Weight Management

Weight Management

Overweight and Youth • # of overweight teens in the US has tripled • Overweight – a person is heavier than the standard weight for their height • BMI above the 95th percentile = overweight • Causes for being overweight: • Eating too much • Eating the wrong kinds of foods (high in sugar and fat) • Exercising to little

Weight categories • Overweight – weighing more than most people your age, sex, and height (determined by BMI) • Overfat – having more fat than you should as determined by skinfold measurements • Females = 25-30% body fat • Males = 20-25% body fat • Obese – excessively overfat • Females – greater than 30% body fat • Males – greater than 25% body fat • Ideal Body weight – best weight for a person with body fat% within an acceptable range

Effects of overweight on health • Can effect self-esteem and quality of life • Interferes with natural and necessary growth processes of a teen • Prevents teens from participating in physical games and activities, isolating them from peers • Simple daily tasks can become a challenge • Prevents teen from developing positive eating and physical activity patterns

Physical health risks • Being overweight is linked to many chronic diseases and conditions • High blood pressure • High cholesterol • Heart disease • cancer • Excessive weight disabilities – health problems or diseases resulting from long-term overweight or obesity • Breathing difficulties – fat presses against diaphram (muscle used for breathing), sleep apnea • Bone and joint problems – from the stress of extra weight on joints, decreases range of motion

Physical health risks • Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) – blood glucose levels are elevated • Pancreas produces very little insulin (Hormone that converts glucose into energy) • Can lead to Type 2 Diabetes • Used to be an adult illness • Now some children and teens are being diagnosed

Being Underweight • Underweight – being excessively lean • BMI is below the 5th percentile for one’s age • Insufficient fat reserves • Greater risks for infections from cold viruses etc. • Sometimes teens are undernourished impairing normal growth and body function • Greater risk for anemia (lack of iron) and osteoporosis later in life • Should eat 3-4 meals per day of nutrient dense, high calorie food • Begin resistance training to build lean muscle

Body Image and Weight Control • Body image – the way you see your body • Some people have distorted body images • Eating disorders – psychological illnesses that cause people to undereat, overeat, or practice other dangerous nutrition-related behaviors • Causes unknown but may be linked to mental or emotional factors and perfectionism • Treated with professional help

Anorexia Nervosa • Eating disorder in which a person abnormally restricts his or her caloric intake • Effects more females than males • Fear of being fat or gaining weight • Causes malnutrition, reduced bone density, low temp, low blood pressure, slowed metabolism, small organ size, heart problems • Signs or indicators: • Sudden weight loss • Lying about eating • Consuming minimal amounts of food in front of others • Preoccupation with food, calories and weight • Exercise addiction

Bulimia Nervosa • Eating disorder in which people overeat and then force themselves to purge the food afterward – “binge and purge” • purge methods • Self-induced vomitting • Laxatives • Excessive exercise • Caused by emotional problems • Often have normal body composition which makes the person hard to identify • Can cause: dehydration, osteoporosis, kidney damage, irregular heartbeat, damges tissues of stomach, esophagus and mouth • Signs: • Malnutrition • Excessive concerns about weight • Eating large amounts of food without weight gain • Visit bathroom immediately after eating • Use of laxatives or diuretics • Excessive exercise

Nutrition Myths • Myth: It is best to eat only 1 or 2 meals a day • Fact: 3 – 5 smaller meals and snacks is best • Helps to maintain a higher Resting Metabolic Rate making you burn more calories • Curbs hunger and prevents overeating

Myth: It reasonable to lose 10-20lbs per week • Fact: no, weight is mostly water weight, • can lead to dehydration and other health problems • Myth: consuming a lot of protein and lifting weights is the best way to increase muscle size and strength • Fact: lifting weights is a good way to increase muscle size and strength but extra protein supplements are not needed

Physical Activity and Nutrition • Myth: the best way to control your weight and body composition is by adjusting your exercise levels • Fact: best to combine healthful eating and exercise • Myth: It is easy to lose 1 pound of fat by burning 3,500 calories through exercise • Fact: not that easy, the exercise has to be at super high intensities to burn that many calories • Aim for burning 400-600 calories an hour

Myth: Spot reducing – an attempt to lose fat in a particular area of the body by exercising the muscles in that area • Fact: Can’t be done, the body calls upon stored fat from all over the body for energy • Myth: Cellulite – lumps or ripples of fat deposits that are trapped between connective tissue of skin and muscle. Cannot be lost with special cures. • Fact: no, cellulite is just fat and must be lost like all other fat

Myth: Fasting or self-starvation is a good method for quick weight loss. • Fact: Body decreases the rate at which calories are burned and actually stores more fat; no evidence that fasting cleanses your body of toxins

Fad Diets • Weight loss plans that are popular for a short time • Most based on faulty science • Most focus on one nutrient ignoring all the others • Some focus on “fat-burning” power of one food • Be leery of plans that: • Center on eating one food • Claim that you can eat whatever you want • Require purchase of supplement • Does not require changes to behavior or habits • In the long term these diets fail because they don’t change your eating habits as a whole • They put you at risk for malnutrition or other health problems • Any weight lost on diet is often regained once the diet is discontinued

Diet pills or aides • May control appetite but carry serious side effects • They do not contribute to permanent weight loss • Can create an imbalance of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals

Methods for weight control • Everyone can develop and maintain a weight and body composition that is best for them • Weight cycling – the cycle of losing, regaining, losing, and regaining weight • Develop a personal plan that you work toward or through consistently • Check your BMI • Follow healthful eating guidelines • Adjust calorie intake and energy expenditure • Engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity 30-60 minutes per day • Allow plenty of time • Measure progress • Use short term goals within the long term goal

Keys to weight control • Balance caloric intake and energy expenditure • If you take in more calories than you expend that day, the extra calories are stored as fat and you gain weight. • If you expend more calories than you take in for the day, your body uses stored fat for energy and you lose weight. • Form healthy lifetime habits for eating and exercise

Weight Management