Malton A. Schexneider asked:


It doesn’t matter what you weigh. Height and weight charts are meaningless. What really matters is the composition of your body – how much of your body is muscle and how much is fat. An understanding of body composition is one of the ways you’ll escape the gravitational pull of the diet mentality. Body composition is a much more sophisticated way to see your body. Forget the scales and the height and weight charts. Concentrate on body composition.

Body composition testing measures how lean your body is. Remember, getting lean means to enhance your lean body mass – your muscles, your bones, your organs and the fluids of your body. Body composition is the only accurate way to measure how lean you are.

We have a real challenge in this country. We live in the fattest nation on earth. The average American male is 26% body fat. The average American female is 36% body fat. Let’s put that in perspective. If this average male with 26% body fat weighs 200 pounds, it means he’s carrying around 52 pounds of fat. Fat is dead weight. Every pound of fat adds 7 miles to your circulatory system. Your body stores your toxins in your fat cells. The more fat you have on your body, the more toxic your body is.

Example. A person who is 50 pounds over his or her ideal body weight has a risk of cancer that is 18 times higher than the average. According to cutting edge research performed at Tufts University Medical School, the best single indicator of whether you’re aging successfully is your body fat percentage. The leaner you are, the more successfully you age. You can’t be too lean.

According to exercise physiology research what should your body composition be? Men should be 15% body fat or less regardless of age. Women should be 22% body fat or less regardless of age.

Fifteen percent body fat for men and 22% body fat for women will put you into good to very good health. What if you want excellent health? What if you want to be as healthy as you could possibly be? For male athletes or men who want excellent health, the range is 6 to 12% – regardless of age. For women it’s 12 to 18%.

How do you measure body composition? There are various methods. Hydrostatic weighing is the gold standard of body composition testing. It’s the most accurate, but not very practical. Skin fold calipers are nearly as accurate, a lot more practical, and a lot more comfortable for you.

Fat is stored in 3 different areas of our body. Subcutaneously – which is between the skin and the muscle. Intramuscularly – which is within the muscle (otherwise known as marbeling in steak). And, between your organs.

To obtain your body composition, it will be necessary to measure the thickness of your skin fold in 7 different locations on your body using a skin fold caliper. It will very accurately measure the thickness of your skin fold in millimeters. These numbers will be entered into a very complex mathematical formula that has been developed by exercise physiology research.

What will you learn? You’ll learn your body fat percentage which is a relationship between the amount of fat you have compared with your lean body mass. You’ll learn how many pounds of your total body weight are fat. And how many pounds are lean body mass. And you’ll learn your true ideal body weight. How is that calculated? The computer will take your lean body mass (your fat free weight) and add to that the optimal amount of body fat 15% if you’re a guy. 22% if you’re a gal. Now you have your true ideal body weight based on your body and not some height and weight chart.

Remember, you won’t always lose weight every week. But this is where the measurements really help. If you don’t lose weight, but your measurements get smaller, you’ve gotten leaner. Research reported on ABC-TV NEWS showed that adding just 5 pounds of muscle and maintaining it for one year automatically burns 91,250 calories! And burning 91,000 calories translates to losing as much as 26 pounds!

Remember, if you gain one pound of muscle and lose one pound of fat, your weight hasn’t changed, but you’re leaner.



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Alan Chai asked:




 

There are common elements to many of the best weight loss programs so that you can pick and choose the ones that work best for you.  You may incorporate one or more of these changes into your lifestyle to ensure that you are beginning and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Better health usually means a happier outlook on life and a longer lifespan in which to enjoy your good health. Planning your program, adding better eating habits and incorporating such components as exercise, meditation, support groups and others helps keep you on the route to your ideal weight.

 

Plan your program

 

Planning how you will start and maintain your best weight loss program is the key element in whether or not your dietary efforts succeed. You should take the time to educate yourself about good nutrition, weight loss practices to practice and those that should be avoided as well as what your ideal weight should be.  Decide on such factors as which weight loss plan you expect to work well for you and when you will begin the process of reaching your ideal weight. If you don’t have the answers for your diet questions, find a friend or mentor who is willing to work with you to help you meet your goals.

 

Maintain Good Nutrition

 

Regardless of the type of weight reduction efforts that you select, your best weight loss program will ensure that you establish and maintain good nutrition throughout.  Eating proper portion sizes and foods is the basis on many of the most successful and popular dietary program. Not only will good nutrition allow you to lose unwanted pounds, but you will have the added benefits of good health and longevity. Consider the nutritional soundness of the diet you choose for best success and you will see the positive reward of a slimmer and healthier you.

 

Make Small Changes

 

For most successful and best weight loss techniques, you are well advised to make only one change at a time.  Allow the change to be practiced long enough to seem natural and normal and then go on to another change.  Don’t try to make all the changes that are part of your weight loss plan at the same time.  You may end up getting discouraged and give up before any of the changes have had time to become the normal pattern of your life.

 

Lifestyle Revisions

 

In order for your best weight loss program to last, you will need to make changes in your lifestyle.  Plan ahead and realize that most diets consist of a jumpstart phase, a steady loss phase and a maintenance phase.  Since your weight loss plan should always consist of components such as nutrition, exercise and retraining yourself image, you can determine in advance the type of person you want to be during maintenance phase and work toward incorporating those changes into your life to get to the desired point. You will feel better and have more energy so you may find yourself taking part in activities never before attempted once you reach maintenance phase.

  



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Ideal Body Weight Tips

meeinter asked:


There seems to be a huge gap between what women think their ideal body weight is as apposed to what the number is according to a doctor. When you look at your height and your build, the number of pounds that are healthy for you is probably a higher number than you are shooting for if you are dieting. I know that the weight I seem to think is what I want is indeed lower than what my doctor is telling me. There is a difference between how you think you want to look in clothing and what is healthy for the maintenance of good health and longevity.

There are many charts online that can give you an idea of what your ideal body weight might be. You have to put in your height and your age, and possibly a few more details. I am five foot eight inches, and the chart tells me that my ideal body weight is around 150 pounds, but I often think that I need to be somewhere between 130 and 140 pounds to feel good about my body. However, I do realize that as long as I am healthy that I am doing the right thing, and if that last ten or so pounds are not a problem for my doctor then perhaps I shouldn’t stress about it too much.

When you ideal body weight and your vision of your body don’t match, you have to think about why that is. I don’t mean when you think you want to be a few pounds lower than your ideal body weight, I mean when you are trying to be thirty or more pounds lower. This is not healthy for you, and you have to come to grips with the body you have. If you don’t, you may end up with an eating disorder. You may want to take some time to talk to your doctor or a nutritionist to see what is going on with you, and what you can do to be healthier rather than thinner.

Remember that you ideal body weight has more to do with health then anything else. This means that the weight that is ideal for you is one that is good for your heart and your long term health. This has nothing to do with how you will look in a swimming suit, but the closer you are to this ideal body weight you are, the better you are going to look. You may not think it’s perfect, but it is important to know that your ideal weight will help ensure you are around to watch your children and your grandchildren grow up.



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Why Eat a Vegetarian Diet?

Leo D Pierson, Jr. asked:


diets don’t work, but a lifestyle switch to a vegetarian diet does, If the lactovegetarian and the ovo-lactovegetarian diets are planned well, they will contain all the vitamins and minerals the body needs for good health. Vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in the vegan diet are vitamin B-12, vitamin D, riboflavin, calcium, zinc, and iron.

Given these carefully defined parameters, the phrase “Traditional Vegetarian Diet” is used here to represent the healthy traditional ovo-lacto vegetarian diets of these regions and peoples. A total vegetarian diet, also called a vegan (vee’ gun) diet, excludes all animal products. You maybe interested to find out that there are several types of vegetarians, and each type of vegetarian diet differ slightly.

Which type of vegetarian are you? There are many reasons why children or families may follow a vegetarian diet. Younger vegetarians are usually part of a family that eats vegetarian meals for health or other reasons. A well-balanced and carefully planned vegetarian diet can be beneficial to children, but parents must be sure to choose foods wisely. Less restrictive forms include the lacto-ovo vegatarian diet (includes dairy products and eggs) and the lacto-vegetarian diet (includes dairy products). Interestingly, many people who claim to be “vegetarian” do not fit into any of the categories above. Third world studies have also confirmed that children grow normally on vegetarian diets.

The Vegetarian Diet Plan focuses on eating healthy fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and a small amount of fat, while reducing animal products in the diet substantially. Ovo-lacto vegetarians continue to eat eggs and milk products, while lacto vegetarians only milk products in addition to their vegetarian food. A vegetarian diet is often low in fat. It is lower in fat if low-fat milk products are used, and if it does not have too many nuts and seeds. So review the many reasons to adopt a vegetarian diet, including environmental and resource implications of the standard American diet. Today, with the increased focus on decreasing fat and possibly calories in the diet, there is an increased interest in vegetarian diets. Besides nutrition, current reasons for adhering to vegetarianism may be religion, health, ethics, ecology or economics. Mostly vegetarian – This is a good beginning for those who wish to switch gradually to an all vegetarian diet.

Usually, one starts by removing all red meats from their diet. People who follow vegetarian diets can get all the nutrients they need. However, they must be careful to eat a wide variety of foods to meet their nutritional needs. Because a vegetarian diet is lower in saturated fats, the statistics for cholesterol show that after just two weeks on a vegetarian diet, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total/HDL cholesterol may decrease as much as 33%. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Some research indicates that a vegetarian diet makes your body more responsive to insulin ? In fact, in a 2006 study published in the journal Diabetes Care, 43 percent of people with type 2 diabetes who ate a low-fat vegan diet reduced their need for diabetes medications. Today, with the increased focus on decreasing fat and possibly calories in the diet, there is an increased interest in vegetarian diets. Besides nutrition, current reasons for adhering to vegetarianism may be religion, health, ethics, ecology or economics. Many adults choose vegetarian diets, each for their own reasons. Some cite animal rights while others believe that avoiding meat consumption is the healthiest way to eat.

Whatever their reasons, some vegetarians express concerns about the healthfulness of a vegetarian diet for babies and children, wondering if it can provide growing kids with all that they need for healthy development. Colorectal cancer was positively associated with old age and male gender, and inversely associated with vegetarian diet, low BMI and economic deprivation. Today, with the increased focus on decreasing fat and possibly calories in the diet, there is an increased interest in vegetarian diets. Besides nutrition, current reasons for adhering to vegetarianism may be religion, health, ethics, ecology or economics. Mostly vegetarian – This is a good beginning for those who wish to switch gradually to an all vegetarian diet. Usually, one starts by removing all red meats from their diet.

A vegetarian diet includes grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Lactovegetarians consume dairy products, and ovolactovegetarians consume eggs as well. This is a balanced vegetarian diet plan that you can follow for LIFE. It provides a choice of easy breakfasts, lunches, easy main meals and desserts – plus snacks. A vegan diet is the strictest of all vegetarian diets. Vegans eat no animal meat and no foods that come from animals, such as dairy products and eggs. The vegetarian diet centers on traditional, staple foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds-foods that have always sustained world cultures throughout history. The plant-based diet, at first thought, may seem rather limiting. People who eat vegetarian diets are at lower risk for many conditions, including heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, gallstones, and kidney stones. A vegan diet contains no cholesterol, because cholesterol is found only in animal products.

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diet

The vast majority of people start dieting in order to lose weight. Losing weight can be accomplished in a number of ways. A diet is simply a specific method for accomplishing that task.

When one decides that they need to lose weight, the first thing that must be considered is the reason for wanting to lose weight. Is the weight loss going to be directed at a way to gain better health or is it more of a vanity reason? The reason for dieting is as important as the method used to lose the weight.

If attaining a more healthy lifestyle and striving for better health is the reason, it should not be of any concern how long the dieting takes to achieve the weight loss goal, if in fact there is a goal. If good health is the main objective, length of time should not be an issue because the diet should simply be a part of a life-style change in which the dieting change would be a long-term part of the life-style anyway.

If, on the other hand, vanity is the reason and the dieting person is hell bent on losing a significant amount of weight in a short period of time in order to fit into an object of clothing or simply to look great at the class reunion in a month, the method chosen for dieting will be completely different and, most likely, quite unhealthy.

Long term lifestyle type diets are usually of the type that occur in small increments of weight loss and continue as exercise is slowly increased and more healthy food, in smaller portions is consumed. These are usually quite simple diets that don’t cause a significant amount of suffering as long as the dieting person is committed to the long-term goals.

The vanity type diet is usually a quick but very self-denying diet in which the dieting person eats very little or eats foods that do not tempt the pallet as far as taste or attractiveness go. Often, very large amounts of water are incorporated into these diets and most people do not drink enough water to begin with. When they are confronted with the need to increase their water intake significantly, they hesitate or they are not very compliant. Water, when one is not thirsty, simply does not taste very good.

The vanity diet also usually requires a substantial increase in activity in the form of exercise and most people have a strong aversion to that form of activity.

There are also diets that are not in either the lifestyle change nor the vanity dieting lists but are really a forced lifestyle change that is completely necessary for the dieting person to continue to live. Once such diet is the diabetic diet. If one ignores their diabetes and continues to eat large amounts of carbohydrates, as most Americans do, they will eventually suffer serious health deterioration. So, the necessary-for-life diets are not the ones we are really concerned with in this article.

There are a number of different diets available for each of the non-necessity diets. The basic lifestyle change diet has already been described though some of the latter day fad diets are also appropriate for long-term dieting if the person doing the dieting is indeed dedicated to the lifestyle change. Some specific fad diets that would work for this person are the Atkins or low-carb diet, The Zone diet or the South Beach diet.

The extreme vanity diet person can also use the low carb diet for fast weight loss or they can try starvation or if they really want to lose weight fast and suffer a bit more but at least retain some type of decent health, they can attempt the Lemonade Diet.

The lemonade diet is highly effective but is more a fast than a diet and a special mixture of water, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and syrup are required. One must be highly dedicated to losing weight for this diet to work as no food is allowed for a period of at least ten days and the Lemonade dieter will feel worse before they feel like a million dollars. The diet is extremely effective for losing ten pounds or more in ten days though. The added benefit of this diet is that it does a thorough job of cleaning the colon.

Each one of the above mentioned diets should be highly suspect and not just accepted for it’s reputation or the current fad. One who is considering dieting should, at the very least, buy the book that is written about the diet in order to learn how the diet works with the body and effects the different body systems. Each of the authors has a lot of information included in their book about these concerns.

The main point of this article is to point out to anyone who is considering dieting that they should be very careful and choose a diet that meets their goals and health concerns. Don’t blindly go into any diet without knowing how it’s supposed to effect you, what you’re supposed to eat while on the diet, how much weight you are expected to lose in a specific period of time and what are the benefits and health concerns that attach to that diet.

In fact, it is a very good idea to discuss any diet plans with your health care professional prior to starting or even considering one of the above diets.

  
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