IS YOUR SCALE LYING TO YOU ABOUT YOUR HEALTH?

You are at the doctor’s office and the first thing the nurse does is ask you to step on the scale. You cringe. The doctor comes in and tells you according to his chart you are considered overweight, or even obese.

What is wrong with this picture?

Number one, a scale does only one thing. It weighs you. Number two, the old fashion weight and height posters most doctors’ offices use are usually outdated.They are not an indication of overall health, or at what risk you are for cardiovascular disease.

What is more important than the scale? The measurements of body composition and visceral fat and what they mean.

Body composition is defined as the percentage of fat, muscle, and bone in the body. It measures the ratio of body fat to lean tissue and bone in the body, not scale weight. The higher the number of fat percentage, the higher the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Visceral fat is the fat that lies deep in the abdomen beneath the muscle and sorrounds the organs.The higher amount of this fat puts you at risk for high blood pressure, stroke, sleep apnea, heart disease, diabetes and other degenerative diseases.

How can you find out if you are in the safe zone? There are several ways.

One is a body composition test called a BMI (body mass index) which measures the ratio between your weight and height. BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight (in kilograms) by his or her height (in meters, squared).This is a much more accurate way to classify a person as overweight or obese.

A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy for adults. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, while a BMI of 30 and above is considered obese. People with BMIs of 18.5 or less are considered underweight.

Note: a waist measurement of 35 inches or over in women and 40 inches or above in men are classified as high risk no matter what the BMI's are.

A Body Impedance Analysis (BIA)  which measures body composition by passing a weak electrical current through the body. While the person is lying down, electrodes are attached to various parts of the body and a small electric signal is circulated. This is not painful but gives an accurate percent of body fat. The higher the body fat percent, the higher the health risk. *see the body fat chart below.

The most simple is the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). This is the measurement of the circumference of the waist divided by the circumference of the hip. The smaller the number, the lower the chance of cardiovascular disease.  

In waist to hip ratios, health problems are increased when the ration is .95 or higher in men, and .80 or higher in women.

So know your numbers. Don't just look down at the scale and think you are okay.

My suggestion is to get on the internet and calculate your BMI by using a BMI calculator. Contact a local doctor who has a Body Impedance Analysis device and have a body fat percent taken.

The best, easiest, and most convenient way is to invest in a cloth measuring tape. You can usually buy one at any retail store in the sewing or crafts section. Measure yourself once a week. If your waist to hip ratio increases , so does your health risk factor.

AT A GLANCE

BMI Calculator:http://www.webmd.com/diet/calc-bmi-plus
How to correctly measure waist and hips:
Waist: Your waist measurement should be taken at the smaller section of your natural waist, usually located just above the belly button.
Hips: Your hip measurement should be taken at the your hips on the widest part of your buttocks.
Waist-to-hip ratio calculator: http://www.healthcalculators.org/calculators/waist_hip.asp 
The best and worse in body compostion devices. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56830
Top nine body composition measuring devices:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/shop/tp/bodyfatmonitors.htm

Body fat percentage chart:

Male Body Fat Percentages Chart

Age   EXCELLENT VERY GOOD GOOD FAIR POOR 19-24 < 11 11.1 - 15 15.1 - 19 19.1 - 23 > 23 25-29 < 13 13.1 - 17 17.1 - 20 20.1 - 24 > 24 30-34 < 15 15.1 - 18 18.1 - 22 22.1 - 25 > 25 35-39 < 16 16.1 - 19 19.1 - 23 23.1 - 26 > 26 40-44 < 18 18.1 - 21 21.1 - 24 24.1 - 27 > 27 45-49 < 19 19.1 - 22 22.1 - 25 25.1 - 28 > 28 50-54 < 20 22.1 - 23 23.1 - 26 26.1 - 29 > 29 55 + < 20 20.1 -24 24.1 -27 27.1 - 30 > 30

Female Body Fat Percentages Chart

Age   EXCELLENT VERY GOOD GOOD FAIR POOR 19-24 < 19 19.1 - 22 22.1 -25 25.1 - 30 > 30 25-29 < 19 19.1 - 22 22.1 - 25 25.1 -30 > 30 30-34 < 20 20.1 - 23 23.1 - 26 26.1 - 31 > 31 35-39 < 21 21.1 - 24 24.1 - 28 28.1 - 32 > 32 40-44 < 23 23.1 - 26 26.1 - 29 29.1 - 33 > 33 45-49 < 24 24.1 - 27 27.1 - 31 31.1 - 34 > 34 50-54 < 27 27.1 - 31 31.1 - 34 34.1 - 37 > 37 55 + < 28 28.1 - 31 31.1 -34 34.1 -38 > 38

Breakfast...Who Needs Breakfast? You Do!

Mom always said, “You have to eat breakfast it is the most important meal of the day.” However what she didn't say is ... what you eat is just as important as when you eat.

If you are trying to lose weight or even trying to maintain a healthy body composition, skipping breakfast is one of the worst things you can do.

Our bodies are in a "fasting mode" when we sleep. There is a 45 minute window of time to fuel the body when you awake or it automatically goes into fat storage mode. Not only does is store fat but it burns your muscle as its energy source.

By skipping breakfast you are setting up your body for variety of health issues leading to obesity, poor body composition and physical problems like sarcopenia (low muscle mass + low muscle function,) diabetes, and hyperglycemia. In children we can correlate poor school performance and behavioral problems with skipping breakfast.

This brings us to the next subject. What is a healthy breakfast?

You may argue that a VooDoo donut covered in Fruit Loops will give you energy and it might for a short time but it will also raise your blood glucose levels.

Foods that are high in sugar give you what is called a high glycemic load. It is high in simple carbohydrates or refined sugars which may cause a burst of energy but result in fatigue, headaches and concentration problems. High glycemic index foods have also been linked to ADHD and obesity.

Some breakfast foods that are high in refined sugars are cereals that have more than six grams of added sugar per serving, products made from white flour like bagels and pastries, also soft drinks, energy drinks, and fruit-ades like fruit punch or lemonade.  

The first step in avoiding foods with refined sugars is to read labels. Refined sugars often hide themselves. Beware of package labels with “ose” on them like (sucrose, fructose, dextrose and maltose,) or corn syrup, molasses, honey, sorbitol and corn sweetener.

What are good breakfast foods?

Low fat proteins such as eggs, nonfat cottage cheese or yogurt, and tofu. Grains like oatmeal along with fruits and vegetables are excellent choices. Even nuts like almonds or walnuts (make sure they are not roasted)  add fiber and healthy fats to your meals. If you are a cereal person then the best choices are lower sugar high fiber cereals.

So take the breakfast challenge!

Try eating a healthy breakfast within a half of hour of waking for one full week. You will find yourself starting to gain an appetite in the morning. An appetite in the morning means your metabolism is waking up and starting to work.

Not only is your metabolism working, but your body will start using your fat stores instead of your muscle as a source of energy.

Note to oneself...darn mom was right again, how does she do that?

AT A GLANCE

Healthy breakfast recipies: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/breakfast_recipes_to_beat_weight_gain

ADHD dietary information:

http://newideas.net/adhd/adhd-diet

Top Eight Best Tasting Healthy Cereals:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/choosing-healthy-breakfast-cereal?page=3

List of low, medium and high glycemic foods:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates-and-the-glycemic-load/

Obesity and skipping breakfast:

http://www.vaxa.com/healthtip/wht-breakfast-obesity.cfm