More and more people are becoming overweight or obese nowadays and one of the factors attributed to such trend is because of the increasing use of mechanized transportation and the greater prevalence of labor-saving technologies at home and at work. Aside from that, many people have become more inclined to eat at fast food chains or buy ready-to-eat convenience foods that are laden in saturated oil, salt, and sugar with little or no dietary fiber. From these factors alone, it no longer comes as a surprise that people find putting on excess pounds not as difficult as losing them. If you want to shed of some unwanted pounds, you should first ask yourself, how much should I weigh?
The right weight is one that is suitable for your somatotype and height. The commonly used tool to determine if your ideal weight is ideal is the BMI or body mass index. Those with BMIâs in between 19 and 24.9 are considered to have the recommended weight. Those below 18.5 and above 25.0 are underweight and overweight, correspondingly.
If you don’t want to calculate manually, typing âhow much should I weighâ on the search engine will provide you a list of websites which have tools that will calculate your BMI for you. These tools are very intuitive, and can accurately calculate for your BMI. Don’t forget though that BMI is only a gauge for weight, and not overall health. You may have normal BMI, but may be unhealthier than someone who is a bit overweight.
The least invasive weight loss techniques, and thus most frequently suggested, are modifying one’s diet and incorporating exercise into one’s daily routine. With regards to the diet, quantity and quality are both taken into consideration. In order to lose weight you need to eat fewer calories per day than your body needs. To shed a pound per week, dieticians suggest decreasing your energy intake by twenty percent. Taking six small frequent feedings instead of three large ones may also help reduce cravings making dieting more tolerable and sustainable.
With regards to exercising, experts suggest that adults spend a minimum of 2.5 to 5 hours weekly to moderate-intensity cardio or 1.25 to 2.5 hours for those who can tolerate vigorous exercises. Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups as well on 2 or more days a week.
There is no denying that losing weight and maintaining it would require a lot from you, then again, it is not impossible. The positive effects of weight loss like reducing the likelihood of you suffering from diabetes, arthritis, heart diseases, and premature death are well-documented. Lastly, if you are in shape, you will be more self-assured and have happier disposition than when you carried that excess weight around.