Obese women possess a higher risk of developing weight related health conditions. Losing weight decreases the likelihood of experiencing adverse health affects. Calorie reduction and exercise promotes weight loss in obese women. Use your basal metabolic rate to determine the amount of calories to eat daily. Avoid foods high in saturated fat.
Obesity
Lack of exercise and consuming excess calories may lead to obesity. Women who are obese possess an overabundance of body fat. The National Institutes of Health notes obesity may lead to heart disease, diabetes or cancer. Losing weight will decrease the risk of contracting these illnesses. Women with a waist to hip ration greater than 0.8 likely suffer from obesity. Obese women with high waist to hip ratios have large amounts of visceral fat. Visceral fat in the abdomen crowds your organs and causes disease.
Basal Metabolic Rate
One of the first steps in fighting obesity involves learning your basal metabolic rate. Women who know their BMR can tailor their food consumption toward creating a calorie deficit. Eating fewer calories than your BMR will speed up weight loss. The Mayo Clinic recommends eating 500 calories less than your basal metabolic rate. Use the following equation to determine your BMR:
BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
You must burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound. Decreasing calorie daily intake to 500 less than your BMR will burn one pound per week.
Diet
Choosing the right type of calories to eat is as an important as reducing calorie intake. Macronutrients provide the calories found in food -- they include fat, protein and carbohydrates. Include healthy carbohydrates and fats in your diet. The American Heart Association notes, unsaturated fat may cause coronary artery disease -- eat heart healthy unsaturated fats instead. Choose foods with carbohydrates in the form of fiber; dietary fiber makes you feel full faster, causing you to eat less.
Exercise
Engaging in physical activity daily contributes to your calorie deficit. Calorie burn increases with weight; obese women burn more calories doing exercise than lighter women. Harvard Health notes that a person weighing 185 lbs burns 311 calories during high impact exercise, whereas a 125 lb person only burns 210 calories. Engage in exercises like walking or aerobics daily to speed up weight loss.
References
- Nation Institutes of Health: Obesity
- MSNBC Fitness: Bye Bye BMI? Better Way to Measure Obesity
- Mayo Clinic: Counting Calories: Getting Back to Weight Loss Basics
- "Making the Cut: The 30 Day Diet and Fitness Plan For the Strongest, Sexiest You"; Jillian Michaels; 2008
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
- Mayo Clinic: Dietary Fiber: Essential For a Healthy Diet
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