Obesity and first steps toward losing weight
We’ve all heard the numbers: more than two out of three U.S. adults are overweight or obese (68%) and one out of three is obese (39.6%); 18.5% of children and adolescents are obese, with another 16% who are overweight, and youth are becoming overweight and obese at earlier ages[i]. And as time passes, these numbers are worsening, not improving.
This article is not about quick fixes, easy solutions or formulas for losing weight. Rather, we focus on some important things to think about before you decide to lose weight that can help shape your success.
How do you know if you are overweight or obese?
The standard for determining if you have a healthy weight is still BMI, body mass index. While not a perfect measure (e.g. it can mistakenly classify elite athletes with very low bodyfat as being overweight), for most people it is a good general indicator of whether you have a problem. In general, a BMI of 25-30 means you are overweight, over 30 means you are obese.
In real terms, a woman of 5’4” who weighs between 145 and 169 lbs would be considered overweight. If she is over 174 lbs, she is obese.
A man of 5’10” weighing between 174 and 202lbs is overweight, and if he weighs more than 209 lbs., he would be considered obese.
Excess weight alone matters, but where it is distributed on your body is also important. Body fat concentrated in the abdominal area, or “visceral fat”, is viewed as more dangerous[ii] since it can be close to vital organs such as the liver, pancreas and intestines. Women who have a waist circumference of more than 35” have something to worry about, for men it’s 40”.
Is obesity a problem for your health?
There is a correlation between obesity and many chronic health conditions, but how might you know if being overweight or obese is a problem for you?
Obesity is usually accompanied by one or more of: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke risk, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, gout, some cancers, and clinical depression and anxiety.
Even if you suffer from few or none of these conditions right now, the thing that matters is risk. The longer you wait till losing the weight the greater your risk, especially if any of these conditions runs in your family.
Why lose weight?
Getting clarity on why you want to lose weight might be the most important contributor to success. Looking more attractive or getting into that wedding dress (etc.) matter, but by far the most powerful motivation to lose weight lies with wanting to improve your health now and/or lower your risk of future health problems.
In my experience coaching clients who need to lose weight, those who have been the most successful are the ones who committed to weight loss primarily because they wanted to be healthy.
These same clients also saw health benefits that they didn’t anticipate, for example more energy, less overall body pain, better sleep, less constipation and other digestive problems, healthier skin, and many other improvements not necessarily associated with specific medical conditions.
How to approach losing weight
Other than better understanding your reasons for wanting to lose weight, here are some other considerations.
For many years, it was thought that losing weight was a simple equation that involved making sure that calories expended through exercise were greater than caloric input. This is the reason for the classic new year’s resolution: “I’ve decided to lose weight, so I joined a gym”.
But in recent years, this assumption has been turned on its head. Turns out that exercise is significantly less important than modifying nutritional intake when it comes to losing weight. It also turns out that after reaching your target weight, the most effective way to maintain your weight is regular exercise.
This is not an either/or, it’s a matter of relative importance. For losing weight, the focus needs to be on changing what you eat; for weight maintenance, exercise matters more[iii].
Another factor to consider is how fast to lose weight. Rapid weight loss might be tempting since it renders instant rewards. But quick weight loss can be unhealthy and difficult to maintain afterward.
A more reasonable and sustainable approach is a slower pace, averaging at perhaps 1 to 2 lbs a week. This can drag things out, but it’s more sustainable in the longrun.
Finally, and this can be the most challenging of all, it is important to view weight loss as a gradual and permanent shift in eating habits, not a diet. The problem with diet mentality is that it’s by definition temporary and therefore difficult to sustain. And it’s also almost always followed by an expectation of returning to “normal”, which is probably what resulted in the weight gain in the first place and leads to the “yo-yo effect”. (For more on the yo-yo effect, see “4 Reasons Why You Can’t Keep the Weight Off”).
Losing weight can be challenging, but thinking through some necessary initial steps before you even start can help launch you solidly in the right direction and improve your chances of being successful.
If you would like to learn more about how I work with clients who need to lose weight, call me for a free 15-minute consultation or book one through the online scheduler to learn more about Metabolic Balance®, the personalized weight management program I am certified to coach.
[i] Food Action Research Center: https://frac.org/obesity-health/obesity-u-s-2
[ii] Pischon, T et al (2008) “General and Abdominal Adiposity and Risk of Death in Europe” New England Journal of Medicine 359:2105-2120: https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/nejmoa0801891
[iii]Belluz, J J Zarracina “Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight, explained with 60+ studies” Vox October 31, 2017: https://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories