Monday, November 1, 2010

Weight Management Simplified

The words “Weight Management” can mean different things to different people. For people who are underweight, it would mean increasing their weight to that which would be ideal for their height and age.
For those who are overweight or obese, it would mean bringing their weight down to a healthy level. For others who are at a healthy weight, it would mean weight maintenance.
How does weight gain, weight loss or weight maintenance happen? Simply put, here’s what happens:
Weight gain: when calories eaten > (more than) calories burnt,
Weight loss: when calories eaten < (less than) calories burnt,
Weight maintenance: when calories eaten = calories burnt.
To find out which group you fall into, you would need to follow 3 simple steps:
Step 1: Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI). You can calculate it manually by using the formula BMI= weight in kg / height in meters2.
Step 2: Check if your BMI falls within the Normal range (BMI=19-22), Underweight (BMI≤ 18.5), Overweight (BMI=23-25), or Obese (BMI=26 and above). (Note: The BMI for Indians/South Asians is different from the western population).. For more information on this,please check my earlier post here:New BMI Guidelines for Indians/South Asians
Step 3: Get yourself (and your family) on the path to good health by following a healthy diet and by exercising regularly.
A qualified dietitian will be able to help you with a personalized diet plan that will keep your needs and also the needs of your body in mind.

4 comments:

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

The formula is simple, following it is soooooo difficult...
I didnt know about the ones for the different ones for Indians! That was really important information!

Paradisiac Megane said...

I agree, so easy to say, so hard to do, but it's necessary! Trying so hard. http://beast-ro.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Great post! I’m looking to make some changes in my own eating habits, so I appreciate your insight a lot! Thank you. I recently stumbled upon this blog like I did yours and I thought your readers may appreciate it: http://burisonthecouch.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/food-for-thought/

I’ve started to look for their stuff more regularly and I think I’m going to add your blog to my list as well. Thanks for the post!

-Amy

Gina; The Candid RD said...

I've been trying to explain this concept for years! hehe, people don't understand it's a simple math equation (although in reality, it's not 100% perfect). In order for me to gain my ten pounds I had to consume about 1000 calories over those burned, for over a month! It was very difficult. It's definitely easier for some than others to maintain weight, but overall, it IS a matter of matching calories in with calories out, and making those calories healthy ones!