Healthy for a Happy Life

Obesity is quickly becoming a national health crisis in the United States.  According to the CDC, the rate of severe obesity in the U.S. has doubled in the past twenty years, with over 42% of Americans classified as obese.  Obesity leads to higher death rates from COVID-19, heart disease, stroke, Type-2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.  In addition to the loss of life, obesity results in huge financial costs with the estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the United States  well over $150 billion a year.

What causes obesity?

The primary causes of obesity are poor nutrition and insufficient sleep.  Of course, there are numerous contributors, such as income inequality, unemployment, lack of education, and insufficient access to healthy food options.  However, getting 80% of caloric intake from healthy options and getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night, will pave the road to a healthier lifestyle.

Obesity Defined

Obesity is defined as one with a body mass index (BMI) over 30%.  BMI is calculated by dividing the body weight in kilograms divided by the square of one’s height in meters.  Numerous calculators are available online, such as this one from the CDC:  Adult BMI Calculator | Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity | CDC.

How to Overcome Obesity

If you or a loved one has decided to lose weight, CONGRATULATIONS!  You CAN do this.  The basic truth is that, in order to lose weight, one must consume fewer calories than they burn.  Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  We all know that it is much more complicated than it sounds.  The overwhelming majority of the calories we burn (70%) are consumed in the process of keeping us live.  This is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and consists the energy your body needs to breath, create cells, and circulate blood through the body.  The next greatest consumer of calories (15%) is called “NEAT”, non-exercise thermogenesis, the daily activities we participate in that are not sleeping, planned exercises, or eating.  Common NEAT activities include walking while running errands, working behind the computer, and picking up the mail.  The third greatest consumer of calories (10%) are the calories we expend eating, “the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)”.  Adding up these categories of calorie burners, we are left with Formal Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (“FEAT”).  These are the calories we burn in our intentional fitness activities like running and lifting weights.  Lifting weights is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.  Not only does strength training help us prevent injuries, combat arthritis, and avoid osteoporosis, but it also boosts metabolism.  When you build muscle, the muscle requires additional energy to build and move.  Therefore, when you lift weights, you get more in return for your investment.  At the same time, while fitness activities are essential to our physical and emotional well-being, we tend to over-emphasize their importance in our weight loss schemes.  For example, how many times have we worked out in the morning and then given ourselves a lot of freedom throughout the rest of the day to eat or drink whatever we pleased as a reward for our strenuous workout?  Or, how often to we tell ourselves that we need to work out before we can proceed with other aspects of the day?  The truth is, we should confront many common myths to develop an effective plan for weight management.

Facts

1. Consuming fewer calories than you burn is the only way to lose weight
2. Exercise is very important, but it doesn’t burn as many calories as we think
3. Lifting weights is a critical component to weight loss and overall health
4. The body burns calories breaking down the food we eat, and it takes more energy to break down complex proteins (salmon) than it does simple carbohydrates (processed breakfast cereal)
5. Using a fitness tracker can facilitate weight management by recording nutrition, calories, and exercise
6. Weight is just a number. Rather than striving to “lose ten pounds,” set process goals like increasing steps to a weekly goal, reducing alcohol consumption to a specified amount, or conducting weekly meal planning activities

Whatever path you’re on, be kind to yourself.  We all have good days as well as bad days in all aspects of our lives.  Don’t give up on your objectives because of one perceived imperfection.  Giving up on your goal due to a minor setback is like slashing your other three tires because one of them had a flat.  Fix the flat, give yourself a hug, and get back on the road!