Regular Eating

What are overweight and obesity

Overweight refers to an excess of body weight compared to set standards. The excess weight may come from muscle, bone, fat, and/or body water.

Obesity refers specifically to having an abnormally high proportion of body fat. A person can be overweight without being obese, as in the example of a bodybuilder or other athlete who has a lot of muscle. However, many people who are overweight are also obese.


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Goals for Weight Loss

There are lots of reasons for people who are overweight or obese to lose weight. To be healthier, look better, feel better and have more energy.

No matter what the reason, successful weight loss and healthy weight management depend on sensible goals and expectations. If you set sensible goals for yourself, chances are you'll be more likely to meet them and have a better chance of keeping the weight off. In fact, losing even five to 10 percent of your weight is the kind of goal that can help improve your health.

Most overweight people should lose weight gradually. For safe and healthy weight loss, try not to exceed a rate of two pounds or 1kg per week. Sometimes, people with serious health problems associated with obesity may have legitimate reasons for losing weight rapidly. If so, a physician's supervision is required.

What you weigh is the result of several factors:
• how much and what kinds of food you eat
• whether your lifestyle includes regular physical activity
• whether you use food to respond to stress and other situations in your life
• your physiologic and genetic make-up
• your age and health status.

Successful weight loss and weight management should address all of these factors. You need to embrace permanent changes in your lifestyle that combine lowering the calories you take in and/or increasing your physical activity.

How are overweight and obesity measured - What is BMI ?

A number of methods are used to determine if someone is overweight or obese. Some are based on the relationship between height and weight; others are based on measurements of body fat. The most commonly used method today is body mass index (BMI).

BMI can be used to screen for both overweight and obesity in adults. It is the measurement of choice for many obesity researchers and other health professionals, as well as the definition used in most published information on overweight and obesity. BMI is a calculation based on height and weight, and it is not gender-specific. BMI does not directly measure percent of body fat, but it is a more accurate indicator of overweight and obesity than relying on weight alone.

BMI is found by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. The mathematical formula is:
weight (kg) / height squared (m²).

To determine BMI using pounds and inches, multiply your weight in pounds by 704.5,* then divide the result by your height in inches, and divide that result by your height in inches a second time. (Or you can use the BMI calculator at http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/av.htm)

* The multiplier 704.5 is used by the National Institutes of Health. Other organizations may use a slightly different multiplier; for example, the American Dietetic Association suggests multiplying by 700. The variation in outcome (a few tenths) is insignificant.

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A Realistic Approach

Many people who are overweight or obese have decided not to diet, but to concentrate on engaging in regular physical activity and maintaining healthy eating habits in accordance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, emphasizing lowered fat consumption, and an increase in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Others — who try to diet — report needing help to achieve their weight management goals.

How you go about managing your weight has a lot to do with your long-term success. Unless your health is seriously at risk due to complications from being overweight or obese, gradual weight loss should be your rule — and your goal.

Here's how to do it:
• Check with your doctor. Make sure that your health status allows lowering your caloric intake and increasing your physical activity.
• Follow a calorie-reduced, but balanced diet that provides for as little as one or two pounds of weight loss a week. Be sure to include at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, lean meat and low fat dairy products. It may not produce headlines, but it can reduce waistlines. It's not "miracle" science — just common sense. Most important, it's prudent and healthy.
• Make time in your day for some form of physical activity. Start by taking the stairs at work, walking up or down an escalator, parking at the far end of a lot instead of cruising around for the closest spot. Then, assuming your physician gives the okay, gradually add some form of regular physical activity that you enjoy. Walking is an excellent form of physical activity that almost everyone can do.
• Consider the benefits of moderate weight loss. There's scientific evidence that losing five to 10 percent of your weight and keeping it off can benefit your health — lower your blood pressure, for example. If you are 5 feet 6 inches tall and weigh 180 pounds, and your goal weight is 150, losing five to 10 percent (nine to 18 pounds) is beneficial. When it comes to successful weight loss and weight management, steady and slow can be the way to go.
For many people who are overweight or obese, long-term — and healthy — weight management generally requires sensible goals and a commitment to make realistic changes in their lifestyle and improve their health. A lifestyle based on healthy eating and regular physical activity can be a real lifesaver.

How can I lose weight?

A matter of energy balance
Being overweight comes down to a seemingly simple relationship between your intake of food and physical activity.

Excess fat is stored when people take in more energy (food) than they are using up (by walking, doing exercise, cleaning, running etc.) We live in a society where calorie-dense, convenience foods are available at relatively low prices, and where people do very little physical activity. For example we drive to work, take the lift rather than walk up the stairs, spend hours on the internet or watching television.

In general, most women will lose weight if they eat or drink between 1,200 and1,500 calories per day, and most men will lose weight if they eat or drink between 1,500 and 1,800 calories per day.


Click here to read more advice on healthy eating - "Eat, Drink And Be Healthy" by Walter C. Willett, M.D.

Getting into a regular eating pattern

What is regular eating?
• Eating at regular times throughout the day
• Avoiding long periods of time between each meal
• Keeping the same pattern of meals from day to day
• It simple terms this means having Breakfast, Lunch and an Evening Meal, with 1-2 snacks in between meals (ideally fruit or vegetables) every day.

Why eat regularly?
Eating regularly will mean that:
• You will find it easier to stop eating at the end of a meal
• You will find that you are ready to eat at mealtimes
• You will be less likely to think about foods in between meals
• You won't need to resort to high fat snacks because of missed meals

What makes eating regularly difficult?
• Work patterns
• Family/home environment
• Stress
• Temptations
• Social life

Here are some comments that some people have made as to why eating regularly is difficult:

" I have a hectic work schedule which doesn't allow me time for lunch"

"I leave the house very early in the morning, which means I never have time for breakfast"

"I never feel hungry at breakfast time"

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