The age-old question: "Do you need to lose weight?" has medical, aesthetic and even philosophical aspects. Lovers of soft forms deny the need to lose weight with a normal percentage of fat. Athletes often do not understand this and “shrink” to a physiological minimum. And doctors say that everything that can fit into the tabular BMI values ​​\u200b\u200bis fine and great. And what does not fit, even due to large muscle mass, is not very good. From an objective point of view, there are several criteria under which weight threatens health. And several methods of "aesthetic" weight loss, also far from useful for him.

Body mass index - a necessary condition or convention

We all know that if we divide the weight in kg, the height in cm squared will be the Quetelet index or BMI. This indicator is used by doctors to determine obesity, and anything over 25 units is considered unhealthy and wrong. In particular, excess weight, even with a BMI of up to 30, creates an increased load on the heart, musculoskeletal system, spine and joints. BMI from 30 to 35 is obesity of the first degree, then the "degrees" are distributed in increments of 5 conventional units:

• 35-40 - the second;
• 40 and above - third

With a BMI below 18.5, a diagnosis of "lack of body weight" is made. It should not be confused with anorexia or some kind of mental illness. Sometimes it's just the structure of the body and nothing else.

The body mass index is widely used in hospitals and schools, it is also offered to us when assessing our body weight and most online calculators and calorie counters.

It will also show how your body mass index is normal from the point of view of modern medicine.

Simple manipulations will help to get the correct value:

• weighing immediately after the toilet in the morning on an empty stomach, in a minimum of clothing. The scale must be placed on a smooth floor surface and away from the microwave oven;
• You need to stand on the scales evenly, stand without swaying from heel to toe. Before weighing, it is worth calibrating the product according to the instructions;
  growth is also measured in the morning, in the evening, due to the natural elasticity of cartilage tissue, it can change downward;
  online calculators allow you to achieve a minimum error, therefore it is enough to simply measure height in centimeters and weight in kilograms, and do not round anything.

Online BMI calculator

In order not to suffer with the calculations yourself, you can use the online BMI calculator:

Why is the Quetelet index useful?

This index is good for its objectivity. Our height during adulthood does not change, and weight is subject to fluctuations. Tracking them, we can see the dynamics clearly. However, you can track the dynamics of weight, for example, losing weight or gaining mass in kilograms. The index simply gives us an objective assessment of these indicators.

The people against the Quetelet index

So you come to the doctor and find out that the BMI is de high. According to the official point of view, this should immediately motivate changes in a “healthy” direction. We all know what doctors advise in this case:

• switch to fractional nutrition, reducing the volume of servings;
• start eating vegetables and fruits with every meal;
• drink at least 2 liters of water, and preferably 40 ml per kilogram of weight;
• give up processed foods, sweets, fatty fried foods, sauces and ... everything that makes food delicious. Yes, in any medical institution you will be told about the benefits of fresh and low-fat foods, although this information is already outdated in the context of scientific nutrition.

But what if you don’t come anywhere, but just sit at home and drive in the search over and over again: “Do I need to lose weight if my weight is ...”? This in itself is not a healthy situation, and even if you need to lose weight “for health”, it does not get better. Large BMI numbers really motivate someone to learn more about proper nutrition and feasible physical activity, and someone - completely opposite actions. Many people think that there is nothing more to strive for, if the BMI is already so high, everyone around is already criticizing, life is difficult, so isn’t it easier to relax and eat a bun? If your situation is somewhat reminiscent of this, it is worth understanding your internal psychological problems, and not engaging in fitting the body to the standard of beauty.

BMI vs Female Athletes

Find any table with the height and weight of athletes in power sports. At least go to the CrossfitGames website. There you will not see almost anyone whose weight would not lie within the height of minus 100 cm. Are these women close to obese? Not on your nelly! Yes, and performing in aesthetic sports, not in a dehydrated state, weigh no less than “growth minus 100”, and sometimes more.

A whole bunch of curious cases are known when sports people were recorded in the category of "obese patients" simply because of their high BMI. Therefore, practitioners should choose another criterion that answers their important question.

In addition, BMI does not take into account such universal indicators as gender and age, as well as occupation, bone structure, body parameters, and even ... pregnancy or adolescence and childhood. In general, more modern sources recommend that you and I abandon BMI as an imperfect indicator.

Emphasis on body fat percentage

The percentage of fat is considered a more modern and perfect indicator for answering the age-old question about losing weight. However, even here it was not without marketing, culture and criteria that are not related to health.

Doctors believe that a girl with a fat percentage of 25 to 30 is healthy and normal. In fashion magazines and Hollywood films, we see beauties with 18-25% body fat and this is considered normal. But in the fitness industry, having something more than 18% in good physical shape is nonsense. On stage, bodybuilding athletes stand in conditions from 9 to 16% of fat mass, depending on the nomination. And it is this low percentage that many girls perceive as a reference.

No one denies that a percentage of the order of 8-16 is not healthy and cannot be maintained for a long time. So if you have such aesthetic ideals, it is worth planning everything for yourself - from how long you will hunt for the desired percentage, how you will witness it (on a competitive stage or by arranging a photo shoot), and how you will return to a healthier shape.

Why is low body fat dangerous? Various sources associate it with such problems as "deficiency" of sex hormones, amenorrhea, infertility, disorders of the nervous system, irritability, insomnia, depression. They also say that if a low percentage of fat is natural for a person, it cannot be considered as an obligatory “victim” of these problems.

How to measure body fat percentage

The easiest way is an online calculator to measure body fat percentage. You enter height, weight, gender, age and anthropometric parameters (volumes), the calculator calculates the approximate percentage of fat. Such measurements are quite accurate, and will allow you to answer the question about losing weight unambiguously. Especially working with a calculator will be useful for those who are engaged in strength fitness, and visually “found” their result, but read too much about ideal parameters, and now they think that they should be reached at any cost.

You can check the results of the online calculator in other ways:

• calipometry. Find a specialist who will measure the thickness of the fat layer with a caliper (there are such in fitness centers), and calculate the necessary indicators using a table, this method is considered quite accurate, but it’s nice to make sure the specialist’s qualifications;
• bioimpedance analysis. The hardware method with a fairly wide distribution, allows you to get the result almost instantly. Widespread in fitness centers and beauty industry

In any case, the error of different methods can reach 10-12%, which is why people doubt and use different visual indicators like the well-known picture with how different percentages of fat look.

Online body fat calculator

Weight loss in simple facts

Many people should not lose weight not in principle, but right now. Still, a healthy weight loss of a few kilograms takes time, a fairly measured schedule and new strength to make changes in your diet, life and physical activity. Doctors warn us not to start losing weight during a period of great stress at work and in our personal lives.

Do we listen to doctors? Of course not. Most of us begin to think about losing weight precisely when something goes wrong in the “rest of life”. Here you can give only one piece of advice - first try to plan the day so that you "give" an hour for cooking healthy food and half an hour for physical exercises. And then you yourself will find out whether it is worth it or not to start with weight loss.

Psychological aspects

Many people suffer from complexes for years, and cannot be realized as a person. The point here is not in weight and body shape, but in the fact that no matter how they look, they will not feel happy and harmonious. If the cause of the problems is psychological, and you just desperately dislike yourself, no matter what, even a little extra weight is not the very first problem. In such situations, the best choice is to seek psychological help before weight loss begins. Of course, if there are health markers and the doctor said that you need to lose weight, you will have to do it. But preliminary preparation in this case will definitely not be superfluous, and it can reach the process correctly and with all responsibility.

When you don’t need to lose weight, but you don’t like your appearance

Here it is necessary to clearly distinguish for yourself whether this is healthy discontent leading to growth, or simple “self-digging” in order to refuse to solve pressing life problems. The latter can lead very far from the path of health and beauty. If a person is set up specifically to mask the solution of problems, he can also set unattainable goals such as the same stage "dryness" at any cost and try to achieve them in almost 2 weeks, constantly breaking down, and acquiring even more problems than before the start of the whole event with weight loss.

If the appearance with a normal BMI is “not athletic and fit enough” - the solution is obvious. It is necessary to do fitness without going into a "deficit" of calories, and without striving at the same time to immediately set great strength records. Just half a year in the gym with adequate nutrition is a better option than half a year of trying to lose weight, then gain weight with diet fluctuations and their corresponding weight “drops”.

With a slightly higher than normal percentage of fat, it is also not advised to immediately “sit down” on a calorie deficit and drastically lose weight. There is always an option to increase physical activity. Its addition and muscle strengthening can create this very deficiency without a diet, and make the whole event more psychologically comfortable.

Be that as it may, if you decide to lose weight, you should understand that this event is not for a day or two, but at least for 12-16 weeks. Doctors believe that it is safe to reduce weight by 400-500 g per week. Such modest numbers will help you and keep muscle mass on a calorie deficit as much as possible. All this leads us not only to health, but also to the aesthetics of the body.

At the same time, it is absolutely not necessary that you lose weight on some ready-made diet from a guru or engage in certain physical exercises. In the end, what matters is the stability of the calorie deficit, and the ability to make healthy choices all the time, and not on any one particular day.

Having a slender athletic figure, without a single hint of fat folds, is now a trend. Losing weight has become a way of life, but at the same time you can often hear the following phrase: “I need to lose weight, but I don’t know how much” ... Admit it, you also don’t know how many kilograms you have “extra”? Do you have them at all - these extra pounds?

It also happens vice versa. Having heard advice from a doctor, relative or friend to lose weight, many will be indignant: “Why? Everything is fine with me, I’m comfortable in my weight!” And this indignation will be partly justified, since the concept of “normal weight” is purely individual.

How to understand what weight is considered normal for you personally, should you lose weight, and, most importantly, by how much? To detect overweight, there are several methods applicable at home. Of course, the indicators obtained will not be 100% accurate, but to obtain the most correct results, you can use all of the following methods in combination.

Methods for determining overweight

So, the first, easiest way is to measure the waist circumference and hips. The waist should be measured just above the navel, the hips - at the most protruding points. Women with a waist circumference of less than 88 cm (and men with indicators of less than 102 cm) do not face health problems. Also, everything is normal if the ratio of waist circumference to hip circumference is not more than 0.85 (0.9 in men). But higher numbers indicate that weight loss is necessary.

The second "home" way to detect the presence of excess weight is the calculation of body mass index(BMI) according to the following formula: BMI = weight (kg) : (height (m))2.

This method, which helps to identify the presence of extra pounds, was developed by the Belgian A. Ketele back in 1869, later the World Health Organization proposed a “decoding” of body mass indices:

	Degree of health risk
16 and under	Underweight (increased health risk)
	Underweight (moderate health risk)
	Body weight is normal, weight loss is not required
	Body weight is overweight (moderate health risk)
	First degree obesity (increased health risk)
	Obesity of the second degree (highly increased health risk)
40 or more	Obesity of the third degree (very much increased health risk)

Calculating BMI will allow you to determine what weight is considered normal for your height. However, when calculating, do not forget about two points:

• this formula "works" if you are over 18 years old;
• in people involved in sports, BMI may be higher than normal due to developed muscle mass.

Method three - measurement of skin-fat folds (caliperometry)

Previously, this method of determining overweight was practiced in medical institutions and fitness centers, but now it has become available at home. To accurately measure skin-fat folds, you need to purchase a special device - a caliper, you can find it in medical equipment stores and sporting goods stores. The caliper is needed to accurately capture and measure the thickness of the skin fold in three places on the body: triceps, area and thigh in women (in men - thigh, abdomen and chest) . Normally, the thickness of the skin fold should be 1.1-1.5 cm, but if the fold is more than 2 cm, then this indicates the presence of obesity. Compare the result with the data in a special table and thus you can find out the percentage of fat in the body:

Age	Women		Men

The measurement error of the caliper is relatively small and amounts to only 3-4%. The advantages of caliperometry are also that it is possible to trace the dynamics of weight loss, because the numbers on the scales cannot give an understanding of what goes away when losing weight: water, muscle mass or fat. Yes, and weight loss itself is often manifested in a change in volume, not weight. Caliperometry can provide objective data on the reduction of fat mass and confirm the correctness of the chosen weight loss strategy.

Method four: analyzer scales

Analyzer scales are needed to determine the total body weight and percentage of body fat. The calculation takes place using bioelectrical resistance. In other words, when you stand on the scale, a small electrical current passes through your feet, and the analyzer scale calculates the resistance your body offers to the passing impulse. If there is a lot of fat in the body, then the output signal will be weaker, because. fat is a worse conductor than water. The less fat and, accordingly, more water in the muscles and tissues, the stronger the signal. Before starting measurements, you need to specify your gender, age and height. Such scales should not be used during pregnancy and if you have, for example, electronic implants, as their work may be disrupted.

Determination of metabolic rate

So, you have done all the necessary manipulations and saw that you need to lose weight. In this case, you should optimize your diet and choose the right method for losing weight, preferably with the help of a nutritionist. But what to do if all the indicators are normal and you don’t need to lose weight, but at the same time you are afraid to get better?

In this case, make one more calculation: find out the intensity of your metabolism and the allowable daily calorie content, depending on your individual characteristics and the intensity of physical activity. You can calculate using the following formula:

For women: 655 + (weight (kg) * 9.6) + (height (cm) * 1.8) - (age (years) * 4.7)
For men: 66 + (weight (kg) * 13.7) + (height (cm) * 5) - (age (years) * 6.8)

Multiply the result by the so-called "activity coefficient":

• 1.2 - low activity, "sedentary" work
• 1, 38 - little activity (for example, hourly fitness classes 1-3 times a week)
• 1.55 - moderate activity (fitness classes up to 5 times a week)
• 1.73 - high (active sports for more than an hour 5-7 times a week)
• 1.9 - very high physical activity (hard physical work, intense exercise)

Now we subtract 500 from the resulting figure and as a result we find out the acceptable calorie content of the diet. If you want to lose some weight, you can reduce your daily calorie intake. Do not forget that the lower limit that you cannot go beyond when reducing calories is the mark of 1200 kcal. If you reduce calories to 1200 calories or less, the body goes into "sleep" mode, starts to save energy and make reserves literally out of thin air, as a result of which you will not lose weight, but may even get better.

Let's summarize briefly: all that is needed for proper weight loss is to calculate your ideal weight, find out the "composition" of your body and study its psychology. When losing weight, you need to get rid of excess fat, and not excess weight, but within reasonable limits, since fat is a strategic reserve of the body in case of “hungry times”. Empirical selection of diets and strict restrictions can be harmful to health. Remember: to lose weight, you need to eat right, not starve.

While I'm contemplating a sequel articles about stress relief, I decided to write about a question that has been worrying me for a long time: do we need to lose weight, dear women? This topic has been bothering me for years now. And the more I work in nutrition, the more I tend to think that our obsessive desire “we need to lose weight!” very often it not only poisons our lives, but also has no basis at all.

And I have more than enough experience!

Seventy percent of my clients are an army of slimmers. Although I, going to study as a nutritionist, decided that I would deal exclusively with HEALTH issues, and not weight. I unbearably wanted to bring knowledge to people and help them not to fight with themselves, but on the contrary - to help their body prevent diseases and root them out. With the help of nutrition. (The idea that weight and health are compatible things didn’t occur to me THEN for some reason ...)

Plans are plans, but the reality is that despite the not uncountable number of nutritionists - from homegrown weight loss "gurus" to real professionals in their field - the demand for help in losing weight is huge. I would not be able to earn decently if I refused everyone who wants to lose weight. Yes. Seventy percent come to me for weight loss, not health. And, please note, not at all because they are completely healthy and they have no other problems. If! In the process, a lot of concomitant ailments are always revealed. They all show up in between for consultation, and that is why it lasts as much as an hour and a half. After all, it is so important to understand how exactly to help a person feel better, and not just help with weight. But, I suspect that for many ladies, losing weight is still more important. Alas…

I remember my friend booked a consultation with a specialist from Instagram (we didn’t know each other well then, and I was just starting my studies). She chose this girl because she had good reviews. Having paid neither more nor less - but one hundred euros, she received an absolutely standard nutrition plan for everyone for 4 weeks with a calculation of calories up to a gramme, because, I quote: “it was impossible to lick a spoon.” The plan was completely inapplicable to the life of a young working woman who spends most of the day in the office. He also remotely resembled good nutrition. He clearly lacked fat, and there was a clear search for proteins. I warned my friend about it. But paid! Indignant and groaning, she tried to introduce the chicken breast into the office snack during working hours. It took her a while. During this period, she then lost some weight, then returned to her usual weight. As a result, the plan for one hundred euros was abandoned. And she lost weight, by the way, when she fell in love! A year and a half later, when the thought of losing weight got her completely, and she still gave up on the whole thing. But that's another story - why can't we lose weight.

Here's another example.

The other day in my facebook group a discussion has flared up on dukan diets. Of course, I criticized her to smithereens in one of the articles. The arguments were different: “you don’t understand anything, it’s not at all so harmful”, “but it is effective, and many have lost weight on this diet”, “well, nothing terrible will happen if you eat only proteins for a week” ... My dear ! Everyone is free to do what he likes. Lose weight to the detriment of health, eat proteins from morning to evening, almost completely exclude vegetables, drink liters of coffee. You can think of a lot of things just to fit "in that very dress." But the question remains - WHY? Do you really need to lose weight? Let me start with myself.

Although ... for someone I'm slim, but for someone - a cow. After all, everything is subjective. But I thought recently and decided that it is much more important for me to be healthy than to be thin “as before the birth of children” (a familiar phrase, right?). So healthy to live long and in old age to be able to lead an active lifestyle. I simply want to have strength and a sea of ​​​​energy until my death, and die, as many laugh, "healthy." Quiet and in a dream. Years of commercials in a hundred, one hundred and twenty. At the same time, I definitely have five or even ten extra pounds. But I am friends with them. They don’t hang out anywhere, but sit quietly on a taut body, because it’s somewhere, and I go to fitness with enviable regularity. My health is also excellent, although boasting is not good. And anyway - who said that thin people are healthier than normal or even full ones? This is an absolute fallacy! There are also many sick people among the thin ones, as well as among the full ones. Of course, I don't mean obese (BMI over 30). This is a slightly different question, and now we are talking about an extra three or even fifteen kilograms. After all, superfluous is a very relative concept.

Now I understand that my past eternal struggle with the “last three extra” pounds was nothing more than a rejection of myself.

I always thought I was fat. Even when she weighed fifty kilograms, which is almost 20 less than now. But now I look at myself in the mirror and understand: well, yes, not a model. And in this place it’s still a bit too much, but here it would be nice on the contrary - more ... But! Still, it's beautiful! And the clothes are even better. So why complain about life?

I threw out (almost) all the things “for anti-growth” - things that we buy in stores in the hope of losing weight “by the summer”, things that the hand does not rise to throw away because Armani-Chamani, things “oh, I’m in this dress she looked so wonderful at the age of 25”, things “and this was sewn by her grandmother and is expensive as a memory” ... A familiar story?

Recently, I realized the scale of the disaster when I accidentally stumbled upon a box with a pile of clothes. A white opaque IKEA box hid peacefully on the closet. I had no idea (!) what was in it until I opened it. It turned out - all the same "treasures" that the hand does not rise to throw away for the above reasons. And then I thought: if these are treasures that I, kill me about, but I don’t remember, then isn’t it time for them to go to charity shops (this is where I take my old clothes and other trash). And took two-thirds of the box. Reluctantly, only the first thing was thrown away, and then it went like clockwork. True, I confess: something is still lying, because it is expensive, like a memory 🙂

But the fact remains - I decided that nothing terrible would happen if I never again fit into this fifteen-year-old dress. I won’t fit in, and at the same time I will feel great. I won't even bother at all to get in. And since I decided not to get into all this anymore, why keep it?

What actually happened? Why did I suddenly accept myself?

Many things…

• The venerable age is 39 years, although I know many ladies who, alas, will not love themselves even in old age.
• Divorce. Yes Yes! It is true that the crisis is the door to a better future. When the "misfortune of family life" left life, after painstaking work on oneself, the doors to this happiest future were opened. Rather, the present is where I accept myself for who I am. I even - you won't believe it! - stopped wearing makeup on an ongoing basis, and heels are generally worn only for a special mood and for special events.
• An interesting occupation in life is my profession as a nutritionist. I suddenly realized that it was stupid to appreciate or not appreciate yourself for your overweight or underweight. After all, we all have MANY positive traits, achievements, qualities. So why do we say “I will respect myself more if I lose weight” and “I will like myself more if I weigh ...”?
• Examples of surrounding women. And here I want to say thanks to the Danes, who are distinguished by their impossibly defiant self-love. What was perceived as a shock on my first visit to Denmark (unpainted faces, sloppy buns on my head, cyclists in heels, too (!) comfortable clothing style ...) - all this helped me to NOW accept myself for who I am.
• Understanding that love is not for something! They love in spite of and just like that. Many single ladies want to lose weight because “they don’t feel confident in a male society, they are embarrassed in bed ...” These are quotes from conversations with my clients. But it's not about the weight!

I really want women to stop mocking themselves like that and learn to love themselves for who they are. I really want women to start thinking with their own heads and see themselves with their own eyes, and not with the eyes of a polished gloss. I really want women to prioritize their mental and physical health over their weight. I really want to start a campaign with the slogan “Down with diet! You are beautiful just the way you are!”

Happy Dane doesn't want to lose weight

If you knew how many beautiful girls and women contact me, whose weight is ideal, but they still want to lose weight. Lose weight! I look at these beauties that even Skype does not spoil, and I wonder: has the world gone crazy?! Here I am, who calmly wears the European size 38-40, I don’t want to lose weight and I quite consider myself “the first girl in the Danish village”. And they are so thin, slender, tall, with gorgeous hair and eyes, with clothing size 32-34-36, WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT! How is this even possible, dear ones? I sometimes cautiously say this to them: are you sure that you are really ready to give up the last pleasures in food in order to lose three kilograms that are absolutely not superfluous for you?

Be careful, because this is a matter of psychology. If a person is slender and handsome (or simply slender), but considers himself overweight, then in one consultation I am unlikely to change his worldview. In these cases, I end up saying that if you want to lose weight, then you have to do this. But at the same time, I cannot resist at least hinting that the weight is normal.

Women who, like me, are slightly overweight. They, of course (!?), also dream of losing weight. At the same time, I can’t say that they want it more or less than their more slender sisters in the weight loss shop. Everything is different. But the problem is still the same: losing weight is seen as a tool for self-love. I always ask people: why do you want to lose weight? There are different answers, but the main one is that I want to like myself and respect myself.

Think about it. Most of us are dissatisfied with ourselves, do not love ourselves, and do not even respect ourselves! For some reason, it seems that when we lose weight, we will love ourselves and feel happiness from the fact that we fit in the dress in which we were with my husband on our first date some fifteen years ago. And now? Why can't you like yourself and respect yourself the way you are now? Do you really think that after losing a certain amount of kilograms, you will begin to love yourself?

The answer, unfortunately, is no.

Don't start and won't. You will find a couple more flaws in yourself. A couple of centimeters of fat at the waist, which, in fact, are supposed to be for all women, remained invisible to no one but you. Or "saggy" arms, or "flat" ass, or cellulite, or ... In general, every master find fault with himself. Whoever can, and find fault. Endlessly!

I recently read the revelations of a former fashion model, who told how she found peace in her soul despite eating seven “extra” kilograms in recent years. Before and after photos are attached. I looked at this beauty, and understood that from the point of view of a nutritionist, it would not hurt her to add at least three more kilograms of live weight. Now. And about the photographs BEFORE the eaten kilograms, I generally keep quiet: they had a living skeleton, according to which it was quite possible to study anatomy. It was in this form that this girl was at the peak of her career as a fashion model. And it was very sad to read her reflections on the topic that “despite my fullness (!), I feel great and love myself for who I am. Although my body no longer shows abs and bones on the hip joints, but I feel beautiful and so. No comment ... (but in general, what kind of monster came up with the standard of female beauty: bones and abs?!)

And sometimes I look at all these women's Instagram accounts and think: where?

Where are all those perfect people with jennifer lopez-esque buttocks and wasp waists? Why can't I see them in real life. Where are they hiding? It cannot be that they simply do not exist in real life. Or maybe? Or are there so few of them that I can't see them anywhere? But this cannot be! After all, there are millions of such accounts! Or maybe they're just hiding? This is more like the truth. And then again, it's about self-dislike.

If I had a body like these Instagram divas, I would proudly show it to others. But strange thing. I noticed that those curvy young beauties who go to the fitness center are self-conscious. They do not go to group classes, but work out on their own with heavy weights and on simulators. They don't change in the common locker room, let alone take a shower after training... So they're not happy with themselves, either? But why am I still surprised!? After all, it is these beauties who come to me for consultations in order to lose "the last extra three kilograms."

I understand that I will not be able to convince all the ladies who want to lose weight to change their priorities with one article. But I am writing this to plant a seed of doubt in you. Maybe health is more important? Maybe you don't need to lose weight at all? Not three or even twenty kilograms? Try to prioritize differently. Spend your energy on something else. By the way! I constantly come across information that we are attracted to people who have strong energy. Both men and women are drawn to those who have a lot of energy. This explains why a lot of magazine beautiful people are still single, while the "ugly girls" snatch off smart husbands. And the good news is that energy can be increased through nutrition. Correct, not for weight loss ...

You know, I often go to the accounts of my readers - to see, to ask who is reading me. There are so many VERY beautiful women among you! You are all different: ordinary, full, slender, thin - we are living people with you! But I see so much beauty in each of you. Honestly! And I understand that since you are reading me, you are not indifferent to your health. And it would be even better if you stopped hitting yourself on the head because of the “extra” kilograms.

Have I convinced you to prioritize health and energy? At least a little?

If so, or if you just really want to move in this direction, then I will be glad to see you at my Health Without Diet Marathon this May. In the program, I will teach you not only to eat right, but also to love yourself. I'll give you the tools to boost your energy, find your life's work, reduce stress, prioritize, and most of all, get healthy no matter what your weight. No diets.

Details and announcement will be released by the end of April.

See you soon!

P.S. Even 2 years ago, I would not have hung the main photo of this post for everyone to see for all the money, because I felt like a cow on it. And today I’m looking and I don’t understand what I saw such a cow on thisPhoto? (My weight today is absolutely the same as in this photo)

My dears! Thanks for reading. I share valuable information with you free of charge, and I will be very grateful if you share this article in your social networks or leave a comment.

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ATTENTION! This article is not a direct guide to action. Please do not self-medicate and consult a specialist. The author is not responsible for the consequences of self-chosen treatment.

“Who said I have to lose weight? Where is that written? What kind of stupid standards of beauty that I am obliged to adjust my body to, contrary to the genetic constitution, my own desire and ordinary common sense?

And in general, who announced (and what normal man would agree with this) that "hanger-like" and "not for life" tall models, arrogantly striding along fashion catwalks, should be for us - ordinary, normal, healthy women - models for imitation?

123RF/Oleg Dudko

Yes, I'm imperfect. Perfection in general is rarely found in nature, and its parameters are not uniform and unambiguous for everyone. Just think, a couple of extra pounds, if you believe the body mass index formula ... Well, a couple of tens of extra pounds - to be precise ...

But I have as many as 18 reasons not to lose weight! If I lose weight...

1) I will have to change my wardrobe - and this is labor-intensive, expensive and takes time;

Just think, a couple of extra pounds, according to the body mass index formula ...

2) my discount in the “large sizes” store will be wasted;

3) I will have to sit in transport with my neighbors (now I just occupy two places at once);

4) the bed will stop creaking, and I’m used to falling asleep to the creaking (which means that sleep problems will begin);

5) monthly water consumption will increase - after all, the body in the bathroom will become smaller;

6) I will become less visible in the photo;

7) faces of “Caucasian” nationality will no longer wink at me;

8) I will not be able to claim the title of beauty queen in Thailand;

9) and in Africa they won't marry me;

123RF/Sergey Mitrofanov

10) they will no longer automatically take me for a kind person and a good housewife;

11) my man will leave me, because prefers fat women;

12) I will stop feeling safe on the street (I will be molested more often);

14) I will no longer be able to practice my favorite sumo;

15) I will age faster;

16) my neckline will no longer be so appetizing;

16) I will sink faster in water and freeze in the cold;

17) I will become worse at singing;

18) I won't be able to apply for a plus size model job!"

There is no point in arguing with these arguments, although most of them are either myths, or excuses, or easily overcome. However, there are 9 serious circumstances in the presence of which you really do NOT need to torture yourself with diets and excessive loads, in general, lose weight.

1. If you want to get fat

If your body mass index is below the established reasonable limit and this is due either to a natural constitution, or to an excellent and very fast metabolism, or to a very active lifestyle, or to poor appetite or lack of time for food, then you definitely do not need to lose weight. In some cases, it's not even possible. And believe me, your inability to gain even a kilogram by eating a ton of buns and sweets is envied by most of the female population, if not the entire planet (in Africa, women have enough other worries), then economically developed countries for sure.

2. If you have anorexia…

An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a doctor, but if you are constantly dissatisfied with yourself, even despite the admiration of others; If your whole life revolves around a single goal - to become thin, then it's time to start worrying. Ask for advice and support from your loved ones and for qualified help - to specialists! And they definitely will NOT recommend you to lose weight further.

3. If you are pregnant

Pregnancy is a period when a woman's body requires all the forces that it has. So in most cases, this is a time that is completely unsuitable for strict diets and heavy physical exertion. If you stop eating well, violating the recommendations of obstetricians, pediatricians and nutritionists, then where will your baby get vital vitamins and microelements, and you yourself will get the energy to “raise” a healthy child? I agree, in some cases, experts advise to be attentive to your diet, avoid “empty” carbohydrates, etc. But this does not mean that you need to go headlong into the process.

123RF/georgerudy

4. If you are breastfeeding

This reason is very similar to the previous one. Your child still requires the most complete nutrition, and your body is still subjected to great physical and physiological stress. So this is not the time to lose weight. However, I hasten to console young mothers who experience complexes due to the imaginary imperfections of a recently born figure: in most cases, healthy women lose weight without any effort after the establishment and consolidation of breastfeeding. The main thing when you discover this pleasant fact is not to relax and start eating “for three” instead of two.

5. You are a teenager

A young growing body, growing at a crazy pace and in unpredictable forms, needs a lot of nutrients, trace elements, vitamins, etc. It is unlikely that you will be able to independently determine which of them you can do without. In addition, it’s not at all necessary that your appetizing figure, which upsets you so much now, will retain its “appetizingness” with age. So it's too early to guess. But you can earn problems with the monthly cycle and the reproductive system very quickly and almost imperceptibly. Is it worth it?..

6. You're in menopause (or coming soon)

This period for any woman is already quite difficult, and in many cases it is aggravated by the fact that the figure, so taut all her life, “blurs” under the influence of hormonal changes. But it is better to accept temporary inevitability than to earn additional health problems.

7. You have recently had surgery or a long, severe and/or debilitating illness

Your body needs strength to recover, and not to fight imaginary excess weight. Sometimes a sedentary lifestyle, caused by illness or postoperative rehabilitation, leads to the fact that the muscles become weak, in some places unattractively "sag", but with bringing yourself into perfect physical shape, you can - and should - wait.

123RF/Yulia Grgoryeva

8. You are a genetic bbw

It just so happens that you are. And have been for as long as you can remember. And most of your relatives. And you feel great about it. And completely healthy. You are both flexible, and plastic, and mobile, and energetic ... Nutritionists say that trying to lose weight can harm you in this situation and, for sure, will greatly spoil your mood and character. So calm down. Or maybe not reconcile? Maybe rejoice?

You are special, you have the opportunity to create your own style of clothing and feel unique. In addition, if we recall folk wisdom, 90% of men prefer obese women, the remaining 10% prefer very full ones.

Nature has endowed all of us with a different set of so-called shortcomings - both appearance and character; so it's not their presence that matters, but how you turn them into virtues.

9. You are REALLY happy with yourself!

This is not a shield, not a mask, this is a sincere belief that you are good in any way! That you can easily lose weight (and perhaps there are successful attempts behind you), but you LIKE yourself the way you are now, appetizing. However, in this case, it makes no sense to convince you that you do NOT need to lose weight, right? ..

Many of us seek to get rid of excess weight by any available means. At the same time, many do not even think about the question - do they actually need to lose weight? And if necessary, why?

What goal should be achieved as a result of getting rid of a few kilograms?

Let's try to figure it out.

Body mass index (BMI)

In order to objectively determine the need for weight loss, scientists have developed a universal indicator called the body mass index (BMI).

This indicator is determined based on the weight and height of a person. The formula to determine it looks like this:

BMI \u003d B: (P x P), where B is your weight in kg, and P is your height in meters.

The optimal value of the body mass index is in the range of 19-25. If this value is below 19, the body weight is insufficient. If above 25, then it will not hurt to lose a few extra pounds.

As can be seen from the formula, the range of normal weight for the same height can vary widely. But this indicator may not be objective due to the characteristics of the figure. For example, many have a tummy with thin legs. How to determine if you need to lose weight? What weight is optimal for you?

Determination of the optimal weight

To clarify the optimal weight value, you should undergo an analysis to determine the percentage of fat, water, muscle and bone mass in the body. Such an analysis can be done at the nearest fitness center. It is carried out very simply - by passing a low voltage current through the human body. Something similar is now implemented in many electronic scales capable of presenting such information by applying a potential to metal plates in contact with the feet of the person being weighed.

The percentage of fat in the body can give an answer to the question of interest - do you need to lose weight? The normal value is 18-25% of body fat in women and 10-18% in men. This indicator will already be much more accurate in answering the question of whether you need to lose weight. When the optimal percentage of fat to body weight is exceeded, many functions of the body are disrupted and this can lead to serious health problems.

At the same time, the water percentage indicator can reveal the problem of puffiness. In this case, it is necessary to get rid of not fat, but excess water in the body.

Having the analysis data, you can contact a specialist who will select the necessary set of exercises and draw up a nutrition menu to achieve the desired result - getting rid of fat, water or building muscle mass.

Why do you want to lose weight?

This question is much more important than it might seem at first glance. However, in practice, many of those who would like to lose weight do not have a very clear idea of ​​why they actually need it.

If the goal is to tighten the body for the beach season or attract the attention of the opposite sex, then you will undoubtedly be able to achieve what you want with such motivation. But, since such goals are short-term, the result of losing weight can be just as short-term. That is, the summer has passed, you have relaxed, and the body is again gaining kilograms that you tried so hard to get rid of. Or, finally, they met their soul mate and calmed down, throwing weight loss classes into the far corner.

In order for weight loss to be the beginning of life in a new body, appropriate goal setting is also required.

The goal must be long term. You need to tune in to the fact that for the rest of your life after getting rid of unnecessary kilograms, you will look the way you wanted.

Thus, you need to understand that it is impossible to first lose weight to the desired one, and then, returning to the previous diet and lifestyle, hope that you can maintain the result achieved.

There are many examples when a person, having got rid of extra pounds, not only quickly returned to their previous weight, but also gained several kilograms “over the norm” by inertia.

The Right Motivation

In order to lose weight and stay in the new body for a long time, the goal must be much longer than losing weight by the summer.

You must completely change your life, change your habits, choose new landmarks that will be a beacon for you on the path of life and after reaching the desired weight.

These may be new opportunities related to the beauty of your new body, a new profession, new hobbies, a new circle of friends, all that you were deprived of before losing weight. You need to clearly understand the prospects for which you need to lose weight.

It is very important to rebuild internally. After all, very often overweight is the result of constant stress, a negative attitude to the surrounding reality, inability to communicate with people, eat right, relax, work, and so on.

Only by changing internally, you can count on a long-term result. Develop in yourself the ability to positively perceive everything that surrounds you, learn to communicate favorably, do not eat troubles that will not stop happening in life because of this, remember that life is still exactly the way we ourselves make it.

A reassessment of values ​​and a change in one's views becomes a decisive factor in this. Start doing things you love, make friends, change your disgusting job if you can’t change your attitude towards it.

The main thing is to understand that the weight gained is the result of the life we ​​live. And to get rid of it, you need to change your life.

We lose weight without denying ourselves food

Starting your journey along the path of changing your life, image and gaining a new body, try to avoid the following basic mistakes.

Many, starting the fight against extra pounds, begin to limit themselves to eating sweet, fatty, salty and peppery, simply forbidding themselves to eat such foods. Even though I really want this, but I can’t!

This is the biggest mistake.

In no case do not forbid yourself anything. The thought that you won't be able to taste the sausage now for the rest of your life can bring anyone to a nervous breakdown.

Instead of denying your body the use of sausage, to which it is accustomed, you need to develop an attitude towards sausage as a product harmful to the body. At the same time, one should instill a love for really useful products.

That is, a piece of sausage in your eyes should not look like a forbidden fruit, which you can’t eat while you are struggling with excess weight, but a product that is not good for your figure and body as a whole. Then you will not even want this sausage. To fix this setup, just go to the nearest meat processing plant and see how this sausage is made. This sight will discourage her from eating forever.

The same applies to the new way of life. You must love it. Daily exercise and healthy sleep should become an axiom and not be perceived as a temporary measure that you can finally forget about as soon as you reach your desired weight.

By changing your attitude to life, your diet, rest, work, you will soon see the desired results, which will later become the norm of your life in the new body of a happy person, tuned to positive and success!