Publication
The little book of white lies
The diet starts tomorrow
WHY YOUR WEIGHT MATTERS.
The health risks of being overweight, and the health benefits of maintaining a steady weight.
Your weight affects your health - and not just in the physical ways you’re first likely to be aware of.
There are also social benefits, and psychological ones, in maintaining a healthy weight. You feel fitter, more energetic and generally livelier. Your confidence is improved, and you enjoy taking part in events and activities more than you did.
But there are other health benefits associated with maintaining a healthy weight and an active life.
They include less risk of raised blood pressure, less risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, gall bladder disease, arthritis, back pain, varicose veins and some cancers.
Of course weight is not the whole story in the development of these conditions - some of them have other causes, and there are plenty of slim, trim people who get them, too. But research over many years, looking at the health of many thousands of people, shows the risk of these conditions increases with your weight - and more importantly, you can lower your risk if you lose weight, and stay at that lower level.
So lighten up?
If you need to lose weight, it’s best to lose it in small amounts, steadily, over a period of time.
You might want to look slimmer, and want to lose a lot of weight quickly, so you can have something to show for it.
But getting that small, gradual and consistent loss really does pay off.
Why?
• It’s easier to achieve - trying to lose large amounts week after week doesn’t work.
• It allows you to enjoy treats - who wants to miss out on all their favourite foods and drinks?
• Larger amounts, lost quickly, don’t stay off. As soon as you start eating ‘normally’ again, your weight is regained - maybe even more than the amount you lost in the first place.
The health risks of being overweight, and the health benefits of maintaining a steady weight.
Keep it steady!
Most people do gain weight gradually over time, and it’s a real achievement to stop this happening. Preventing weight gain is an important factor in your health, especially if you have other risk factors, such as a family tendency to weight-related illness, or if you already suffer from high blood pressure or other conditions that could be made worse by extra weight (like arthritis). The same applies if you have lost weight - you need it to stay lost!
You’ll notice that when you have lost even a small amount of weight, you’ll feel better (probably some time before you actually see much difference in the mirror). Feeling more energetic helps you to become more active, and gives you some incentive to stick to healthy eating, as well.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE, AS THE SAYING GOES.
Your waist and your health
Some people find a lot of their extra weight sits on their waistline. If your waist is actually more of a memory than a reality, then it could be a sign you are at a higher risk of coronary heart disease. The fat that lies there is known as ‘intra-abdominal fat’ and you can measure the extent of it by measuring your waist.
Research has shown that generally, the risk of coronary heart disease for both men and women grows progressively along with their waist measurement.
Men have an increased risk if their waist measures 94cm (37 inches) or more.
Women have an increased risk if their waist measures 80cm (32 inches) or more.
Men have a substantially increased risk if their waist measures 102cm (40 inches) or more.
Women have a substantially increased risk if their waist measures 88cm (35 inches) or more.
Although the research shows these ‘cut off’ points between ‘increased risk’ and ‘substantially increased risk’, the message for real life is that the risk of coronary heart disease increases as the tape measure expands.
How do we know?
Studies were done in America, where researchers measured a lot of waistlines (about 51,000), and matched the results up to other known risk factors for coronary heart disease. They found the waist measurement was a very reliable indicator - with the advantage that it was quick and easy to do, compared to checks such as weighing, checking blood pressure and measuring cholesterol.
‘Losing a bit means gaining a lot ... in health benefits we mean’
It’s true!
The research shows that if you are overweight or obese, you don’t have
to slim down to a ‘perfect’ weight to experience substantial reductions
in risk.
Even small losses have an effect. Regardless of original size, if someone who is overweight loses between 5-10kg (3/4 -1 1/2 stones) they will:
• improve back and joint pain
• improve lung function
• reduce breathlessness
• sleep better
• experience social and psychological benefits.
A loss of 10kg (1.5 stones) or more means:
• a greater than 20% reduction in risk of death from any cause
• a greater than 30% reduction in the risk of dying from a diabetes-related condition
• a greater than 40% reduction in the risk of dying from obesity-related cancer.
The loss of relatively few pounds also removes a substantial amount of blood fats such as cholesterol, the fatty deposits which clog up your arteries and make it harder for your heart to do its job.