What is BMI? Body mass index is used to categorize people’s weight. This chart focuses mostly on the health of the entire population rather than individuals. There may be two ends of the spectrum when it comes to BMI, one is low, and another is high. Either way, it is an indicator that the person has a poor diet, varying activity levels or higher stress. Contrary to popular notion, people who tend to have normal BMI aren’t healthy either. BMI doesn’t take into account the muscle fat or bone density; the difference in gender can also impact your weight, so BMI isn’t very accurate.
There are specific metrics that define if you are overweight, underweight or normal. But this is not accurate as of the athlete or muscular person as BMI might show them as obese. Anything on the higher side of BMI is alarming. A person’s weight usually calculates BMI in kg/ height in m2.
The BMI metrics are-
1. Under 18.5 – this is described as underweight
2. Between 18.8- 24.9 – this is described as normal
3. Between 25-25.9 – this is described as overweight
4. Between 30- 39.9 – this is described as obesity
5. 40 and over – highly obese
Let us see the implications of BMI where we will be focusing on weight loss and weight loss programs. Three impacts of BMI are-
Positive implications – The most critical favourable impact of BMI are likely to be, fewer joint and muscle pains, more energy and vitality, better regulation of bodily fluids and blood pressure, a reduced burden to your heart and circulatory system, better sleep, reductions in blood sugar level and loss of excess body fat.
Practical implications- These are the consequences or results associated when putting a plan or scenario in real-life practice. They do not always have to be negative. They are the most straightforward implied results.
Negative implications- Many people don’t know what exactly the weight loss program is. When the person goes for weight loss programs like nutrition clubs, yoga centres and gyms, all they want is to lose weight as they feel overweight as per the height. But weight is an amalgamation of the body’s muscles, bones, water and fat. Let us suppose, a person is doing regular exercises but is not taking adequate food. His result is fantastic as he or she loses about 3 to 4 kgs per month, but that is not a healthy way of shedding the weight. Our criteria should not be muscle loss but instead, loss of excess fat and excess of wastewater content.
Weight loss is an essential factor if your primary focus is being healthy. This includes treatments and programmes that ease up the process. We will be focusing on weight loss treatments that are beneficial for reducing the excess fat stored in your body and help you in weight loss.
1. Medications- If dietary changes do not result in weight loss, you can go for drugs but aren’t very advisable. There are medicines like orlistat, FenFluramine help in weight loss. You can go for an alternative that might help you lose weight by shifting to herbal remedies and dietary supplements.
2. Weight lose devices- The doctors might consider weight lose devices if you haven’t been able to lose weight. These are technologically advanced instruments used to reduce the excess fat. Electrical stimulation system, the surgeon places a device in your abdomen through laparoscopic surgery and this device blocks nerve activity between your stomach and brain. Gastric balloon system, the doctor puts one or two gastric balloons in your stomach and fills them with salt water, so they take up more space in your stomach and make you feel content. The gastric emptying system uses a pump to drain part of food from the stomach after a meal, removing the rest of the food through the tube to the outside of your abdomen.
Let us see the weight loss programmes that primarily focus on exercises and eating patterns.
1. Intermittent fasting- It is another way of reducing food intake that is, gaining attention as a strategy for weight loss and health benefits. Alternate day fasting is one type of intermittent fasting which consists of a fast day( eating no calories) alternating with a fed day(a day with unrestricted eating). Weight loss centres like gyms frequently suggest this kind of programme if your main goal is to reduce weight quickly.
2. Plant-based diet- as the name suggests, it is wholly planted oriented food. It is entirely derived from plants including vegetables, whole grains, quinoa, barley, legumes, nuts. Plant-based proteins like tofu can also be included to reduce weight healthily drastically, and plant-based oil like sunflower oil is also suggested.
3. Paleo diet- it is an anti-inflammatory that aims to remove sugar, legumes, most dairy-based products, some grains and refined vegetable oil like soy oil and corn oil and inclusion of meat, fish and eggs. This might also include fruits and veggies.
4. Low – carb and low-fat food- carbs like rice and potato meals are reduced. Canned foods are strictly prohibited in this diet to tackle excessive weight.
5. Fitness trackers and bracelets- These help you track down your calories and helps you burn them through intense exercises.
Dieting is the wrong term for a diet chart; it is called healthy eating. Set a realistic goal and stick to all the programmes mentioned. It is essential to bring your BMI below 25 and keep in track of all the food you eat.
Healthy eating is healthy living!
