetic test as part of their weight loss program lose significantly more weight and have maintained the weight loss after one year. Those who did not undergo testing lost less weight and, by one year, were regaining the weight they'd lost. Although preliminary, these studies are certainly encouraging that knowing your genetic makeup and having your diet adjusted for your unique genetic makeup may be helpful in losing weight and keeping it off.
Stay tuned for details. In the meantime, gathering tools to make healthy lifestyle choices can lead to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Explore the many tools available on this site.
How do you size up?
Several studies have shown that carrying extra weight puts us at risk for a long list of chronic illnesses. Being overweight increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, sleep apnea and joint problems. What's more alarming is that your risk of death can be 2-3 times greater if you are overweight. How do you know if you're overweight? You can check this out by calculating your Body Mass Index (commonly referred to as BMI) from your height and weight. Stepping on the scale the first thing in the morning is the best time to check your weight. Then plug your height and weight into a chart to see your BMI. Click here for What is a healthy weight?
Fit or Fat?
BMI categorizes us as being at one of three levels: a healthy body weight, overweight or obese. It's a quick and easy way to alert you to whether you're within a healthy weight range. Our BMI doesn't though, say anything about our body composition (muscle vs. fat tissue), which is really at the heart of healthy weight management-plenty of lean muscle tissue and a minimum of excess body fat. Since muscle weighs more than the same amount of fat, it's actually possible to be fit, have a large percentage of muscle and have a BMI that technically places you in the overweight category. If possible, track body fat rather than scale weight. Fitness facilities have the tools to help do this. Staying fit and focusing on increasing lean body mass can help achieve and maintain a healthy body composition. Not only will your body be humming along burning calories galore but additional muscle mass in your later years will help you to remain active and maintain your independence. Click here to read more about metabolism.
Living Well
No doubt about it, weight management can be a challenge. BMI, body fat analysis and following changes in weight provide useful information. All serve as a catalyst for setting realistic weight loss goals. If you're overweight, losing 10% of your body weight at a rate of 1-2 pounds a week has been shown to increase overall health and to increase your ability to keep the weight off. If reaching these numbers discourages you, then they're not serving the purpose of promoting health. Even if you do not fall into a healthy BMI range initially, remember health is about balance. Stressing out over the need to lose weight is not a part of healthy living.
Creating a positive experience around weight is as important as the numbers on a scale. Take the need to lose weight in your stride. Commit to a plan of eating and exercise that makes sense for your needs and lifestyle and stick with it long-term. You'll be pleasantly surprised how small but daily steps add up over time. Succeeding with weight loss and weight management are critical components of healthy living, but balance plays an even larger role. Click here to read about finding balance and Healthy Living.