How to Keep a Healthy Weight

There are many factors to consider if you want to know what is considered a normal weight for your height and age. When wondering how much weight is normal or healthy for a person, one of the things to think about is how much weight is fat and where is this fat stored in the body? It is also important to consider the medical problems that can exist if there is too much weight.

According to the book, "A Practical Guide to Everyday Health Decisions," having extra fat can increase the risk of developing non-insulin -dependent diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and triglycerides, and other health problems. In order to know if you are in the healthy weight range, ask a health expert for a weight chart that can help you to decide this factor.

Besides having extra fat, it is also important to know where the fat is located on the body. Studies show that fat stored above the waist which would be in the upper abdominal area, could lead to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

"A Practical Guide to Everyday Health Decisions" mentions a way to find the level of health risk your weight might be causing. The following is the formula: Your weight measurement divided by your hip measurement equals the risk ratio. For example, if a person's waist measurement is 38 inches and the hip is 42 inches, the risk ratio is 0.9. According to this guide, a ratio of more than 1.0 for men and more than 0.8 for women may mean a higher health risk.

There are several reasons for a person to be overweight. This can be environment, genetics, physical inactivity, and eating too many calories and fats. Fad diets is not the answer to losing weight. Yes, it's true, many people have lost weight through popular diets, but unfortunately, the weight is not kept off for any length of time.

Some of these diets can be very risky. Very low calorie diets or diets that restrict certain foods can be dangerous and should never be used without medical advice.

In order to lose weight, an individual must control the amount of calories that he/she takes in. Although a person may eat only the foods that are nutritious, it must be kept in mind that even nutritious foods can add weight if too many calories are involved in one's diet.

It is stated in "A Practical Guide to Everyday Health Decisions," in order to lose weight, you need to burn an extra 3,500 calories for each pound you would like to lose; this is the approximate number of calories in one pound of body fat. In order to lose one pound in a week, you need 500 fewer calories per day than the calories needed to maintain your weight, The important thing to remember is that all intake of calories should be healthy ones. After you have reached your desired weight, continue to keep your diet low in fats. You can cheat one in awhile, but if you keep the fats away, you will be able to maintain your new desired weight.

Source: A Practical Guide to Everyday Health Decisions