Though one of the most popular tools used today to determine whether someone is at a healthy weight or not is the BMI, body fat and lean muscle tissue don't figure into the equation. This has led many experts to discount BMI as an archaic measurement that isn't accurate for many people. What is BMI, and why is it a good measure for some, maybe, and completely wrong for others?
BMI, or body mass index, was created in the early 1800s by Adolphe Quetelet. Because of that, it's sometimes called the Quetelet index. It's nothing more than a way of comparing a person's weight to his or her height, and determining if his or her weight falls into a healthy and normal range. The BMI is still used today pretty much as it was when Quetelet invented it.
The formula for figuring BMI (body fat, bone and frame size, muscle and body type aren't included in that) is this: Take your height in meters squared (your height times itself) and divide your weight in kilograms by that number. For example, if I'm 5 feet tall, that's about 1.5 meters. To square that number, take 1.5 times 1.5. The result of that is 2.5. So if I weigh 120 pounds, that's about 54.5 kilograms. Divide 54.5 by 2.5 and I get 21.8 as my BMI. The normal weight range is from 18.5 to 24.9, so 21.8 is classified as a normal weight. Underweight is considered 18.5 and below, while overweight people will calculate a BMI of 25 to 29.9. A BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity.
BMI, body fat and general health can all be used as signs of how fit a person is. But where general health is pretty self-explanatory and the percentage of body fat clearly shows whether a person gets enough exercise or not, BMI is a bit trickier.
People with a lot of muscle don't show accurate BMI readings. Because muscle weighs so much heaver than fat but takes up less space, a relatively small statured person can carry a lot of muscle weight without looking huge. BMI doesn't take that into account. Football players, professional wrestlers, bodybuilders, and virtually any athlete who has a lot of muscle is going to measure as overweight and even obese according to the BMI. So it's not accurate for them. Is it accurate for everyone else?
The answer to that is yes, and no. It depends on you. The BMI typically doesn't show an accurate result for children. And extremely tall or large-framed people will show overweight or obese classifications more easily because of the extra weight from their bones and muscles. So for very short, tall or muscular people, the BMI appears to not be a good tool.
There's also no distinguishing between men and women in the BMI. Body fat is more natural for women who are supposed to have more than men, so some sort of distinction in the measurement of the sexes would help the BMI's accuracy.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tips For You On A Diet For Lowering High Cholesterol And Losing Weight
If you have high cholesterol it is important to get yourself on a diet for lowering cholesterol and losing weight. Many Americans worry about their cholesterol levels, especially those who are over weight. In most cases the first step in resolving your high cholesterol and shedding those extra pounds; is changing your diet. You will discover some pretty convincing evidence, in this article, which will convince you, to improve your health by losing weight and lowering your cholesterol.
A recent study completed by The School of Medicine at Stanford University showed that with both diet and exercise, you can significantly reduce your cholesterol and get rid of the extra weight. The study was done with over 300 men and women with high cholesterol. In order to control the groups the first group was put on a low fat diet. Then the second was put on the same diet with an exercise program.
After a year the group with both diet and exercise had lower cholesterol. The group that didn’t incorporate exercise didn’t have a loss as significant as the first group.
Eating a low cholesterol diet has shown to lower cholesterol by 8% to 20%. There are a few low cholesterol diets that have proven to work well. These diets include; the Dash Diet, The South Beach Diet, The Ultra Metabolism Diet, and The Weight Watchers Diet. Every one of these diets has online programs or books to guide you through the diet with menu plans and instructions.
As an addition to your low cholesterol diet you should make sure to eat plenty of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is used to fix natural cracks and fractures in your arteries. If you don’t get enough Vitamin C your body will substitute it with cholesterol. If you make sure to get enough of the vitamin as part of your low cholesterol diet, your liver will not be forced to produce excess cholesterol.
In another study done, with sixty heart bypass surgery patients, it was shown that eating grapefruit everyday lowers your cholesterol. The study had the patients divided into three groups. One group was given red grapefruit. One group was given white grapefruit.
However the last group was not given any grapefruit and had no diet restrictions. The study showed that the groups that ate grapefruit regularly as part of a low cholesterol diet showed a significant drop in cholesterol. Whereas the group without restrictions, which didn’t eat any grapefruit, didn’t show any drop in cholesterol.
Additional studies have shown that women that have eaten five to six smaller meals had lower cholesterol and better weight control; than those that ate fewer larger meals. If you eat many small meals with a low cholesterol diet and fewer calories you will be able to lower your cholesterol by about 5% and drop your weight.
There is no question, having high cholesterol and being over weight, is very dangerous to your health. However, if you suffer from being over weight and high cholesterol there are some simple things you can do to lower both your weight and high cholesterol level.
As the above information indicated it doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply get yourself on a diet for lowering high cholesterol, combine it with a good exercise program and you are on your way to better health.
A recent study completed by The School of Medicine at Stanford University showed that with both diet and exercise, you can significantly reduce your cholesterol and get rid of the extra weight. The study was done with over 300 men and women with high cholesterol. In order to control the groups the first group was put on a low fat diet. Then the second was put on the same diet with an exercise program.
After a year the group with both diet and exercise had lower cholesterol. The group that didn’t incorporate exercise didn’t have a loss as significant as the first group.
Eating a low cholesterol diet has shown to lower cholesterol by 8% to 20%. There are a few low cholesterol diets that have proven to work well. These diets include; the Dash Diet, The South Beach Diet, The Ultra Metabolism Diet, and The Weight Watchers Diet. Every one of these diets has online programs or books to guide you through the diet with menu plans and instructions.
As an addition to your low cholesterol diet you should make sure to eat plenty of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is used to fix natural cracks and fractures in your arteries. If you don’t get enough Vitamin C your body will substitute it with cholesterol. If you make sure to get enough of the vitamin as part of your low cholesterol diet, your liver will not be forced to produce excess cholesterol.
In another study done, with sixty heart bypass surgery patients, it was shown that eating grapefruit everyday lowers your cholesterol. The study had the patients divided into three groups. One group was given red grapefruit. One group was given white grapefruit.
However the last group was not given any grapefruit and had no diet restrictions. The study showed that the groups that ate grapefruit regularly as part of a low cholesterol diet showed a significant drop in cholesterol. Whereas the group without restrictions, which didn’t eat any grapefruit, didn’t show any drop in cholesterol.
Additional studies have shown that women that have eaten five to six smaller meals had lower cholesterol and better weight control; than those that ate fewer larger meals. If you eat many small meals with a low cholesterol diet and fewer calories you will be able to lower your cholesterol by about 5% and drop your weight.
There is no question, having high cholesterol and being over weight, is very dangerous to your health. However, if you suffer from being over weight and high cholesterol there are some simple things you can do to lower both your weight and high cholesterol level.
As the above information indicated it doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply get yourself on a diet for lowering high cholesterol, combine it with a good exercise program and you are on your way to better health.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Burn Excess Fat Green Tea Weight Loss
With the boom of herbal products in the last decade or so, one of the most popular products has been green tea – but did you know you could use green tea for weight loss? There’s been a lot of talk about reasons to use green tea to help improve your health, but a lesser-known fact is that is that green tea can help you burn calories, as well. Before you decide to stop your diet and quit exercising, you must realize that green tea is merely an aid for weight loss.
Green tea is a weight loss aid, but it’s merely meant to help you shed pounds – it’s not going to do all the work for you. So how can green tea help you lose weight? It’s pretty simple, really: green tea contains caffeine. As a stimulant, caffeine naturally helps you burn extra calories. The thing is, most drinks that contain caffeine are full of calories of their own, too.
Coffee, soda, and energy drinks are never going to help you lose weight, because they’re filling your body up with fat and calories along with the caffeine content. Again, it’s key to remember that green tea is just a little boost, in the neighborhood of an extra 70 to 80 calories burned per day. That number much is less than the amount of calories in a single serving of soda or coffee.
One thing that gives green tea weight loss an advantage is the compound called epigallocatechin gallate, commonly known as ECCG. The ECCG in green tea increases the effectiveness of the caffeine, leading to a greater amount of calories burned. Along with the fewer calories contained in a serving of green tea, this means the caffeine in green tea can help you lose weight where it would not if you got it from soda or coffee.
It can’t be stressed enough that green tea is just a small ally in the war against fat. If you were to lose 80 extra calories per day, that only adds up to about 8 pounds lost in a year, assuming you made no other dietary or exercise changes. If you want to shed pounds quickly, green tea can help, but it’s not the answer.
The good news is drinking green tea does more than just help you lose weight. As an antioxidant, green tea provides a number of benefits to your cardiovascular health – this means green tea can help reduce the risk of heart problems. Green tea can also help improve your metabolism and control your cholesterol level, and some claim that it can help your mental focus, as well.
Replacing your daily coffee intake with green tea can be a great way to help lose weight and improve general health. You’re replacing all the calories and chemicals found in coffee with pure herbal tea. This change can help make you feel healthier in months, and experience the effects of green tea weight loss at the same time.
Green tea is a weight loss aid, but it’s merely meant to help you shed pounds – it’s not going to do all the work for you. So how can green tea help you lose weight? It’s pretty simple, really: green tea contains caffeine. As a stimulant, caffeine naturally helps you burn extra calories. The thing is, most drinks that contain caffeine are full of calories of their own, too.
Coffee, soda, and energy drinks are never going to help you lose weight, because they’re filling your body up with fat and calories along with the caffeine content. Again, it’s key to remember that green tea is just a little boost, in the neighborhood of an extra 70 to 80 calories burned per day. That number much is less than the amount of calories in a single serving of soda or coffee.
One thing that gives green tea weight loss an advantage is the compound called epigallocatechin gallate, commonly known as ECCG. The ECCG in green tea increases the effectiveness of the caffeine, leading to a greater amount of calories burned. Along with the fewer calories contained in a serving of green tea, this means the caffeine in green tea can help you lose weight where it would not if you got it from soda or coffee.
It can’t be stressed enough that green tea is just a small ally in the war against fat. If you were to lose 80 extra calories per day, that only adds up to about 8 pounds lost in a year, assuming you made no other dietary or exercise changes. If you want to shed pounds quickly, green tea can help, but it’s not the answer.
The good news is drinking green tea does more than just help you lose weight. As an antioxidant, green tea provides a number of benefits to your cardiovascular health – this means green tea can help reduce the risk of heart problems. Green tea can also help improve your metabolism and control your cholesterol level, and some claim that it can help your mental focus, as well.
Replacing your daily coffee intake with green tea can be a great way to help lose weight and improve general health. You’re replacing all the calories and chemicals found in coffee with pure herbal tea. This change can help make you feel healthier in months, and experience the effects of green tea weight loss at the same time.
Rapid Weight Loss Can Be Yours!
If rapid weight loss is what you have in mind, then the important thing is to be safe about it, as opposed to foolish. Always bear in mind that you do not want your health to suffer for the sake of losing a few pounds.
With that said, rapid weight loss is something that can be accomplished. Do not beat yourself up if you have some weight to lose however. Are you aware that your rate of metabolism has an impact on the weight you are? It does. Individuals with slow metabolism have a more difficult time losing weight because more fat is stored. There are other people who suffer from hormonal imbalances.
The most common causes of weighing too much are a lack of exercise and eating too many of the wrong foods or simply eating in an unhealthy manner. If rapid weight loss matters to you because a special event is coming up then the first thing you need to do is to start consuming more water on a daily basis.
Drink six to eight glasses of water a day (full glasses that is). In particular you should start each morning with a glass of water. This helps to jumpstart your metabolism. Water is not only good for you when it comes to losing weigh but it is good for the body in general.
Eat as organically as possible. Start your day with an apple, banana, whole grain, plain yogurt and raw honey. Other foods that you should eat as often as possible include carrots, peppers, tomatoes, and wild smoked salmon. Rapid weight loss can only be accomplished if you eat as healthy as can be.
Always eat your supper approximately four to five hours before you go to bed so it has time to digest properly and will not just lie there in your stomach, or worse, be saved in the fat stores! Refrain from snacking throughout the evening.
Incorporate walking into your daily routine. You do not have to walk as if you are in a marathon but make it a brisk non-stop walk. Start with a 20 minute walk every day and then work up to 30 minutes and from there, 45 minutes to an hour.
Get rid of junk food from your diet and stop buying fast food. These foods are fatty, fried and very salty. This all spells bad news for a person trying to lose weight. In the same way, put an end to drinking soft drinks and drink water instead. Soft drinks contain nothing but empty calories (150 empty calories to be exact) and have no nutritional value at all. Soft drinks and other similar beverages can pack on an average of 15 to 16 extra pounds a year. This is not what you want!
Weight loss can happen if you are diligent in your eating and exercise habits. Be smart and consistent in your efforts! You do not have to work out at the gym everyday to achieve the rapid weight loss you want--nor do you have to hire a gourmet chef.
With that said, rapid weight loss is something that can be accomplished. Do not beat yourself up if you have some weight to lose however. Are you aware that your rate of metabolism has an impact on the weight you are? It does. Individuals with slow metabolism have a more difficult time losing weight because more fat is stored. There are other people who suffer from hormonal imbalances.
The most common causes of weighing too much are a lack of exercise and eating too many of the wrong foods or simply eating in an unhealthy manner. If rapid weight loss matters to you because a special event is coming up then the first thing you need to do is to start consuming more water on a daily basis.
Drink six to eight glasses of water a day (full glasses that is). In particular you should start each morning with a glass of water. This helps to jumpstart your metabolism. Water is not only good for you when it comes to losing weigh but it is good for the body in general.
Eat as organically as possible. Start your day with an apple, banana, whole grain, plain yogurt and raw honey. Other foods that you should eat as often as possible include carrots, peppers, tomatoes, and wild smoked salmon. Rapid weight loss can only be accomplished if you eat as healthy as can be.
Always eat your supper approximately four to five hours before you go to bed so it has time to digest properly and will not just lie there in your stomach, or worse, be saved in the fat stores! Refrain from snacking throughout the evening.
Incorporate walking into your daily routine. You do not have to walk as if you are in a marathon but make it a brisk non-stop walk. Start with a 20 minute walk every day and then work up to 30 minutes and from there, 45 minutes to an hour.
Get rid of junk food from your diet and stop buying fast food. These foods are fatty, fried and very salty. This all spells bad news for a person trying to lose weight. In the same way, put an end to drinking soft drinks and drink water instead. Soft drinks contain nothing but empty calories (150 empty calories to be exact) and have no nutritional value at all. Soft drinks and other similar beverages can pack on an average of 15 to 16 extra pounds a year. This is not what you want!
Weight loss can happen if you are diligent in your eating and exercise habits. Be smart and consistent in your efforts! You do not have to work out at the gym everyday to achieve the rapid weight loss you want--nor do you have to hire a gourmet chef.
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