Also see Weight loss in the sports nutrition section
Of all the nutritional disorders that affect the total population, Obesity is the most common in affluent society. It is a major disease of civilization and as well as being irrefutably and closely linked to premature death, being seriously overweight is an almost certain guarantee that you will suffer from a range of other health problems including:
Being seriously overweight has social consequences too, as it restricts sporting activities leading to a gradual decline in overall fitness and a gradual increase in Obesity. For many people, being seriously overweight also carries a heavy emotional burden and can lead to psychological disturbance. Relationship problems, lack of self esteem, poor self image - all these can combine to reduce the enjoyment of life both in social and employment terms.
In the UK, Government figures showed a significant increase in the amount of Obesity (BMI greater than 30) and overweight (BMI over 25) between 1980 and 1987. The average weights of men had increased by around 1kg between the ages of 16-49, and 3kg between the ages of 50-64. By 1993 the number of men in Britain who were overweight had gone up by 43 per cent and the women by 30 per cent. The number of seriously obese Britons doubled between 1980 and 1993, rising from 6 to 13 per cent of men, and from 8 to 16 per cent of women. Today, Obesity is a national epidemic with almost half the population being overweight.
Apart from plain bad eating, one of the key factors is an individual's basic
metabolic rate (BMR). This is the efficiency with which your resting body can
burn up the fuel, which you consume as food. That's why two brothers living
in the same home and eating exactly the same food, can have totally different
body shapes, one fat, one thin. The percentage of brown fat in the body is also
thought to be significant. This brown fat is able to store huge amounts of energy
without causing Obesity and those unfortunate people whose bodies have a smaller
percentage of brown fat turn their surplus energy into white fat.
While there are some glandular disorders which, cause weight gain, these are comparatively rare and usually treatable. Thyroid disorders are probably the most common. Steroid drugs, oral contraceptives, HRT (hormone replacement therapy), and insulin used by diabetics may cause weight gain too. But the vast majority of overweight people are overweight because they consume more calories than they burn.
One simple way is to check your own waist/hip ratio. Measure your waist around
the belly button, then round the biggest part of your hips. Then divide the
waist measurement by the hip measurement. For women the answer should be 0.75
or less and for men 1.0 or less. As the figure goes up, your risk of heart disease
goes up.
The universally standard way of calculating the relationship between height and weight is the Body Mass Index. To work out your own BMI divide your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared. This calculation is known at Quetelet's Index - and one old joke says that it helps you lose weight, too, because it's so complicated and takes so long to work out you've probably missed a meal while you're doing it.
Weight in kilograms
BMI = -----------------------------
(Height in metres)²
The resulting number is an excellent guide. Anything between 20 and 25 is within the ideal weight range. 25-30 is overweight, 30-40 is moderately obese and over 40 is grossly obese. These figures are based on the American Metropolitan Life Insurance calculations. If you in one of those upper categories, don't reach for the biscuit tin and give up because the mere thought of another diet is too boring.
All the ideal height and weight charts are based on averages and many of them from quite long out-of-date insurance company actuarial tables. I believe the margin of error is greater than generally accepted because weight is not the only measure of health and fitness. Spiritual and emotional health are difficult to measure but play an enormous part in your total wellbeing.
Of all the multitude of weight reducing treatments, the only one that really
works is to permanently change the way you eat. Slimming pills, injections,
liposuction, crash diets and 'miracle cures' are usually expensive, frequently
hazardous to your health and never work long term.
Low calorie diets don't work because your metabolism slows down to conserve energy as you reduce your calorie input. At the end of a week or so of 800, 900 or 1,000 calories a day consumption you feel tired, irritable and desperate. A two day binge puts back all the weight you lost and you're set on a life of yo-yo dieting. American Professor of Nutrition, Judith Stern, maintains that the overweight pear shape is at less risk of heart disease than the overweight barrel shape. Every time the pear loses weight quickly and puts it on again, it shifts up the body a little, and eventually the pear becomes a barrel, has lost no weight overall, and is at greater risk of heart disease.
Although there are many slimming pills available, which really do not work, there are a few supplements and herbs that research has demonstrated as being supportive, but only when combined with good long-term dietary advice and exercise as discussed below.
This plan provides you with all you need of most nutrients, but to make sure
that you don't miss out on any of the essential vitamins or minerals, it's a
good idea to take a good vitamin and mineral supplement. Women need some extra
Calcium too.
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400mcg to 1,000mcg per day |
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4gm to 6gm per day (preliminary studies show improved fat metabolism) |
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100mg to 300mg of Iodine (Kelp is rich in iodine, needed for thyroid hormone production) |
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500mg 3 times per day (increases fat metabolism) |
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1 gram before each meal (curbs the appetite and slows conversion of carbohydrate bodyfat) |
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500mg 3 times per day (increases energy expenditure and fat oxidation) |
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Product containing 10-18% forskolin 3 times per day |
Here's our healthy weight-loss plan, seven days of sensible eating which is
bursting with nutrients, high in fibre and full of delicious produce. You may
want to lose a few pounds, but remember we're all targets for the multi-million
pound slimming business which is more concerned with extracting pounds from
pockets than it is with the nation's health. Most dietary advice includes worthless
pills, unhealthy meal substitutes or extreme diets based on pseudoscience and
hocus pocus.
This plan provides good nutrition, happy eating and real food. You won't be hungry, you will be healthy and you will lose pounds if you need to. No-one will stick to a 'diet' which is full of dreary food lacking eye appeal or taste, so this eating plan contains mouth-watering recipes that not only look good but do you good as well. Healthy eating is the only sane way to shed the surplus pounds so, start with these simple changes:
Choose leaner cuts of Meat and eat more Fish and Poultry.
This is definitely not a starvation level existence, but a diet of good meals. It is possible to eat well and lose weight if you need to. But it's also essential that your new regime should be satisfying and enjoyable. Most diets fail because you give up in despair or disgust at the thought of one more cracker and cottage Cheese.
MONDAY
Breakfast: Baked Beans on toast with a grilled tomato; a cup of tea or coffee with semi-skimmed milk. Have either drink with breakfast every day.
Light meal: A large portion of coleslaw made with red, white and green cabbage, carrots, sultanas, onion, apple, plain yoghurt, a little olive oil and a tablespoon of cider vinegar, with a small cup of cottage Cheese and a piece of fresh fruit.
Main meal: Chicken breast (skin removed) covered with a sliced courgette (zucchini), thin strips of red pepper, a little Garlic, the juice of a lemon, half a glass of dry white wine and quarter of a pint of vegetable stock (from a cube) cooked in a covered casserole for 30 minutes at 175°C/350°F/gas mark 4, with carrots and parsnips mashed together. A baked apple (cooked in the oven at the same time). Remove the core, cut off the bottom quarter, put it back in the hole and stuff with 30g ground almonds mixed with orange juice, sprinkled with a little Cinnamon and Nutmeg.
TUESDAY
Breakfast: Porridge with half water, half skimmed milk, a slice of wholemeal toast with a little butter and honey.
Light meal: A large bowl of vegetable, bean and barley soup - 45g pot barley, 900ml water, 4 sliced carrots, 1 chopped turnip, 2 sliced Leeks, 2 sticks Celery, 1 chopped onion, 15ml tomato puree, black pepper, bring them to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Add a can of kidney, butter, haricot or any other sort of Beans, cook for another five minutes to make six large portions. Serve with a green salad with oil and vinegar dressing.
Main meal: Any grilled Fish with a green vegetable followed by some soft Cheese with a large stick of crunchy Celery.
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: Half a Grapefruit, 2 poached Eggs, 2 grilled Tomatoes.
Light meal: 2 or 3 large flat Mushrooms or a good handful of button Mushrooms fried in a little butter very gently in a covered pan for about 15 minutes on wholemeal toast with a salad.
Main meal: Grilled lamb chops with most of the fat removed with peas and carrots, a portion of dried fruits soaked and served with low fat natural yoghurt mixed with a pinch of Cinnamon, grated lemon rind and a teaspoon of honey.
THURSDAY
Breakfast: A mixture of an orange, an apple and a pear sliced into a bowl with a carton of natural yoghurt and a teaspoonful of honey.
Light meal: A sandwich of wholemeal Bread without butter, a mashed banana, a couple of chopped up dates, a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of any chopped nuts. A fresh pear and a few grapes.
Main meal: Chicken cooked any way you like, but not fried, with at least two different vegetables. Chopped ready to eat Californian prunes and apricots soaked in the juice of a lemon, an orange, a tablespoon of brandy, half a teaspoon of sugar.
FRIDAY
Breakfast: 2 boiled Eggs, 2 slices of wholemeal toast spread very thinly with butter.
Light meal: A bowl of bean and barley soup (left over from Tuesday) with a wholemeal roll.
Main meal: Put a fillet of hake, cod or any white Fish on a finely chopped onion, tomato and Garlic mixture in a large piece of cooking foil, sprinkle more of the mixture on top of the Fish, season with pepper and a little olive oil. Wrap the foil into a parcel, bake at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 20 minutes. Serve with a salad of watercress, orange segments and chicory. A piece of soft Cheese (Brie, Camembert etc.) and a bunch of grapes.
SATURDAY
Breakfast: As much fresh fruit as you like.
Light meal: Italian toast - bruschetta. Toast a thick slice of coarse wholemeal Bread until lightly brown on both sides. Rub one side with a cut clove of Garlic, drizzle on a little olive oil and pile with thin slices of fresh tomato - a wonderful snack for any time of the day or night.
Main meal: Chicken, beef or lamb casserole - remove skin and fat, cut into cubes, seal for a few seconds in hot oil, remove the Meat with a slotted spoon, add onion, Garlic and Celery, continue cooking till soft but not brown, add vegetable stock (from cube) with diced parsnip, carrot, swede, Leek, turnip, potato, return Meat to the mixture, cover tightly and cook at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for one to one and a half hours until Meat is tender. 2 tangerines in segments with a small carton of fromage frais and a teaspoon of honey.
SUNDAY
Breakfast: 2 slices of wholemeal toast with a little butter and honey. A glass of fresh orange juice.
Light meal: Green pasta and tuna fish. While the pasta is cooking put 4 coarsely chopped spring onions including the green tops into a frying pan with a little oil. When they're soft add a small can of drained tuna and stir until warm but not cooked. Drain the pasta, return to the saucepan, mix in the tuna and spring onions and serve. A piece of fresh fruit.
Main meal: Stir fry lamb. Remove all fat from the Meat and cut into thin strips. Put in a shallow dish with 15ml olive oil, 10ml soya sauce, 30ml dry sherry and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Then in a wok or thick bottomed frying pan heat some olive oil, add the lamb and some of the marinade, stirring vigorously for three minutes. Add a small Leek thinly sliced lengthways, stir for another two minutes, then add a chopped spring onion, a chopped clove of Garlic and a little freshly grated Ginger and cook for another three minutes. Serve with a tomato and onion salad. Half a small melon.
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