Weigh In or Out

Growing up, many of the women around me were always talking about getting down to a certain number. They could not eat or drink a product because it may cause them to gain an extra pound. They were trying to lose weight to fit into "that dress" for whatever occasion. Wanting to lose weight for their partner or because their friends are. Or even women who had just housed a human for 9 months wanting to "bounce back" to society's expectations of what a mom should look like post-partum. And how could we forget the beautiful men and women who flood our social media timelines selling us the “perfect” figure.

I have also seen the weight topic amongst men. For some, it is trying to gain weight to look more muscular or lift heavier. For others it is to have abs or to lose weight to fit a specific masculine structure.

During my years as a personal trainer, I saw my fair share of eating disorders, hyper fixation on weight loss/gain, and an overall negative outlook on what our gravitational pull number should look like. People will try any method to get down to their desired number. From pills, supplements, diet shakes, ingesting worms, starving themselves, overtraining, gummies, strict diets, surgeries, programs, and I am sure I missed a few. The problem is none of them work. They may for a few weeks, months, or even years but the results are often unsustainable at high speeds. According to a theory called "set point" reviewed by MD Anderson, the body wants to return to a certain weight that the body has gotten used to. This is why starving is not a good method because metabolism will slow down and wreak havoc on the body later when it begins consuming calories again. Most often, people gain more weight than they started with. The same is true when trying different diets or cutting out all of some food type which will often cause the body to compensate with a substitute.

But what does our weight actually represent and is it even important?

Weight helps bring trackable awareness if one is underweight, at a healthy weight, overweight, or obese. BMI is also calculated using body weight divided by height. BMI metrics cannot differentiate fat and muscle so an athlete with more muscle mass may fall into the "overweight" category for BMI because muscle weighs more than fat.

There are many factors that affect the scale result including:

• Weight of bones (heavier for taller people)

• Weight of organs, blood, water, lymph system, and other body components.

• Breasts, yes, the girls can be heavy.

• Chronic alcohol use can enlarge the heart and liver.

• Genetics

• Medical conditions and/or disability

• Medicines

• Alcohol use

• Tobacco use

• Drug use

• Environmental: City vs rural living and accessibility to different types of foods.

• Sleep schedule

• Lifestyle: Is daily work standing or sitting? Is exercise daily, weekly, or never? Running around with kids?

• Eating habits: More snack foods? Not enough fiber and nutrient dense foods? Too much processed or fast foods?

• Menstrual cycle

• Mental health: Depression and anxiety have a large impact.

• Eating disorders

• Age

• Digestion: The morning trip to the bathroom can fluctuate the weight by a few pounds.

• Water/food intake

• Gender

As we can see, there are so many factors that can affect weight. But does that mean weight is not important? The short answer, no. Weight is still important because it is the baseline to help determine risk factors to being underweight, overweight, obese, or other health issues. Risk factors for obesity are severe from heart attacks, diabetes, tumors, cancer, autoimmune disorders, strokes, dementia, other cognitive disorders, fertility problems for both men and women, diseases, and the list is still growing. Obesity continues to rise in the US and around the world. The CDC has an interactive map that breaks down levels by income, gender, age, race, and education. Amongst the US states Louisiana, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Alabama have the highest obesity rates. Childhood obesity is also rising at a terrifying rate. 1/3 to 1/2 of obese children will be obese adults.

Obesity statistics matter largely because of the health of future generations but also the impact on the healthcare system. Obesity contributes to $147 billion each year and continues to increase. As people grow, healthcare costs grow as well. These costs are directly paid by us through payroll taxes and Social Security.

Overall, the most dangerous type of fat is abdominal fat. This fat surrounds the organs and causes a variety of problems.

Body positivity is an important issue to address. Bullying, making fun, or discriminating people due to their weight is never okay. It is also important to note accepting a trend of children and adults becoming obese is also not the right approach. For the first time, life expectancy has actually gone down due largely to obesity.

What other factors can help measure progress other than the scale?

• Measuring tape

• Clothes: If clothes feel tighter, weight was gained. If clothes feel looser, weight was lost.

• BMI: Remember, muscle and fat are calculated the same using this method.

• Photos: Take a pic in the beginning of a new weight loss/gain journey and take bi-weekly or monthly updates.

• Body fat test: Body scanner or fat calipers

• Fitness levels: Lifting more weight, swimming/running faster, increasing reps for pull-ups/push-ups, and increasing overall endurance are all big wins.
  

What are other healthy tips to helping reduce weight?

• Calculating macro and micros

• Sustainable exercise routine

• Choosing better food options: Focus more on nutrient dense foods and increase gut health.

• Reducing processed foods, drinks, sugars, oils, and ingredients.

• Portion control

• Increase water.

• Better sleep

• Improve mental health.

• Being mindful with the body: Know hunger cues, stressors that cause for reaching for less nutritious foods, and feeling when body is full.

• See a dietician.

• Continue to learn from new research regarding health.
  

What about gaining weight?

• Eat more often: Add snacks in between meals or eat more meals per day.

• Add more calorie dense and nutritious foods to each meal.

• Shakes/smoothies: Can add coconut oil, peanut butter, protein powders, tofu, or other higher calorie foods into an easily consumable drink.

• Increase weight at the gym: Gaining more muscle will increase weight.

• Add more dairy, rice, nuts, healthy oils, and oats.
  

So, what is the answer to losing weight and keeping it off?

It takes time. To truly prevent the body from wanting to return to its "comfortable weight", the body needs small daily changes that will last a lifetime. If it took 10+ years to put on the weight, having a 5 month timeline to take the weight off is simply unrealistic. Not impossible but improbable.

Using a scale can help but do not use it as the only factor to measure goals. Add new movement daily and feed the body caring nutrients. Love the body through each of its' many transitions through life. We put the body through so much during our daily lives. Appreciate the wonderful way it moves, provides for us, and physical host to our soul.

Thank you for reading!

"Destiny is Mine"

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*Reminder* I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. Please refer to your medical practitioner for details pertaining to your specific health.