When thinking about “healthy living” our weight is commonly one of the 1st things that comes to mind. Beyond the effects our weight has on our appearance (and self-confidence in some instances), we know that obesity is linked to high rates of many diseases including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
But how do you know what’s a healthy weight for you? In the medical world, body mass index (BMI) is a common way to determine your ideal weight based on your sex and height. BMI is often preferred over other calculations because it is strongly correlated with various metabolic conditions and diseases. A BMI of 18.5-24.9 indicates a normal weight, 25.0-29.9 indicates being overweight, and a BMI>30.0 indicates obesity. You can calculate your BMI here: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html.
After calculating your body mass index, you may have learned that you are considered overweight or obese. So what next? First and foremost, remember that your weight does not define you. You are so much more than a number on a scale. But if you’re inspired to lose some weight, you’ll want to focus on your eating habits to make the greatest impact. We all know that when thinking about our weight, the 2 major components are our diet and exercise. But what you may not know is that when trying to lose weight, our diet actually accounts for about 80% of our results (or lack thereof). Regular exercise is still beneficial, but our efforts won’t account for much if we don’t get our eating habits under control first.
Make smart food choices
Your body needs to get enough vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Making healthy food choices means getting plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. For sources of protein, seafood, lean meats/poultry, eggs, beans, peas, seeds, and nuts are optimal choices.
- Cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added sugars
- Trans fats, which may be in foods like cakes, cookies, stick margarines, and fried foods
- Saturated fats, which come from animal products like cheese, fatty meats, whole milk, and butter
- Foods made with refined grains, like white bread, noodles, white rice, and flour tortillas
Read the Nutrition Facts label
Understanding the nutrition facts label on food packages can help you make healthy choices.
- Look at the serving size and the number of servings per package.
- Pay attention to the number of calories per serving size. Calories are the amount of energy food provides when eaten and digested. Calories that we don’t burn through our daily activities are stored as fat.
- Check out the percent Daily Value column. Look for lower percentages (5% or less) of fats, cholesterol, and sodium.
- Generally you do not want to exceed 1500mg of sodium per day.
- Look for foods that have 20% or more of fiber, calcium, potassium, and vitamin D.
Keep a food diary.
Knowing what you eat now will help you figure out what you want to change. Write down:
- When you eat
- What and how much you eat
- Where you are and who you are with when you eat
- How you are feeling when you eat
If you desire to lose some weight, I encourage you to revisit our SMART goals post to help you develop realistic and attainable goals. If anyone has any other tips they have found beneficial on their weight loss journeys, please share them in the comments section.