We've all heard how the scale is just one way to
measure our health. We've also heard that our Body Mass Index (BMI) number is
an important gauge to our health, too.
You can easily find a chart online where you put in
your height and weight and a magical number comes out to tell you where you
fall in relation to weight based on the BMI categories.
BMI Categories:
Underweight = <18.5
Normal Weight = >18.5-24.9Underweight = <18.5
Overweight = 25-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
The problem with this chart is it tends to be used as
an excuse for low weight or is the only factor used in deciding whether a person is
overweight or not.
While both the scale and BMI charts are good guides,
it's important to note that there are other factors to consider, especially if
the person in question is active and is eating healthy or not.
I've known very fit and muscled men to be considered
obese by this chart alone! While they knew they were not overweight, it was an
example that you have to use more than one method to determine health.
Of course, the opposite is also true. I've known some
people who think skinny is the only way to be, but there are a lot of unhealthy
skinny people out there and they hide behind the low BMI and scale numbers they
have.
The problem is many of these people have no muscle
tone and don't have a healthy body.
Based on BMI, more
than 70% of American adults are classified as overweight or obese.
Unfortunately, this
height and weight calculation seriously underestimates the number of adults who
have too much fat and too little muscle.
This is due to the
fact that men and women who do not perform regular resistance exercise, think
weight training or resistance bands, lose between 5 and 10 pounds of lean
muscle weight each decade of life.
Consequently, an
individual who does no strength training who weighs the same at age 60 as at
age 20 has at least 20 pounds less
muscle and 20 pounds more
fat, even though the BMI number is exactly the same.
Muscle loss results in
resting metabolic rate reduction of 2 to 4 percent per decade. Because resting
metabolism is responsible for more than 60 percent of daily energy expenditure
in inactive adults, metabolic slow down leads to fat gain.
With this in mind, it
makes sense to have a sensible diet plan that incorporates healthy
eating with a reasonable program of resistance exercise that is effective
for increasing muscle and metabolism.
And it's important to
note that although it might seem logical to combine dieting with aerobic
activity, research indicates that this actually increases muscle loss.
A major reason for the
epidemic of overweight and obesity is aging-associated muscle loss and
metabolic rate reduction, which typically leads to fat accumulation.
Diet only programs and
diet plus aerobic activity programs result in both fat loss and muscle loss.
This makes the problem
worse as the body is getting it's protein that is lacking in the diet from the
muscle.
This increases the
muscle loss and makes it easy for the person to gain weight back quickly, and
what's worse is the weight gained is more fat!
Performing resistance
exercise during dieting is effective for reducing muscle
loss.
However, performing resistance exercise and increasing protein intake during dieting works better, as this approach enables weight loss coming from fat loss and the person gaining muscle.
However, performing resistance exercise and increasing protein intake during dieting works better, as this approach enables weight loss coming from fat loss and the person gaining muscle.
Remember, muscle,
while it weighs more than fat, burns more calories even at rest and takes up
about a third of the space as fat does.
Look at the example in
the picture below.
The two women depicted
here show the difference between someone who had enough good protein in her
diet, but also did strength training and a woman who may have dieted, but did
not eat enough of the right kind of protein and did not strength train.
While both women weigh
the same, which body type would you rather have?
Key factors for
successful weight "loss" and body composition improvement appear to
be:
- Reduced but reasonable caloric consumption, such as 1,200 – 1,500 calories/day for women, and 1,500 – 1,800 calories/day for men).
- Increased protein intake, such as 2 daily meal replacement protein shakes. This is protein from plant sources, which is easier for the body to break down and contains less fat than protein from animal sources.
- Basic exercise program, such as 2-3 weekly workouts featuring 20 minutes of aerobic activity and 20 minutes of strength training.
Key factors for
successful weight "maintenance" and continued body composition
improvement appear to be:
- Increased protein intake, such as 1 daily meal replacement protein shake.
- Basic exercise program, such as 2-3 weekly workouts featuring 20 minutes of aerobic activity and 20 minutes of strength training.
The Bottom Line
It's important to know our numbers both on the scale and your BMI, but they shouldn't be the only measures of good health.
How your body composition looks, how well toned your muscles are and how you eat, exercise and strength train are all important to overall health and fitness.
In order to lose the right kind of weight which is fat and maintain muscle that is important for the body to continue burning calories, even at rest, it's important that the program consist of the following things:
How your body composition looks, how well toned your muscles are and how you eat, exercise and strength train are all important to overall health and fitness.
In order to lose the right kind of weight which is fat and maintain muscle that is important for the body to continue burning calories, even at rest, it's important that the program consist of the following things:
- Eating a healthy diet that includes plenty of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and enough protein to supply the body what it needs to build muscle and just as important, save muscle.
- A diet that contains enough protein that can be attained through good protein shakes, but also contain the other nutrients needed to maintain good health.
- Exercise that contains both aerobic and strength training exercise to build muscle
It's important to
remember that we naturally lose muscle mass as we age. To slow down that rate
of loss we must incorporate healthy eating with plenty of protein, preferably
plant based, and strength training exercises.
This program together
is what will build a healthy body both now and into the coming decades.
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