Posted on by Tim Wallace

Learn about body mass index and a healthy lifestyle through the gateway to health

Learn about body mass index and a healthy lifestyle through the gateway to health.

What is being overweight?

Being overweight or obese are both defined by Body Mass Index or BMI (which is a ratio of weight to height). A BMI between 25 and 30 places someone in an overweight category and 30 or higher is considered obese.

Why control your weight? Being overweight and obese cause a dramatic increase in the likelihood of disease as people increase their BMI, such as:

  1. -Coronary artery disease (CAD)
  2. -Certain cancersHigh blood pressure
  3. -High cholesterol and triglycerides
  4. -Osteoarthritis
  5. -Sleep apnea
  6. -Stroke
  7. -Type 2 diabetes

 

The cost of being overweight Two of the personal costs of being overweight are:

  • -Obese people are expected to live 2-4 years less than someone with a healthy weight; the extremely obese (BMI over 40) have 8-10 years taken off their life expectancy. i
  • -Obese people cost an average of $1,429 more in medical services per year than someone who is normal weight.

 

What can I do to control my weight? There is much you can do to control your weight, but there are no easy answers.

  • Lifestyle: Get support, exercise, track your progress, and eat a low-fat and low-calorie diet.
  • Boost Your Metabolism: Maintaining or increasing your lean body mass (muscles) is your best bet for keeping your metabolism going strong. There are a variety of supplements that can help with your metabolism as well.
  • Leucine: The amino acid leucine is great at helping maintain muscle mass, especially in people who are cutting calories and exercising.
  • Protein: Not only does protein help you feel full longer, it also helps you keep your lean body mass. Starting the morning with a good protein or protein shake helps you feel full longer.
  • Fiber: The benefits of fiber on weight loss are many. Studies have shown that fiber can help you feel full, support blood sugar, and it helps remove cholesterol from the body as part of a healthy diet

In order to have a healthy life control your weight.  After all, weight is the gateway to health.  You choose good or bad health by your weight.