Are you overweight or obese?

Our perceptions of overweight or obese are extremely skewed as Americans because we identify a “normal weight” with one that would actually be categorized as overweight. Often we don’t consider people overweight until they would actually be categorized as obese.
Perceptions asides, let’s discuss the standard for designation of body weight categories. An equation or chart is used to calculate a persons’ Body Mass Index or BMI. This is a measurement that uses your height and weight to determine if you are close to “normal” or “ideal” body weight. Though it is a valuable tool to identify the need for weight loss and even weight gain for the average person, it too has its faults as it does not take into account bone density or muscle mass. With that being said, body builders of the world, this is not a reliable indicator of your body weight category because muscle weighs more than fat.

Why do we care about our BMI’s? Healthcare professionals use your BMI to assess your risk for developing chronic diseases that are associated with excessive weight gain such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes - all in the top 10 leading causes of death within the United States.

Want to know your BMI? Use the “BMI for Adults Widget” on the side tool bar if you are 20 years of age or older. If you want to know the BMI of your child or teen follow this link: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/

Got Questions?

Got Questions? I got answers!

Please feel free to “COMMENT” to ask any of your burning nutrition questions.

Did you hear that artificial sweeteners cause cancer or that if an immediate family member has diabetes you will too?

Just ask and I will provide you with the most up-to-date evidenced based information possible!

Diet: the four letter word

Who hates the word diet? I know I do! What do you think of when you tell yourself that you have to go on a diet? I think it usually sounds something like: “you can’t have this, and you can’t eat that” or “I know I can’t eat anything that tastes good!” It makes perfect sense that people dread diets and cannot seem to stay on them. Therefore, for the purpose of this blog, diet is a four letter word much like the ones our mouths would be washed out with soap for saying. Synonyms for the word diet include: watch your weight, cut down, starve yourself, fast, reduce, etc. all nasty words none of us would ever want to do. I will instead refer to recommended eating habits or nutritious foods as meal plans.

If I sat down with you for an initial nutrition consultation and told you that you could not have chocolate or chips or whatever your food weakness is, what would you want? I know I would think about one food and one food only; the food I am not allowed to eat.

So instead of focusing on the foods we should not eat, let’s focus on all the delicious foods we should eat. We also need to tell ourselves that we are entitled to enjoy our food weakness, but in moderation.

Making small, achievable health and wellness goals are motivational; so let’s start off 2010 without the four letter words. Let’s work on meal plans that promote healthy lifestyle changes and behavior modifications to make it last a lifetime!

A Nutritious Beginning

Welcome to 2010 where the diet industry consisting of weight loss books, products and programs cost Americans more than 40 billion dollars each year. Why is this? Being overweight or obese is more than just vanity; it is about health. According to the Center for Disease Control and the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Disease, more than two-thirds of U.S. adults age 20 and older are overweight or obese with a body mass index (BMI) of greater than or equal to 25 totaling about 133.6 million people. Being overweight or obese can lead to significant health complications that can drain your wallet especially with the rising costs of healthcare. As a society we are not only supersizing ourselves but also our children and this needs to change.

What also needs to change is the business of diet drugs and quick fixes that have insignificant outcomes. I am here to help facilitate a change and create significant outcomes. I want to help each and every one of you become healthier by promoting a lifestyle change and behavior modification to a more healthful way of life. I will achieve this by providing you accurate, up-to-date information from evidence based research on nutrition, as well as health and wellness. So on with the blog…