Do I Really Need to Diet?

Many people today who are on diets are influenced by the media. The media is always cramming it into our heads that the thinner you are the better. All the T.V. and movie personalities, music stars or ‘who’s who’ are always concerned about their weight—you see it all the time in commercials, magazines and tabloids. But what does that translate to for the average person? How skinny is good?

What you need to do is take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror—and be truthful. Stand before a full length mirror in your underwear (don’t worry—no-one’s watching). What do you see? Honestly now! Do you see a little ‘pouch’ here or a bit of flab there? That does not necessarily mean that you need to lose weight. It could just mean that you might have to exercise a bit to firm up that little bit of flab. Or it may mean that you are being over-critical of yourself.

Be assured that not many people (even all those movie stars or ‘special’ people) have a perfect body. Everyone has areas about their body that displeases them or that they need to work on improving. So, before you decide to go on a rigid diet to try to get rid of those imperfect areas, think honestly that perhaps a little extra exercise in those particular areas may work even better that dieting would.

If you do decide, however, that you have more than ‘a little extra’ perhaps a diet would help.

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) there are three indicators that can tell you if you may need to lose weight or be at risk for certain diseases. They are your Body Mass Index (BMI) measurement, your waist circumference, and any risk factors you may have for diseases and conditions relating to obesity.

Your Waist Circumference:

To determine your waist circumference, place a measuring tape snugly around your waist just above your belly button. This measurement gives you a good indication of your abdominal fat, which increased your risk for developing heart or other diseases. If the measurement is over 35” in women, or 40” in men,
Determine your waist circumference by placing a measuring tape snugly around your waist. It is a good indicator of your abdominal fat which is another predictor of your risk for developing risk factors for heart disease and other diseases. This risk increases with a waist measurement of over 40” in men and over 35” in women. A Body Mass Index (BMI) of 20-25 is considered good, but a higher or lower BMI could increase your health risks.

Other Risk Factors that may indicate that you need to lose weight or be at risk for certain diseases are if you have any of the following:
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol)
• Low HDL ( the ‘good’ cholesterol)
• High triglycerides
• High blood glucose (or sugar)
If you have two or more risk factors listed above and the indicators according to the BMI and Waist Circumference Chart, then the NHLBI recommends weight loss. They suggest that even a small amount of weight loss (even 10% of your current weight) may help to lower your risk of diseases associated with obesity.

People who may be overweight have less than 2 risk factors listed above and do not have a high waist measurement may only need to prevent further weight gain to reduce their risk to diseases associated with obesity.

It is important to consult your doctor to determine your health risks. He will help you understand that people who are overweight or suffer from obesity have a greater chance of developing high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, Type II Diabetes, heart disease, stroke, or certain cancers.

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