Are You Overweight?
A little research plus my own ideas
Feeling good and health are not necessarily the same thing. Health is optimal function. What is optimal? That is a big question. Optimal may not be the same for everyone. I read about a little boy whose mother could motivate him to do things with a saltshaker. He constantly craved salt. He was admitted to the hospital and doctors knew he shouldn’t have that much salt. He died within three days. On autopsy, he was found to have enlarged adrenal glands. Doctors thought the enlarged glands were why the boy craved salt. We are not all the same.
If you are overweight, it takes more effort to move. You will feel better if you lose weight. You might even live longer. We can never predict how long we will live. However, I know I’ve lost weight, and I feel better. There is a lot of talk about BMI (Body Mass Index). BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. In American units, take your weight in pounds and divide by your height in inches squared then multiply by 703 to do the conversion.
For me, I am 69 inches tall and weigh 150.
BMI = 150 / (69 x 69) x 703 = 22.14
I’ll give you the BMI classifications from the article:
Severely Underweight - <16.5
Underweight - <18.5
Normal weight - 18.5 - 24.9
Overweight - 25 - 29.9
Obese - >30
The article further classifies obesity. I’m not going there.
I do want to mention waist circumference. In addition to BMI, the article lists being overweight as having waist circumference greater than or equal to 35 in [88 cm] in women or greater than or equal to 40 in [102 cm] in men. Higher BMI along with higher abdominal fat is considered a comorbidity (a problem with other problems).
Measure your waist where your abdomen is the smallest - between the top of your ilia (hip bones) and the bottom of your ribs. On me it seems a little like cheating, because I’m bigger at my naval. If I use my naval, the tape is around my ilia and measuring the width of my pelvis.
My Tips
Fluid ounces of water equal ounces of weight. If you drink a cup (8 ounces) of water, you just gained half a pound (8 ounces). Water weight can mess with us. My father claimed he lost 5 pounds during the day and gained it back at night while practicing football in college. I’ve seen him drink a quart of water. That is two pounds right there.
Muscle is denser than fat. That means a pound package of meat and a pound package of fat both weigh a pound, but the fat package is bigger. If you only go by scales, your weight might not change, but you look and feel better. You are losing fat and gaining muscle.
Also take chest measurements. You might want to take a deep breath and make the measurement as good as possible.
In my case, I couldn’t even suck in my gut enough to be the 32-inch waist of my pants. When I began losing weight, my waist was the last to reduce. There are also the problems of an undigested meal, and gas or air build ups in the intestines. Those problems can make your waist measure bigger even though your weight is going down.
Take it slow and easy. I got too excited about my weight training. I hurt myself several times and had to wait to recover. Finally, I decided on a daily routine of just a few minutes. I felt better and didn’t get hurt. However, …
There is such a thing as Minimal Effective Dose. Although I was getting stronger, I wasn’t making a lot of progress. The first year I felt better and continued the same 5 minute per day program for another year. I was a tiny bit stronger. The third year I doubled the program to morning and night. I was a tiny bit stronger. This year I have doubled again to 10 minutes morning and night. I’m seeing better results with the tape measure this year. I haven’t tested strength yet.
Key is I feel better, and I didn’t feel bad before. That is one of the things I liked about chiropractic care. My father checked me when I was about 5. He said that I needed an adjustment. As soon as he adjusted me, my forehead relaxed like I had been frowning and didn’t know it. I remember that well. You can think you feel good and feel even better.
Whether or not your exercise and weight loss routine help ward off disease or extend your life, I hope you experience what I have - you feel even better!!
Thanks for reading. Please share if you think it might help someone.