Do you have a target weight that you are endlessly working towards? Do you constantly diet and exercise to get back to the weight you were in high school or on your wedding day? Take a moment to reevaluate your diet plan. You may be closer to reaching a healthy weight for your body type than you think.
Overtime, the changes in our body as we age can change and this can result in a naturally higher weight. Our body may accumulate fat in places that it wasn’t before, and our bones and muscles may put on more mass. This is all natural weight gain due to aging. Therefore, as we grow older, it is important to adjust our target weight and our weight loss expectations. It may be unrealistic to lose weight past what our bodies decide is our new natural weight. Getting back down to the weight we were in high school or years earlier may now be out of our grasp. But this isn’t bad news. It just means that we have a new normal and we shouldn’t try to force our bodies to defy nature and lose more weight than we are meant to.
Discover Your Healthy Weight
To find out what a healthy weight for your body type, a body mass index (BMI) chart is the best tool to use. Try to use a chart that takes your gender, body frame, height and weight into account for the most accurate target weight. Some BMI charts exist that use fewer measurements and these may produce unrealistic results for your body type. If you have a larger frame, you may also have denser bones or more muscle mass and as a result you will naturally weigh more. The healthy weight for your body may be higher than someone with a smaller frame, even if you are both the same height.
When devising a weight loss plan, it is important to take into account the healthy weight range provided by the body mass index chart. You may be surprised at how close you are to your healthy weight even before you begin dieting. This way you can be certain that you are keeping your body at a healthy and manageable weight. Using this chart as a weight loss guideline can prevent you from yo-yo dieting and having drastic weight changes while you are dieting.
The 10 Percent Rule
You may be aware that studies have found that losing 10 percent of your current weight often leads to many health benefits. From a reducing your risk of heart disease, to lowering your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, there are many benefits to dropping a few pounds. You don’t have to be the skinniest you have ever been to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Once you set realistic goals for yourself, you will find that losing weight isn’t as stressful or unpleasant as before. You can have the satisfaction of knowing that you are slimming down to a healthy weight for your specific body type and be assured that this is a rational goal. Now, instead of trying to fit into your high school jeans, treat yourself to a new wardrobe that fits you at your new healthy weight. Losing weight doesn’t have to be a painful experience, the point is to be the healthiest version of your self that you can be. Good luck!
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