How many of you made a new year’s resolution to lose weight, and now, nearly two months in, are giving up?
If you see the above infographic, you’ll find that it’s a common problem. Though these statistics originate in the US, they’re true for much of the rest of us, too.
I’d like to clarify something right at the start, though, before I talk about weight loss. Most women are never as fat as they imagine they are, and most men are always as fat as they think they are. So, that said, focusing on your weight staying within reasonable limits is something I, of course, always advocate.
Regular readers will, by now, be familiar with the consequences of extreme weight gain, and why you need to steer clear of it. Given modern lifestyles and stress, however, all of us experience fluctuations in our weight, and today, I want to tell you how you can tell for sure if you need to skip sweets for a while, or start exercising for 30 minutes a day, or visit a medical team, such as mine at CODS.
There’s so much data available these days on weight gain and loss that it is easy to be misinformed. Should you consider BMI the best way to tell? Or just trust the bathroom scales? Or the fit of your clothes?
To me, the safest way to know if you are okay or in trouble is to measure your waist. The average waist size for a woman should be 34” or less, and for a man, 38” or less.
If your waist is above this size, you need to start moving.
I advocate this method for laymen and laywomen because it’s the least complicated. The problem with calculating BMI is that only a trained professional will be able to correctly interpret the result. If you are muscular from working out often, or because you are an athlete, your BMI is usually high. This, of course, does not mean you are overweight. Conversely, your BMI might be low but the fat content in your body might be unhealthily high. And just reading a number off a calculator cannot tell you these nuances.
So, check your weight, for sure, at regular intervals and always ideally on an empty stomach. Calculate your BMI, too, if you like. Both done, measure your waist. If you feel uncomfortable with even one of these results, visit a qualified professional who will be able to help you.
That done, it might be a wonderful surprise for you to make a resolution to stay at your current weight because it’s just right. Or, if not, you will have someone to guide you to lose those extra pounds, or inches. And there’s no better way to stick to your resolution than to have someone cheering you on with advice, support, and encouragement.
