GUIDELINES FOR WEIGHT LOSS

There are wide ranging guidelines for weight loss. These include surgery, voluntary weight loss programs based on judging your weight first for your age and height, that would lead to reduction of certain items of consumption in your food, changes in food intake, and also indulging in more physical activity.  Before embarking on these steps, your health provider must be consulted. This is not something that one can just take it from the help yourself books, unless they are recommended by the treating physician.

First of all, determine what your Body Mass Index is. This is a tool developed by medical researchers who are still trying to find better methods of judging accurate weights for different individuals, by using different indices. So far, Body Mass Index (BMI) is presently being used extensively. You might find those slot machines just in your shopping complex which give a comparative figure. But don’t take it literally. Take it, and if indicated, show it to your doctor who will then check you out. Don’t jump to conclusions. Take the right advice from the right person.

This will help you to find out whether for your height and weight, the BMI shows whether you are within the limits for your personality, or whether it is lower, or whether it is higher.

If you are within the limits, congratulations are in order! Maintain yourself and continue to check from time to time about your weight maintenance. If you are lower in the BMI index, it means you have to increase your calorific intake or supplements in diet or medication that must be prescribed by your medical advisor.

If you are above the BMI index level for your height, well, you have to check and see whether you are ‘just fat’ or obese. An indication of BMI over 35 indicates obesity.

In the cases of those above the BMI index, well, you have to reduce your weight and bring it in line with your age and height. It is not impossible, but you have to prepare yourself. Maybe you have a sedentary life style or you may be genetically predisposed to it. A visit to your physician is indicated.

You have to lose weight. You will find it difficult at first. It becomes easier when you are mentally prepared. You have to adjust your food intake, calorific intake, and critically, you have to try and avoid certain foods of your liking. You must also start physical activity to burn up those calories that are locked up inside your ‘fat’ substances. The calories, when not used by physical activity, are stored by your body as fat.  You can trying walking, aerobic exercises, walking up and down staircases, try yoga if you like, go for a jog, or even dance. It has to be regular and continued. You can’t afford to stop. By no means is it suggested that you should do it this way or the other. The advice is simple.