Overweight people tend to have higher blood pressure and higher blood cholesterol, which are major risk factors for heart attack and other blood vessel disease. Being overweight can contribute to problems in joints, and is also associated with other serious diseases such as diabetes.

How you tell if you are overweight

As we are all different shapes and sizes, there is not one recommended weight for your height. Instead there is a range of weights that are healthy for your height. One way to check your weight is to calculate your Body Mass Index or BMI.

Your BMI is a ratio or comparison of your height and weight expressed in a number. To find out your BMI you need to divide your weight (measured in kg) by your height (measured in m) squared. If you do not know your measurements in metric system you can find any number of BMI calculators online that will do conversion for you into empirical measures. One such calculator is at website listed below.

The accepted definitions of weight categories by BMI are:

Underweight - BMI less than 18.5 Healthy weight - BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 Overweight - BMI equal to or greater than 25 and up to 29.9 Obese - BMI equal to or greater than 30

These BMI values only apply to adults aged 18 years and over and are based on studies of Caucasian populations. Therefore, they are not applicable to children and adolescents and they may not be appropriate for people of other cultural backgrounds.

Another way to check your weight is to measure your waist circumference, using a tape measure. This gives you an idea of whether you have a lot of fat stored around your middle. Waist circumferences associated with increased health risk are:

For men Waist circumference greater than 94cm For women Waist circumference greater than 80cm

Being a healthy weight can help:

- improve blood cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood glucose levels - reduce your risk of other health related problems - improve self confidence and self esteem - make it easier to be physically active.

If you are obese or overweight…try not to gain additional weight. This will help you in years to come as people tend to increase weight with age. Better still look after your body and follow a healthy lifestyle incorporating a nutritious, delicious, health enhancing weight loss program. Just by losing 10 pounds you can significantly improve your overall health.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kim Beardsmore, B.Sc. (Biochemistry) is a wellness consultant. To see what you can do to take control of your weight or to maximize your best personal shape, visit her website at: http://leanmachine.org/?refid=overweight-23705

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

1.Know what foods to avoid, and

2.Planning – get yourself organized.

What is a healthy snack? One that contains little or no sugar, little or no salt (sodium), no white flour and no saturated fat. Check food labels to see what is inside. Many foods are now labeled ‘fat free’ but are laden with sugars and will still cause an influx of calories. Do not assume that ‘fat free’ means healthy! Western societies are eating more and more fat free foods, and yet obesity levels are rising faster than ever.

Healthy snacks do not live in a vending machine.

Here are some healthy snack ideas.

·Raw vegetables, such as celery, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green pepper, green beans, cucumbers, mushrooms or zucchini may be served with a lowfat dip.

·Fresh fruit in season.

·Lowfat quick breads and muffins, such as pumpkin, zucchini, banana or bran.

·Non-sugared cereals, snack mixes made with popcorn and whole grain cereal.

·Lowfat yogurt with fresh, frozen or canned fruit.

·Shakes with lowfat milk or yogurt and fruit.

·A few squirts of butter-flavored spray and a sprinkle of garlic or onion powder on popcorn

Organize yourself to stay on track.

.Plan to have a small snack mid morning and mid afternoon. It is much better to curb your hunger than to starve yourself.

.Plan your snacks as part of your overall daily food plan.

.Organize your week – especially if you work outside home. Write a list of snacks for entire week and make sure you shop ahead. Buy enough to last whole week.

.Buy a variety of healthy snacks so you don’t get bored.

A report has shown that people who have a healthy intake of food in four of five episodes throughout day are less prone to obesity than those who eat three or less times during day.

Snacking CAN be good for you!

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