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Better Than BMI

By Rey Vetangelo


If you are overweight or obese, you are not alone. And chances are, you have tried a myriad of diets that were either ineffective or difficult to maintain. Maybe you are interested in weight loss surgery, but cannot afford it. Perhaps you have even considered traveling to a weight-loss clinic in Mexico to have gastric sleeve surgery done at a lower cost, but aren't sure about the risks. Surgery may not be the only solution you have left. One popular diet that many people have found to be successful is the Zone Diet.

While these activities of themselves are not incredibly harmful in moderation, they can be destructive to your child's health if they become the sole pursuits of their free time.

One of the problems with BMI is that it is still too general of a measurement. Taking into account that it is incapable of distinguishing between a number of important factors such as age, gender, percentage of muscle mass, body type, and ethnic groups, BMI begins to seem like a very arbitrary way of determining somebody's health.

For instance, athletes who train intensively can develop large amounts of muscle that add to the body's overall weight. Thus we could find that taller individuals who are obviously overweight are being given a similar BMI to shorter athletes.

Have a conversation with your child's doctor if you are very concerned. Remember that many children carry their baby weight well into their older childhood years, and some children put on weight right before a growth spurt. While an adult may be able to do a fad diet or get weight loss surgery in Mexico, a child's body is growing and changing, so making drastic changes can be incredibly harmful to their ability to grow.

Yes, to some extent. Weight loss is relatively slow, but Dr. Sears attributes that to the fact that the weight lost is nearly all from fat and not muscle or water. Those who stick to the Zone Diet find that even if their weight doesn't melt away, they have healthier cholesterol levels and/or blood pressure, resulting in decreased risk of heart disease and other obesity-related health issues.

Other factors that make this diet effective are that it is relatively easy to follow "one-third" and "size-of-palm" rules, and that online membership is free with inexpensive cookbooks available.

People whose waist measurements are less than half of their height measurements have been proven to be healthier, with fewer instances of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes. The great thing about this technique is that it can accurately measure children and help predict their risk of obesity, since both their waist size and their height will increase as they grow.

As you work with your child to help them develop healthier habits, you will find that your health and fitness level will be improving right along with your child. Soon, your entire family will be able to enjoy being active together, and you will be more inclined to go on a bike ride than sit and watch a movie.




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