Body Mass Index Defined

Health-conscious individuals need to understand weight-related terms. No other word is as closely associated to weight as the word metabolism. People often refer to themselves as having a slow or fast metabolism.
What exactly is Metabolism?   Metabolism refers to all the chemical processes that are taking place within the body by which the food you eat is converted into the energy your body needs to function.
And there are a lot of influencing factors that can influence the metabolic rhythm such as gender, genetic facts, environmental temperature, stress, and also the quality and quantity of exercise. The measurement that evaluates the relationship between body weight and height and is the recommended method by medical professionals to diagnose overweight and obesity is the Body Mass Index (BMI).
There is no such thing as an ideal body weight but there is what you call a healthy weight range.  The Body Mass Index is the height-weight system that will determine this healthy weight range.

The BMI formula (in pounds/inches) is:
Your Weight (in pounds) x 704.5 divided by Your Height (in inches) x Your Height (in inches)

A handy tool used to calculate BMI index is the Body Mass Index Calculator. This is one of the most accurate ways to determine if extra pounds pose health risks. In general, when people use the word metabolism they used this interchangeably with Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).

How Body Mass Index Classifies Weight

Under 20 (19 for women) = Underweight
Between 20 and 24.99 = Normal Weight
Between 25 and 29.99 = Overweight
Between 30 and 34.99 = Obese Class 1
Between 35 and 39.99 = Obese Class 2
40 and above = Morbid Obesity

This is the sum-total of all the energy consuming process going on in the body while it is resting and the release of this energy is only sufficient for the vital functioning of the heart, lungs, nervous system and kidneys. If the Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories your body needs when you are resting and multiplied by your activity level, BMR then lets you estimate how many calories you need to lose weight or maintain your current weight.

If you calculations fall outside of the normal range and you are not an athlete, then consult with a licensed medical practitioner to achieve your goals.

3 Ways to Maintain or Improve Your Energy Levels When You Are Dieting

Dieting is not an effective weight loss tool.  In fact, dieting will actually make weight loss next to impossible.  The premise behind dieting is that the individual will limit their caloric intake enough to lose one to two pounds a week.  But more often than not, the person who is desperate to lose those pounds today is likely to try to limit the calorie intake even more.

A pound of weight is equal to 3500 calories.  That means in order to lose a pound of fat you have to either burn off another 3500 calories a week and maintain the food intake you are enjoying now or cut the calorie intake or a combination of both.  So if you are a woman who normally eats around 2000 calories a day and she wants to lose a pound to two a week she must cut the calorie intake to 1500 and increase the amount of exercise she does.

The question becomes can she continue to maintain the calorie count on a daily basis for the long-term to maintain her weight loss or will she eventually feel tired, weak, fatigued and deprived of the foods she enjoys?

And to increase the likelihood of failure decreasing calorie intake and feeling tired and weak will also decrease the metabolic rate and slow the anticipated weight loss.  Without weight loss what’s the point of cutting the calories?

The goal is to increase the metabolic rate and burn more calories.  And in order to do that you actually have to eat.

1  Eat six small meals every day.  It may sound like a lot but six small meals will provide your body with as much calories as it needs but spread out over a period of time so there are no gaps in the day when the body is without energy. If you eat only three large meals a day then you are more likely to eat junk food when you’re hungry.  But eating six meals means you won’t feel hungry, your metabolism will stay  high and you’ll never go more than a couple of hours without eating.

Split your three large meals into six smaller ones.   Incorporate less processed foods and more raw material such as fruits and vegetables – both of which you can eat as much as you want.

2 Drink a lot of water.  The added water is now available to help the extra toxins and waste products from the body making metabolism easier for the body.  It also keeps you feeling full, plumps your skin cells so you look younger, keeps the metabolic rate moving and keeps your kidneys healthy.

The standard number of ounces of water that is recommended is 64 or 8 – 8 ounce glasses.  But if you are trying to lose weight and increase your metabolic rate then it’s better to drink 10 -12 glasses per day.  Spread them out over the daytime and begin to cut off the drinking by 7 or 8 pm (depending upon what time you go to bed).  This will save you from getting up all night to go to the bathroom.