MyNetDiary Blog

Don’t Let Your Weight Cut Your Life Short!

Too often, we find our drive to sustain lifestyle choices that allow us to lose weight or maintain lost weight start to wane. It is precisely at that point that we have to remind ourselves why it is important to make the effort – to live. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that we might be walking time bombs since we don’t always feel bad with excess body fat. But excess fat has profound effects on both our physical and mental states of health.

Since I have lost loved ones from diseases where extra body fat played a direct role in their demise, weight control is a special interest of mine. It pains me to witness my loved ones, as well as patients, die young or suffer because of their body weight. That is the main reason why I specialize in weight control.

Too much body fat, especially around the waist, means we are more likely to die at a younger age. Our risk for chronic diseases that reduce quality of life, disable, and/or kill us is also higher.  Obesity is typically defined by having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of ≥ 30.  BMI is our weight in kilograms divided by the square of our height in meters. Waist circumference will add more information about disease risk. Men with a waist larger than 40 inches (102 cm) and women with a waist larger than 35 inches (88 cm) are at higher risk for diseases associated with obesity. See the list below for diseases and conditions that are related to obesity in the United States (and in other industrialized nations).

• Heart Disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Stroke
• Liver and gallbladder disease
• Cancer (esp. colon, uterus, esophagus, kidney, and postmenopausal breast cancer)
• Metabolic Syndrome
• Psychosocial problems (e.g. stress, depression, discrimination, isolation)
• Joint problems (e.g. osteoarthritis)
• Sleep Apnea and respiratory problems
• Abnormal menstrual periods and infertility in women

Setting a Healthy Target Weight
How do you determine a healthy weight goal?  Some people rely on their memory of how they felt at a specific weight,  whereas others simply want to fit into a particular size of clothing or belt.  In addition to knowing what weight you feel best at, there are tools to help you set weight goals that are correlated with improved health.

BMI
Body mass index or BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters (kg/m2).  For example, a person 5’4” tall and weighs 140 lbs has a BMI of 24.0 kg/m2.  Is that okay?  For the general population, a BMI of 18.5 – 24.9 is correlated with lowest health risk.  Overweight is defined as 25.0 – 29.9, obese is ≥ 30.0, and underweight is < 18.5.  A BMI outside the lowest risk range typically means higher health risk.  For an online reverse BMI calculator, check out Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine’s website.  You can enter your height and desired BMI to get a target weight.

BMI & White Adults
On December 2, 2010, the New England Journal of Medicine published an important study on all-cause death and BMI.  The authors reviewed data from 19 studies and found that in a population of just fewer than 1.5 million white adults, including smokers, the lowest-risk BMI range is 22.5 – 24.9.  However, for adults who do NOT smoke, the healthiest BMI range expanded to 20.0 – 24.9.  [So smokers take note – being super skinny puts you at higher risk.]

BMI & Other Groups
There is discussion that BMI risk categories need to be adjusted for specific populations.  In the future, look for more information on BMI norms for African Americans (healthy BMI range might be shifted higher) and Asian Americans and older adults (healthy range might be shifted lower).  Also keep in mind that athletes with low body fat but high muscle mass will often fall above the healthy BMI range despite not being at higher risk.

Lose 10% of Your Body Weight
If you are overweight and find that reaching a BMI of 24.9 seems too daunting a goal, consider a stepwise approach to losing weight.  The American Dietetic Association recommends a realistic, achievable, and sustainable weight loss of 10% within six months, with an average weight loss of 1-2 lbs/week.  This recommendation is part of the Evidence Analysis Library on Adult Weight Loss.  Losing 10% of your initial body weight is enough to help you improve your risk for chronic disease, as well as manage existing chronic disease (e.g. high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes).  To calculate your target weight, multiply your current weight by 0.90.  Example:  210 lb initial body weight x 0.90 = 189 lb target weight.  To lose an average of 1 lb (0.45 kg)/week, one would have to eat less than their total energy expenditure by about 500 calories per day.  One pound of body weight is about 3500 calories.  Could you do the math if you wanted to lose 0.75 lbs/week or 1.25 lbs/week?

You can use an online tracker such as MyNetDiary to discover what your personalized caloric deficit needs to be to meet your target weight by your target date.  A calories deficit can be achieved by eating fewer calories, burning more calories from exercise, or a combination of both.  MyNetDiary will also auto adjust your caloric goals based upon your current body weight, target weight, target date, food intake, and calories burned.  So, put your calculator down and just remember to log daily.

Have questions about this topic?  Let’s hear from you!  Post your questions on MyNetDiary’s Community Forum.

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary

More Resources
American Dietetic Association. Evidence Analysis Library.

de Gonzalez et al. “Body-Mass Index and Mortality among 1.46 Million White Adults.” N Engl J Med 363:123;2211-2219.

National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute.  “Calculate your Body Mass Index.”  

U. S. Department of Health & Human Services.  NIH News 12/1/10:  “NIH study identifies ideal body mass index.”

Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.