Losing & Maintaining Proper Weight

If you are overweight or obese, then it is beneficial to lose weight and maintain a proper weight. Losing weight can not only help you look and feel better, but it can also help reduce your risks for certain chronic diseases. Assessing whether your weight is healthy and taking action to lose weight are the first steps to reaching and maintaining your healthy weight.

Risks

Many people want to lose weight to help them look better or feel younger, but losing weight can also help reduce your risks for certain health problems. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, losing weight may help you lower your risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type II diabetes, osteoarthritis, certain cancers, sleep apnea, reproductive problems and other health conditions. Losing just 5 to 10 percent of your current weight can help reduce your risk of developing obesity-related diseases.

Assessment

Using tools such as Body Mass Index, also known as BMI, or waist circumference measurements can help you determine if your weight is healthy. BMI is a measure calculated based on your height and weight. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, if your BMI is in the 18.5 to 24.9 range, then your weight is considered "normal" or "healthy." If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, then you fall in the "overweight" range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, then you fall in the "obese" range.

If you choose to use waist circumference to determine if your weight is healthy, then a waist larger than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women increases the chances of developing health risks that are related to being overweight or obese.

Calories

To lose weight you need to burn more calories then you take in. According to Harvard School of Public Health, people can cut back on calories and lose weight on almost any diet, as long as they stick to it. It takes cutting about 500 calories per day from your regular diet to lose 1 lb. per week. To lose 2 lbs. in a week, you need to cut 1,000 calories per day from what you normally consume. The general weight loss recommendation is 1 to 2 lbs. per week.

Habits

To help lose and maintain weight loss, it may be beneficial to follow in the footsteps of others who have been there and done it. The National Weight Control Registry is a research study that tracks over 5,000 individuals who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off for long periods of time. Some of the research findings are that most of them eat breakfast everyday, weigh themselves once a week, watch less than 10 hours of TV per week and exercise an average of about 1 hour per day.

Considerations

Weight loss is best achieved and maintained through a combination of increased physical activity and reduced caloric consumption.When reducing calories, men should not go below 1,500 calories per day and women should not go below 1,200 calories unless they are on a medically supervised program. Find activities that you enjoy to help you stay physically active and burn calories. While losing weight can be beneficial, always consult your health care provider before beginning an exercise program or modifying your diet.