Body Shape and Weight Loss

What is your shape? You may think you know when you look in the mirror, or you may be too busy trying to cover up unshapely areas to really see yourself as you are. Do you know how much fat you're carrying, compared to how much muscle? Do you know where you tend to gain weight - upper body, lower body or around the middle?

Until you know the answer to these questions, you are not ready to make your personal plan for losing weight and keeping it off. Understanding your body is the first step to reaching your best personal shape.

Many people do not realise the importance of body shape. With many weight loss and diet books it is underemphasized, or ignored.

You have probably read about the Body-Mass Index (BMI) which is a weight-to-height ratio. If your BMI is greater than 25, you are considered overweight and if it is greater than 30 you are obese. This ratio has been a powerful way for scientists to document the obesity epidemic in US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom. However, when it comes to you as an individual, it cam be misleading. A football player can be considered overweight on the BMI scale, but if the extra weight being carried is muscle, he is not really fat. A thin woman can have a normal BMI, yet still be over-fat. So shape counts.

Shape also helps determine goals. Women are very conscious of their shape and dress size, and for many women changing their shape is more important than just losing weight. Men are often unaware of their excess weight around the middle, and simply buy larger pants or tighten their belt below their stomach. Man may care less about a shapely appearance, but shape has many health consequences and improved health is a goal for many men. Losing weight around the middle can help reduce cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood-sugar levels.

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