BMI Made Simple Using Maximum Weight Limit

A researcher from Nevada has made it simple to understand BMI (body mass index). The current formula is complex, and requires an online calculator, chart, or the following formula: weight in pounds, multiplied by 703, and then divided by height in inches squared. Then a chart is needed to tell us if we are within a healthy weight range. A new way to find your BMI is by transposing the formula into a simple “Maximum Weight Limit”.

No wonder the familiar term BMI, or body mass index is tossed around with no real application for most of us. The new proposal to determine if your body weight is healthy involves a simple formula, discovered by George Fernandez, a professor of applied statistics and director of the Center for Research Design and Analysis at the University of Nevada, Reno – he calls it the “Maximum Weight Limit”, much like maximum speed limit.

Fernandez says, “We need a “Maximum Weight Limit, or MWL, one number that we know we can’t go over, just like a speed limit.” Making BMI simple to keep track of means we can better target when we have gone too far with weight gains.

Fernandez used SAS software and statistical procedures to discover a simple way to find our Maximum Weight Limit that correlates closely with the complex equation needed to calculate BMI to know if your body weight is healthy. “It’s a very simple calculation that most of us can do in our heads,” using baseline measurements.

“These are nice round numbers that people can easily remember: 5-feet, 9-inches tall, 175 pounds for a man; and 5-feet tall, 125 pounds for a woman.” Using the preceding, men add or subtract 5 pounds for every inch taller or shorter than 5 feet, 9 inches. Women do the same, but use 4.5 pounds because of less muscle mass. So – if you are 5 feet, 7 inches tall, a man, and weigh 175 pounds, your Maximum Weight Limit should be 165 pounds. A woman 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds has a Maximum Weight Limit of 143 pounds.

Maximum Weight Limit, calculated as above, corresponds to a healthy BMI which should be 25.5 for men and 24.5 for women. Now you can keep your Maximum Weight Limit in your head, ensuring you are not at risk for chronic illness from tipping the maximum healthy weight scales too far.

Mediterranean, Low-Carb Diets Safe And Effective Weight-Loss Diets

Research on the safety and effectiveness of different diets has been previously limited due to the high number of participants who drop out of studies and because the length of time that the participants are followed is often too short. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer Sheva, Israel, and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s (BWH) Channing Laboratory have effectively evaluated three different weight-loss diets over two years and found that both Mediterranean and Low-carbohydrate diets are as effective in achieving weight-loss as low-fat diets.

“The findings suggest that because Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets are effective alternatives to low-fat diets, individual preferences could be taken into consideration when tailoring dietary interventions for weight loss,” said Meir Stampfer, MD, DrPH, associate director of the Channing Laboratory at BWH and senior author of the study. The lead author, Dr. Iris Shai of Ben Gurion University, planned the study when she was a Fulbright fellow at Harvard School of Public Health and Channing Laboratory.

Researchers followed 322 obese patients who were randomized to either a low-fat, Mediterranean or low-carbohydrate diet for two years. Patients on the low-fat and Mediterranean diets were restricted in the number of calories that they could eat, but patients on the low-carbohydrate diet were not. Researchers report that after one year, 95 percent of patients had stuck to the diet and after two years, 85 percent had.

After two years, patients in the low-fat diet group lost 2.9 kg; patients in the Mediterranean diet group lost 4.4 kg; and patients in the low-carbohydrate diet group lost 4.7 kg. The Mediterranean diet-group consumed the highest dietary fiber and monounsaturated to saturated fat ratio. The low-carbohydrate diet-group consumed the fewest carbohydrates and the highest fat, protein and cholesterol. Among all three diet groups, the number of calories consumed was similar. Improvements in other health measures such as liver function and levels of cardiovascular disease were also similar among groups.

In an effort to encourage retention and to enable participants to stick to the diet, the trial was conducted in an isolated workplace at the Nuclear Research Center Negev, Israel, with an on site clinic. Daily diet-group-specific colored food labels were displayed in the cafeteria at the workplace.

The findings suggest that Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets are effective alternatives to low-fat diets. The more favorable effects on lipids (low-carbohydrate) and on glycemic control (Mediterranean) suggest that personal preferences and metabolic considerations might inform individualized tailoring of dietary interventions.

How To Get Past a Weight Loss Plateau

Depending on what type of weight loss plan you are on and how much weight loss you have attained already, these factors can play a significant role in halting your weight loss. You just need to see this as a maintenance point and keep charging ahead, while waiting to achieve your goals.

The first thing to consider is that you may be getting close to your ideal weight. I myself quit losing weight once I got down to 175 pounds. It seemed I could indulge a little bit and still stay at this weight. Now, it seems harder to put weight on then keep it off. But, I still need to stay on top of this because I know how quickly I can slip back into my old eating habits.

So if you aren’t already at your ideal weight I am going to give you a few suggestions that may be able to help you break through this barrier. The main thing is to stick to your plan. This happens to everybody and you will get through this plateau.

Mix up your program:

By this I mean you may want to switch things around a bit. You may even want to modify your program. If you have been eating all protein, then you could try switching to salads or all vegetables for a couple days. You could even try switching to all carbohydrates for a few days. If you have been eating all carbs, then maybe switch to all protein for a while. You get the point, try to shake things up a bit and see if this helps or hurts.

Eat Healthier:

If you have been losing weight but not eating very healthfully, then maybe you should try to nourish you body. If you haven’t been eating many calories or eating little or no vegetables, maybe try to get your body some extra nutrients. Try eating healthy foods and fats for a while. Your body may be missing something and this might be just the thing to get your through your plateau.

Start Exercising:

If you haven’t already started an exercise regimen, then you should start. This can boost your weight loss immediately. Exercise and its benefits can range from losing weight to giving you a healthier heart. There are too many reasons not to exercise. If you have reached a plateau in your weight loss, then now is the best time to start exercising. Just get outside and walk for 20 minutes a day. If you can run then run. If you can only walk, then walk. I guarantee you that this will help you break through your plateau.

Go out and eat:

This also could be a good time to just go out and eat whatever you want. This can help you forget about dieting and weight loss for a while and just enjoy yourself. One care free day of eating is not going to sabotage your whole plan. Just eat whatever you want and forget about calories, carbs and fat for a day. This may be just what your mind and body need to get back on track and help you achieve success.

These are a few of the things I used in the past to get through a weight loss plateau. I am sure they will help you as they have helped me. My main philosophy is to try and maintain your happiness while losing weight. If it is causing you stress by worrying so much about everything, then slow down. You don’t have to lose every pound this week or this month for that matter.

Think of it this way. The longer you take to lose the weight, the less chance you have of putting it back on. I have lost large amounts of weight very quickly in the past. I always seemed to gain the weight back just as quick when I did things this way.

Just remember to eat, drink and be merry. If you do things right you can be happy, healthy and at the perfect weight. Without sacrificing the things you love.

Eating Eggs Helps Adults Lose More Weight

Weight Loss with Eggs

Eating eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet helped overweight women lose more weight and feel more energetic than those who ate a bagel breakfast.

This study confirms previous findings, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, that when people ate eggs for breakfast they felt more satisfied and consumed fewer calories throughout the day as compared to when they had a bagel breakfast.(2)

“While it’s been well-established that foods such as eggs that contain the highest quality protein help people feel full longer, we were surprised at how definite these findings were,” said Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, Ph.D., lead researcher and associate professor in the department of infection and obesity at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center. “The women who consumed eggs as part of their diet plan lost significantly more weight, had greater reductions in waist circumference and reported significantly higher energy levels.”

Study finds weight loss greater with eggs, even when all else is equal

Specifically, the study found that overweight women who ate two eggs for breakfast at least five days a week for 8 weeks (as part of a low-fat diet with a 1,000 calorie reduction):

— lost 65 percent more weight

— had 83 percent greater reductions in waist circumference

— reported greater improvements in energy levels than their dieting counterparts who consumed a bagel breakfast of the same calories (1)

In the study, the egg and bagel breakfasts not only provided the same amount of calories, but also the same weight mass, an important control factor in satiety and weight loss studies.

Eggs help healthy people stay healthy

The study also found no significant differences between the plasma total-, HDL- and LDL- cholesterol and triglyceride levels of either group, confirming what a substantial body of research has shown for years: healthy adults on a low-fat diet can enjoy eggs without significantly impacting their risk of heart disease.

Additional research presented at Experimental Biology 2007 this week further highlighted the benefits of eggs, including their role in providing choline, an essential nutrient, which is often lacking in the American diet. Notably, pregnant women and women of child-bearing age were found to have low choline intake, a concern as choline has been shown to help prevent birth defects and promote brain and memory development.

Eggs are easy to include in everyday diets

“This weight loss study confirms what we’ve been hearing anecdotally for years,” said Kathleen Zelman, M.P.H., R.D./L.D., director of nutrition for WebMD Health. “It’s especially good news because eggs, which contain one of the highest quality proteins naturally found in food, are an easy, inexpensive and, importantly, versatile food to incorporate into our diets.” So easy, in fact, that Zelman offers these tips to help dieters keep their energy levels up throughout the day:

— Jump Start. Start your day off right with a complete breakfast by pairing high-quality protein foods like eggs or low-fat dairy with other healthful foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. A vegetable-filled Garden Omelet is a great way to get your protein and vegetables all at once.

— The Morning Rush. Make an on-the-go breakfast sandwich by topping a whole wheat English muffin with microwave scrambled eggs, low-fat cheese and tomato. To make the eggs, beat an egg (and milk, if desired) in a small bowl or mug and pop it into the microwave on HIGH for 60 seconds.

— Stay Energized. Avoid an afternoon slump by eating high-quality protein throughout the day. Try a Tangy Raspberry Salad topped with hard-cooked eggs for lunch or Dilly Veggie Dunk for a satisfying but healthful afternoon snack.

Eggs are a natural, unprocessed whole food that contain a number of nutrients in varying amounts — including the highest quality protein, choline, folate, iron and zinc — for only about 75 calories apiece. For any dietary questions, your doctor or dietitian should play a primary role in guiding your physical well-being. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that healthy American adults limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams per day. This still allows individuals to enjoy an average of one large whole egg a day.

Remuda Identifies Popular Eating Disorder Myths

Eating Disorder

Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders reports that many myths surround eating disorders. In recent years,
numerous Web sites and chat rooms have sprung up on the Internet and in this environment, myths are sometimes offered as fact.

“Myths about eating disorders can sometimes perpetuate the spread of the disease because the misinformation is believed to be true by many people,” said Juliet Zuercher, registered dietitian and director of nutrition services at Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders. “For example, the belief that anorexia is easy to see results in overlooking the illness in those who hide their emaciated body in baggy clothes.”

Popular myths about eating disorders include:

* Physicians and other healthcare professionals can be relied on to discover and diagnose anorexia and bulimia. Not all medical professionals have been thoroughly trained or educated in eating disorders; therefore, they might not recognize the symptoms or even think to inquire about the behaviors. Additionally, people with eating disorders often don’t respond honestly to questions about their behavior.

* Parents are the cause of their child’s eating disorder. They are not. Many factors contribute to the development of an eating disorder, such as peer pressure, perfectionism, sexual trauma, low self-esteem, and the influence of media in today’s culture. Though parents and family members can play a role in the development of eating disorders, modern advertising and media often play a larger role.

* Eating disorders affect only the wealthy and celebrities. This statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Today, more than 10 million Americans struggle with eating disorders; what’s more, anorexia and bulimia are equal opportunity disorders, meaning they are found in every culture, ethnicity, religion and socio-economic group.

* Normal and overweight people don’t have an eating disorder. This is also false. For example, individuals with bulimia are often at an average, or even above-average weight. Therefore, bulimia is difficult to detect, unless you know key warning signs such as swollen cheeks or scrapes and cuts on the knuckles.

* A person who eats regularly does not have an eating disorder. Again, this is inaccurate. Often, those struggling with eating disorders will play with their food, push it around on their plate, hide pieces in a napkin, secretly feed it to the dog, etc., making it appear as though they have eaten a meal. In fact, they may eat at such a slow rate that few calories are consumed. In the case of bulimia, normal meals may be eaten with others, but large amounts of food are later consumed in private.

* A “natural” diet pill is a safe diet pill. Far too often “natural” is equated with “healthy and safe.” Advertisements often distort the truth about the results diet pills or supplements will provide. Considering that the leading predictor of a future eating disorder is dieting, the very practice of dieting itself, with or without diet pills, can lead to an eating disorder, and should be avoided.

* Laxatives prevent the absorption of calories. Those who abuse laxatives believe that by artificially rushing food through their bodies they can avoid the intake of calories they’re eating. This is a medical fallacy. Laxatives work in the colon, where no absorption of calories takes place. Laxatives deplete the body’s store of fluids, so any weight loss experienced is due to dehydration. Not only does this practice fail to produce the desired effect, laxative abuse can permanently damage the body and its ability to function.

* Exercise is good and you can never overdo a good thing. You can overdo a good thing, especially if an eating disorder is part of the equation. Exercise bulimia and anorexia athletica — conditions in which individuals purge calories through extreme exercise — are common. Excessive exercise can potentially lead to stress fractures of the bone, chronic pain, curvature of the spine, osteopenia or osteoporosis, loss of menstrual cycle, and even sudden death.

“Because there are so many eating disorder myths out there, the best resource for truth is a registered dietitian or medical doctor, preferably one who has worked extensively in the field of eating disorders,” adds Zuercher. “Unfortunately, eating disorders often develop after dabbling with diets. Beware of the underlying dangers in this cultural phenomenon.”

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