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Understanding the Basics of Weight Management

Dec 04, 2023

Weight Management

weight management weight management

We all know that maintaining a healthy weight is vital for our overall health and longevity. However, the dominance of fast foods and sedentary lifestyles has made weight management challenging. A healthy weight helps to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight impacts your mental health, boosting self-confidence and promoting a positive body image.

Let us discuss the several aspects of weight management, including its importance and how it helps to lead a healthy lifestyle.

What Is Weight Management?

Weight management involves making lasting adjustments to your lifestyle to ensure a healthy body weight. These adjustments include adopting a well-balanced and nutritious diet, enhancing your physical activity, and re-evaluating your relationship with food as a means of treat, reward, or stress management.

Weight management is more than just losing weight; it also involves maintaining a healthy lifestyle in the long term. It is where a medical weight loss program can help. A medical weight loss regimen includes clinically proven methods and therapies to achieve weight loss goals.

What Is Considered a Healthy Weight?

A healthy weight is having a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 18.5 to 25. BMI of anything below 18.5 is defined as underweight, 25 to 30 is overweight, between 30 and 35 is obese, and anything above 40 is morbidly obese.

To calculate your BMI, your height in meters and weight in kilograms are required. First, square your height and divide your weight by the squared height measurement. The resulting value is your BMI.  

For example, if you weigh 65kg and are 1.64 m tall, your BMI calculation involves:

  • Squaring your height - 1.64x1.64 = 3.28
  • Dividing 65 by 3.28 = 19.81

You should take your BMI value to one decimal place, so it comes to 19.8.

For many, fat will accumulate in the waist. To check whether your waist circumference is healthy or abnormal, measure it with a tap snugly fitting your waist. Your waist measurement is considered high if it is above:

  • 40 inches for men
  • 35 inches for women

Why Is It Important to Manage Your Weight?

Both overweight and underweight can put your health at risk, causing several issues and associated consequences. So, maintaining a healthy weight is indispensable to reduce the likelihood of problems and improve your physical fitness and mobility, enhancing your overall quality of life.

Risks of Being Overweight:

Being overweight can increase your risk of various health conditions that could reduce your longevity, including:

  • Heart diseases
  • Stroke 
  • Arthritis 
  • Body pain and decreased mobility
  • Breathing issues
  • High blood pressure 
  • Sleep issues
  • Depression and anxiety 
  • Infertility
  • Some types of cancer

Risks of Being Underweight:

Being underweight can lead to dangerous side effects. Losing one to two pounds is considered safe, but losing anything more than that can cause health issues, such as:

  • Slowed metabolism
  • Gallstones
  • Vitamin and mineral deficiencies  
  • Muscle loss

Sometimes, eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia can cause extreme weight loss and interfere with the functioning of your:

  • Immune system
  • Hormonal regulation 
  • Brain function 
  • Kidney health 
  • Gastrointestinal system 
  • Heart health

Besides, eating disorders can increase death rates. According to research, the probability of premature death in people with anorexia is six times higher than in those without the condition.  

How Does a Medical Weight Management Program Help You?

A medical weight management program provides substantial benefits to help you effectively and safely lose or gain weight to achieve healthy body weight, including:

1. Personalized Techniques

A weight management program involves addressing the underlying causes of weight gain or loss and formulating a customized plan to manage and maintain your weight.

2. Safe and Effective

Medical weight management programs are formulated, guided, and supervised by licensed and certified weight loss specialists, so you don't need to worry about their safety and productivity.

3. Ensures Primary Care

Medical weight management programs also focus on various aspects to ensure your overall health:

  • Medical evaluations: To assess your metabolic health and nutritional deficiencies.
  • Nutritional Counseling: Recommending personalized diet options to maintain optimal weight.
  • Physical Activity Regimen: Formulating workout plans to burn extra fat and boost energy.
  • Ongoing Support: Providing timely assistance and guidance regarding advice and instructions.

4. Better Health Outcomes

Medical weight management programs decrease the probability of developing chronic conditions and also help improve sleep quality and energy and reduce joint pain.

5. Sustainable Success

Medical weight management programs help patients achieve a healthy weight and maintain it permanently.

Final Thoughts

Medical weight management programs offer a comprehensive weight management approach tailored to individual needs by combining medical supervision, physical activity, and nutritional counseling. So, you can embrace them for promising results and a healthier lifestyle.

Struggling with Achieving a Healthy Weight? Modern Family Medicine Can Help!

Modern Family Medicine offers sustainable, expert-guided weight management programs to help those seeking to achieve their dream physique. So, don't wait to experience a healthier and fittest you. Contact us today if you are looking for the best weight loss doctor in Duluth, GA.

Source: jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com

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