Fat And Overweight
We have avoided calling overweight people
'fat' because their self-esteem tends to take enough of a battering as
it is. But fat and overweight are linked in several important ways.
First, the overweight that represents a health risk, the most common way
of being overweight, is to have too much fat in your body. It is
possible to be technically overweight, to weigh more than
your ideal body weight, by having very large muscles. Many weightufters
and body-builders would be overweight in this sense. We don't recommend
overdoing exercise like this and, if you're silly enough to use drugs to
increase your muscle bulk, we think you have muscles between your ears.
Your body weight can also
fluctuate because of differing amounts of water being retained. Many
women notice a variation like this associated with their menstrual cycle
and you should not let such natural variations discourage you from
continuing with your weight loss programme. If you have a physical
condition causing lots of fluid retention, that kind of overweight
obviously needs medical treatment. While we are considering the role of
water in body weight, it's worth noting that many of the gimmicky
approaches to weight loss actually produce mainly a loss of water, not
of fat. You will weigh less after you have run around the block twenty
times while wearing a wet suit. You will also be dangerously dehydrated
and suffering from heat exhaustion. If you survive, you will replace
your sudden weight loss as soon as you have a drink and a shower, unless
you intend to stay permanently dehydrated.
Fat is also linked to
being overweight in another important way. A gram of fat provides more
than twice as many kilojoules as a gram of either carbohydrate or
protein. It is a very energy rich food and it is usually one of the main
sources of surplus energy in your diet if overeating is a cause of your
overweight. However, you will also remember that we are suggesting
moderate changes to your eating, not radical ones. The healthy guideline
is that fat should make up about 30 per cent of your daily energy
intake. Fat serves several important purposes in your sensibleplan. A
layer of fat underneath your skin insulates your body against both
physical knocks and excessive heat loss. Fat is a rich energy source so
it is an efficient way for your body to store energy for future needs.
Some fat in a recipe can make the food taste good, making your eating
enjoyable.
The problem for us humans
is that for most of our existence food has been in short and unreliable
supply. For a fair part of the world's population that is still true.
Under these circumstances it is a' definite survival advantage both to
enjoy fatty foods and to be efficient at storing any temporary surplus
of food as our own fat. These historical advantages become health
disadvantages when we have more food than we need, which is why
overweight is such a public health problem in the wealthier countries.
If you are following our healthy eating guidelines, you will be aiming
for a healthy fat intake, despite being surrounded by a surplus, and
laying an essential foundation for successful weight loss.
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