Natural Health Alternative Blog

As a therapist you hear a lot of people talk about their pain. In a way, emotional pain is sometimes worse than physical pain. (Did someone say shame or guilt?) Emotions like this are associated with a number of issues. One issue is weight control or carrying too much weight.

I’ve never been overweight myself. Perhaps I’m genetically fortunate or the healthy living I try to live by pays off in many areas. Maybe it’s both. But how can anybody ignore the pain of a person who cannot even walk down the aisle in Safeway any more without blocking everyone else’s way?

Rather than focusing on the health problems associated with being overweight or obese, I would like to review a popular way to help determine healthy weight.

The method is calculating the BMI or (body mass index.) While this method does not calculate the amount of fat in the body, it does help provide a tool to determine if possible weight problems exist. (Note: weight problems include both being underweight and overweight.)

This method was developed in the 1800’s but gained in popularity in the 1950’s or so and is still widely used today. A person’s height is the basis for the calculation.

I will attempt to simplify this potentially complex calculation. Please remember that applying this method to children is a little different, so I encourage communication with your pediatrician when addressing a child’s weight.

The first calculation is based on pounds and inches. We’ll then review the metric calculation. Start with your weight in pounds and multiply that number by 703. Then, divide that number by your height in inches squared (multiply height in inches by the same height in inches.)

Here is an example: A person who is 5’8” and weighs 170 pounds would multiply 170 by 703 to get to 119,510. Then divide that number by 4624 (68 inches X 68 inches.) The result is: 25.85.

For metric units, take your weight in kgs and divide that by height in meters squared (multiply height in meters by the same height in meters.)

In very general terms, a BMI of 18.5 or less indicates a possible case of someone being underweight and possibly severely underweight. A range of 18.5 to 25 may indicate an optimal weight. A BMI of 25 or more may indicate overweight with anything above 40 indicating obesity. A BMI of 40 or above may actually indicate morbid obesity.

Now, I say general terms as the intention of the BMI was not intended to diagnose medical conditions but to be utilized as a simple way of classifying physically inactive individuals with an average body composition.

To avoid having to compute this information yourself, you can also invest in one of more sophisticated bathroom scales that will do this for you.

The BMI offers advantages in that it can be calculated quickly and does not require special equipment. Disadvantages that need to be considered though are that it does not consider a person’s frame and muscularity mass. Other factors that are not taken into account would be various amounts of bone, fat, water weight and so forth.

Therefore, I simply offer this rather simplistic approach to determining healthy weight as a guideline, but by no means a definitive answer if you are potentially facing serious health concerns as result of weight.

Many of my programs were created because I heard people talk about their pain and then we sat down and talked about what we could do about this pain. Then I researched and tested and tried things because I felt their pain and wanted to help.

My Weight Loss Breeze Program resulted to offer that help. It is all natural and requires no special dietary restrictions or work out.

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Most of us have adopted the eating habits we learned as a child. For many of us it was to eat three meals a day, together as a family as much as possible.

Not only could our parents ensure we were eating properly but it was also a time to bond with family members, discuss our day, etc.

Many modern diets, however, suggest that it is better to eat 5 to six smaller meals per day than 2 to 3 large meals. As long as one’s caloric intake stays the same, why should this matter.

Your blood sugar is constantly changing even when you sleep. When you eat food, blood sugar is raised after digestion starts. Once blood sugar is consumed, it is lowered and hunger, headache and/or irritation can occur.

Some experts believe that eating several small meals per day is better because blood sugar is stabilized and metabolism is at its most optimum. Energy levels therefore remain high so that one has more energy for say, exercise.

Recent studies, however maintain that as long as one takes in less calories per day, he or she will lose weight regardless of the amount of meals one eats. If this is true, it certainly provides for less restrictive eating patterns.

What research suggests and what most of us who’ve tried to lose weight can attest to is that when one skips meals in order to “hold out” for one or two larger meals, one usually ends up experiencing the effects of hunger which in addition to the above mentioned effects of hunger also includes cravings and loss of will power.

How many of us have tried to lose weight and then lost will power and binged or eaten “comfort” foods high in calories and low in nutritional value?

It then boils down to what helps you stick to your diet and what is the best way to ensure you don’t go over your calorie limit for the day.

Some of my clients feel that they must have at least one large meal per day. There are many reasons for this but most say it is a chance to bond with family while preparing, cooking and then eating the meal together.

There is no reason why you can’t do this as long as the meal is healthy and you aren’t over eating when you do sit down for a large meal.

If you are trying to lose weight and want a natural way to do it with proven results, I highly recommend my Weight Loss Breeze program. My clients have not only lost the weight but were able to keep it off without the typical “yo-yo” effect of many diets.

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I’m very proud of the success of my Weight Loss Breeze program and have enjoyed reading all of the excellent reviews my clients have given it. Questions do pop up from time to time, however, concerning alcohol and why it seems to limit weight loss even though caloric intake is less.

While it is true that most diets do boil down to limiting caloric intake, alcohol, unlike other empty calorie foods and drinks can do more to unhinge a weight loss plan. There is more than one reason for this.

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, or roughly 100 calories in a small glass of wine or 200 calories in most cans of beer. The number goes up or down according to the type. This does not factor in sugars from soda or other mixers in cocktails. The point is that alcohol offers empty calories.

What if one simply reduces the amount of calories he or she is consuming via food or other drinks to counteract the increase in calories from alcohol? Simple enough, correct? Unfortunately, this does not tend to be a long term success plan.

It’s not just the calories in alcohol which factor in to weight gain. Alcohol slows the body’s metabolism. This means that a person taking in the same amount of calories from alcohol as say, a bran muffin, is not actually burning those calories at the same rate.

Alcohol also keeps the body from burning fat properly. Both alcohol and fat are processed by the liver. The liver is unable to as effectively burn fat while it’s forced to process alcohol.

Alcohol is also a depressant. While in a depressed state, one tends to have less energy, making one more fatigued and less likely to exercise. Even in the short-term, have you ever blown off an exercise routine in the morning due to a hangover or all over feeling of malaise from alcohol?

Another reason one tends to gain weight or at least not lose weight when drinking alcohol (especially to excess) is that alcohol increases one’s appetite. Ever wonder why wine is served before dinner? In addition to increasing appetite, studies have shown that people tend to crave high caloric foods and sugars (including more alcohol).

That’s not to say that some people (including alcoholics) don’t ever lose weight while still drinking alcohol. One client told me that while she was on a low carbohydrate diet, she switched from wine to rum and diet coke, which contains no sugars. She did admit though, that she felt tipsy faster and it was harder to deny cravings for sugar laden foods afterward.

In addition to sabotaging a diet, drinking alcohol to excess can lead to devastating health consequences. Alcohol abuse can damage major organs, including the heart and liver. This damage can lead to cirrhosis, hypertension, anemia, damage to the stomach lining and malnutrition.

If you are serious about losing weight and want a natural alternative to expensive drugs, all of which contain side effects, I highly recommend my Weight loss Breeze program. Its results are proven and guaranteed by a 100% money-back guarantee!

Enjoy,

Christian Goodman
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