Tips to Achieve Your Ideal Weight
Weight is a concern for so many. In the United States alone, two-thirds of the population is considered overweight or obese. This means the majority of people fall into the health-at-risk category. This issue is spreading throughout our world.
As a National-Board Certified Health Coach, I help clients identify where they need to make changes in their personal lives to reduce this risk. It’s supporting individuals to develop healthy habits through an environment of “no judgment” that we create together.
There are a variety of scenarios when it comes to body weight. Some individuals want to lose weight; some need to gain. Some may want to shift their weight by reducing fat and gain muscle. Some simply want to maintain. It’s really about body, mind and spirit wellness as all parts work together affecting one’s health. It’s meeting people where they are on their own health and wellness journey.
What Exactly is an Ideal Weight?
There are two ways to consider an “ideal” weight. One is a mathematical calculation and the other is more intuitive.
Mathematical Calculation: You may or may not have heard about this mathematical calculation entitled the Hamwi equation . Click on this calculator to help you determine your ideal weight. Here’s how it works:
Women: Let’s start with 100 pounds + 5 pounds for each inch above 5’. Subtract 5 pounds for each inch below 5’.
Men: Start with 106 pounds + 6 pounds for each inch above 5’. Subtract 6 pounds for each inch below 5’.
Example: According to the Hamwi method, the ideal weight of 90 pounds is for a woman who is 4’10”. 100 - [5+5] = 90 pounds. The ideal weight for a man who is 5’10” is 166 pounds (106 + [6x10]).
Typically, being within 10% of that number is considered acceptable, which allows for different body frames.
Intuitive Approach: Ask yourself…”What weight do I feel best and can I safely maintain it?” In other words, how do you feel guides versus relying solely on what the scale says. An intuitive approach looks at the big picture—how all “food” affects the body. Let me expand further.
Remember how I said total body wellness involves body, mind and spirit. From a health coach perspective, we look at what is called primary and secondary foods. Primary foods include 11 areas in your personal life from your career to relationships and hobbies. Secondary food, believe it or not, is all the food you eat which refers to nutrition. This is secondary because if your primary food has a negative impact on your life, adjusting what you eat alone will not create the whole-body health and wellness you are seeking. Placing too much emphasis on body weight alone can cause areas of primary food to suffer. So, both primary and secondary foods work synergistically for total body wellness.
Focus on balancing your primary food as well as making nutritious secondary food choices will lead to a healthy body weight, which seems to be on people’s minds. The following tips can help you to achieve your ideal weight. These suggestions are tools for your toolbox and can be used when setting and accomplishing your goals.
Switch What You’re Drinking
Add more water to your diet can contribute to weight loss over time.
Eliminate sugar-sweetened or high-calorie beverages including sugar-free drinks. There is a correlation between consuming soft drinks and eating more calories during the day.
Make smoothies. Not only can they be helpful for gaining weight but they are great for maintaining too. It really depends on what you put in them. Pack them with whole foods like fruit and greens plus such goodness found in protein powders, nut butters, chia/hemp/flaxseeds and avocados.
Focus on Whole, Nutrient-Dense Foods
Eating whole foods is key to maintaining a healthy weight. Real nutrition helps you to feel satiety (full). Choose healthy fats, complex carbohydrates and lean proteins.
Eating lots of plants for their fiber also keeps you feeling full longer. You’re less likely to reach for snacks between meals. Plant fiber supports gut health too which correlates with achieving a healthy body weight.
Include high-quality fat sources like olive and coconut oils, and salmon with meals.
Limit Exposure to Toxic Additives
Daily exposure to environmental compounds contributes to weight gain and regulation. They affect the body’s ability to metabolize fat. Such compounds are known endocrine disruptors like phthalates, BPA found in plastics and nonstick pan coatings, fragrance, pesticides, etc.
Avoid toxins in personal care products. Did you know that over 1,300 toxic chemicals are banned in Europe and only 11 are either banned or regulated in the United States? Initially, this was shocking for me to hear. To get you started with reading your personal care product labels, use this list of 22 such harmful chemicals. It will help you identify some common problems and it explains how they affect your body. Often times people think about the foods they eat but overlook what they put on their skin. These ingredients absorb into your bloodstream and affect your organs, brain, blood, fat cells, etc. If you’d like to learn more, I give insights into the organic shampoo I used at the height of my frustration with this unregulated industry. Read “Can You Relate to My Struggle?”
Manage Stress
Stress increases the body’s production of stress hormones. The body then goes into fat-storage mode meaning it becomes more effective at storing fat.
Emotional implications of stress can cause some to seek comfort from food. The more stressed you are, the more likely you are to eat fatty, sugary foods.
The body is also more efficient at turning these empty calories into fat.
Some have decreased appetite and eat less during times of stress. If this is you, be mindful to increase your nutritional intake to meet your needs in spite of your circumstances.
Eat regular meals with others and include favorite spices and flavorings when cooking can help. Ginger and cayenne are two spices that can stimulate your appetite.
Ways to Reduce Stress
Exercise of choice. Choose an exercise you will love and actually do!
Relaxation exercises with deep breathing
Listen to music
Read books
Pick up a hobby like painting, drawing, quilting, ceramics, etc.
Eat Mindfully
Slow down and be present. Take a moment to be thankful for your food.
Chew each bite thoroughly. This begins and assists your digestion preparing your body to absorb the most from the foods you eat.
It’s true…it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to catch up with your stomach while eating. You may find with slowing down and chewing well, you need much smaller portions to feel full.
Recognize each bite is nourishing you. Picture the food entering your body, making you strong and health. Taking the extra time helps support efficient digestion and nutrition absorption.
Include Breakfast
So many that have been successful at weight loss and keeping it off usually start their day with a wholesome breakfast. The right foods can keep you full through your morning and prevent binge eating later.
A well-rounded breakfast carries you through the morning and includes protein, complex carbohydrates and lean fats.
Don’t Skip Meals!
Skipping meals can lead to getting famished between meals. When this happens, you are more likely to binge on the foods you’re trying to limit/avoid. It leads to impulsive food decisions, eating more than you normally would.
Eat balanced meals.
Eat nutritious snacks if hungry such as a green apple with almond butter, nuts/seeds.
Cook at Home
At restaurants, portion sizes are larger and you usually eat more. Eating out is a fun treat but shouldn’t be where you get the majority of your food.
Food prepared at home is typically lower in fat, salt, sugar and chemical additives.
Experiment with cooking at home. Try some simple recipes on my website. Click here to find this page. I only share those that are delicious and easy to prepare.
Explore a variety of whole foods, try new ones as well as new cooking techniques to make home cooking more appealing. “Vegetable Preparation Made Easy!” may be helpful to you.
Incorporate one new food or recipe every week or two to vary nutritious options in your diet.
Cooking at home gives you more control over the ingredients consumed. It can ensure you’re getting high-quality ingredients prepared with LOVE.
Helps you control the foods you want to eat and avoid those you don’t.
Make Sleep a Priority
Skipping on sleep can cause disruption in your circadian rhythms. This can increase inflammation in your body and set you up for conditions that lead to weight gain.
Sleep deprivation causes the body to produce more ghrelin. This hormone signals you to eat.
Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
Sleep is the body’s time to rest and repair to be more effective during the day.
Avoid eating 2-3 hours before bed as this can affect sleep quality. There are many reasons not to eat so close to bedtime. If you’d like to learn more about this, read “How Digestion Affects Your Sleep Quality”.
Exercise
Exercise relieves stress, burns calories and gives your metabolism a boost beyond the work out.
Eating protein following a workout supports muscle repair.
Resistance and strength training with weights builds muscle. Muscle burns fat and improves bone density, which is a concern particularly as we age.
How you treat your body makes a definite difference in how you look and the amount of energy you have throughout your day.
Speaking for myself…Until I began feeling well, I didn’t realize what I had been missing. Read more about my journey and see a picture of me from eight years ago. As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. As you can see, I was retaining fluid and feeling puffy. Having been through menopause, I thought my “normal” included craving sugar and lacking energy each day.
Making changes and choosing what was right for my body totally made a difference. My body continues to heal from the many years of not knowing how to treat it. It’s really a process and not an event.
As a National-Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, I can guide you to find what’s right for your body, mind and spirit.
“Dear Friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”