The Power of Ten

What are you hoping for - what is your reason for wanting to lose weight?

For many of us, time goes by and we notice we are getting heavier and our clothes don't fit as well --- or we know we have always been a few sizes larger than we "should" be -- and for still others, we want to be 10 pounds lighter before a class reunion or beach vacation.  What I'd like to have you think about today, is how important losing even 10% of your body weight can be to keeping your organs and systems disease-free and even help you live longer!

First, it's important to figure out if you need to lose 10%. So I'm inviting you to visit this website:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/calc-bmi-plus
and plug  your personal information into the BMI calculator.

The BMI - or Body Mass Index Chart - is also in the booklet provided to you; it looks a little different from the one on WebMD's site.  Your height/weight ratio is used to calculate your body mass as a single number - each time the number goes up "one" - say from 24 to 25, it represents a change of about 5 pounds in weight. So you can use the chart in the book, or just bookmark this interactive tool and use it as you make progress on your journey to Lighten Up.

If you fall in the range of overweight or obese, losing 10% of your weight can help you meet several goals - and wearing a different size in jeans is just one of them!

Let's say you weigh 200 pounds. Losing 10% would equal 20 pounds.  By following our recommendations in this blog, you could expect to lose 1 - 2 pounds a week. So it could take you 10 to 20 weeks to lose 10 % of your body weight. To some that may seem like a long time, and indeed, many people will lose that - or more - in less time. But let me ask you this: how happy would you be to be 20 pounds lighter by Halloween?

And here are some of the tangible, life-changing benefits you could reap by losing that 10%!

Love Your Heart!


 By losing just 10 percent of your body weight, it is possible to lower your cholesterol and reduce your blood pressure, says G. Ken Goodrick, PhD,  associate professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, as reported by Weight Watchers. High cholesterol and high blood pressure (hypertension) are two major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Heart disease, as most of you know, is the leading cause of death – not just in West Virginia, but in America – for both men and women.

Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Being overweight dramatically increases your risk for type 2 diabetes, a condition in which your body can't make enough, or properly use, insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps convert the sugars in food to energy in our body. According to the Diabetes Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, a reduction of 7 - 10 percent of your body weight improves your body's ability to use the insulin it makes, possibly preventing the onset of the disease. If you already have type 2 diabetes, shedding that 10 percent may improve your blood glucose control and that helps to prevent complications of diabetes. I have known people in our community who were able to reduce or stop taking diabetes medications when they lost weight. So preventing and managing diabetes by lifestyle changes (diet, weight management and physical activity) is extremely important.

Increased Well-being

Just a 10 percent weight loss can increase your energy, improve sleep and sleep disorders, and improvements also often can be seen in our mental attitude. You may find that suddenly you have the energy and interest to do things that you used to lack interest in doing. When you stick to something and see it work, it can be immensely motivating - you know the old saying” nothing breeds success like success.”

Losing 10 percent can give you the self-confidence and motivation you need to keep going if your ultimate weight loss goal is more than that. Regardless of the amount you want to lose over the long haul, a 10 percent weight loss improves your body mass index every time you lose 5 pounds – pushing you closer and closer to a healthier weight range and a healthier future! And that is no small achievement!