What is a healthy BMI?
Adult Body Mass Index is a range of body fat percentages that are determined by your age and height, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Typically, people with a BMI between 18.5 and 25 are considered at a healthy percentile. Those with a BMI lower than 18.5 are considered underweight, and those with a BMI between 25 and 30 are considered overweight. People with a BMI of 30 or higher are considered obese and at high risk for disease.
What are the health consequences of a high BMI?
When it comes to the amount of body fat you carry, the stakes are high. Obesity and high levels of body fat carry a variety of health consequences, and can affect your overall health and quality of life. They include:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol levels
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Gallbladder disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Sleep apnea
- Chronic inflammation and pain
- Certain types of cancer
- Mental disorders such as anxiety and depression
- Increased risk of death
The Only Way to Lose Weight is to Eat Fewer Calories Than You Burn in a Day
Simply increasing your activity level might be enough if you only need to lose a few pounds to get your BMI into a healthy range. Most of the time, however, eating fewer calories is also going to be needed. The calories and fat in the foods we eat add up quickly! For example, have you eaten at a fast food chain recently? To work off the calories from a double cheeseburger, extra large fries and a 24 ounce soft drink – about 1500 calories – you would have to run for two and half hours at a ten minute mile pace!
Eating 5 Smaller Meals Might Work Better Than Eating 3 Larger Ones
Most people are surprised to learn that eating 5 or 6 times a day can be a better way to lose weight than eating only 3 times a day! This only works, however, if you take care to control not only the calorie content but also the amount of food you’re eating. The goal is to eat a small amount of food – like a cup of no-fat yoghurt, for example – every 3 hours or so. Eat only enough so that you don’t feel hungry, but never so much that you feel stuffed. Some people recommend eating your meals off of smaller plates, because research has shown that people have a tendency to try to eat all of what is served to them.
Eat Less Cholesterol and Less Fat – Especially Less Saturated Fat, and Almost No Trans-Fat
Most people have heard that cholesterol is bad, and eating less of it is important. But our bodies also make cholesterol from the fats that we eat. Fats are also very high in calories. So cutting down on total fat intake is helpful.
Exercise Does More Than Burn Calories
Increasing the amount of exercise you do each day means you burn more calories to help you lose weight. And, research has shown very clearly that 30 minutes of moderately strenuous daily exercise is also one of the most important requirements for disease prevention – even for people who are already at an ideal weight. The exercise you choose doesn’t need to be elaborate, or to take place in a gym. Walking, biking, swimming, or gardening can do the trick, and getting a friend or family member to exercise with you can turn this into a valued part of your daily routine.
Diet Plan
Click here to see the diet plan