It’s much easier to be overweight now than ever before. With the proliferation of fast food, snacking on sugar and fat-filled items, and inactivity, we are packing on more and more weight. This is a big problem.
The World Health Organization estimates that, as of 2016, 30% of the world’s population is overweight or obese. In the United States, that number is closer to 40%. In Russia, the rate is increasing at an alarming rate, up more than 50% in the last five years to bring their total to 60% of the population being overweight and 20% considered obese.
Why does this matter? Cardiovascular diseases, mainly heart disease and stroke, are the perennial number one cause of death in the world. A raised body mass index (BMI) is a major risk factor for this, along with causing diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis, and some cancers, including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon.
These diseases are considered noncommunicable and can be brought on by being overweight. Thus, they are also mostly preventable.
Action – There is a simple formula to use to find out your approximate BMI.
The formula is BMI = kg/m2 where kg is a person’s weight in kilograms and m2 is their height in metres squared. A BMI of 25.0 or more is overweight, while the healthy range is 18.5 to 24.9. BMI applies to most adults 18-65 years.
Do the math. It is good to know where you fall on the scale and then to go forward armed with that knowledge. Unfortunately, if it was easy to lose weight, then everyone would do it. This is a decision you need to make for your health and quality of life and only you can make the commitment to take this seriously.
Steps – Buy a scale and use it. This isn’t about body shaming or becoming obsessive, it is about knowing where you are and taking steps to get to where you need to be. If you have been overweight for many years then you will need to work at this, but know that anything is possible when you want to do it badly enough. Find what motivates you and make the commitment before your health becomes a problem.
Everyone is different and there is no one way to lose weight. Find out what works for you, whether it be counting calories, getting active, or giving up sugar. The bottom line is this – to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body needs for maintenance. There is no way around this.
Why It Makes You Feel Better – Extra weight literally weighs you down. Our bodies function better in every way when they aren’t carrying around unnecessary weight. Some of the benefits of achieving a healthy BMI include reduction of serious diseases, increased energy, less infections, better moods, better sleep, decreased joint pain and reduced back pain. Nothing feels as good as feeling good, and nothing feels better than a fit, active and healthy body.
Example – Losing 20 pounds can make a difference. Improvements in blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol are seen with reductions even as low as 10 pounds. The hardest part of this is to get started, but once you begin to see results and to feel better it becomes increasingly easier to stay motivated. As long as your reasons for losing weight are important enough to you, you can achieve your goals.
Maintaining a healthy weight is about feeling good. Make yourself a priority and do what needs to be done.