what does it really mean to be overweight? Obese?
WHAT ARE YOUR DIGITS?
Before we get started, let's define what it means to be overweight. Obese? Simply put, being overweight implies having too much body fat, whereas being obese means having far too much body fat. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, whereas being overweight is described as having a BMI of 25 to 29.9. "Optimal weight" is defined as a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9.
It's simple to figure out your BMI: You can use one of the several online BMI calculators or use a calculator and calculate it yourself. Multiply your weight in pounds by 703 to get the answer. Then multiply that by two and multiply it by your height in inches. For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds and stand 71 inches tall (five foot eleven), your BMI would be (200 703) 71 71 = 27.9, indicating that you are substantially overweight. We used to refer to a BMI of less than 25 as "normal weight" in the medical community. Regrettably, that is no longer the case. Obesity had become the norm in the United States by the late 1980s, and it appears to have gradually increased since then.
ISN’T A CALORIE?
Let's go through some basic assumptions now that we've seen where the lines in the weight spectrum from ideal to obese are drawn. The idea that a calorie from one source is just as fattening as a calorie from another is a marketing ploy used by the food industry to absolve itself of responsibility. Coca-Cola even ran an advertisement emphasizing this "basic commonsense fact." This "primary argument" from industry, as the chair of Harvard's nutrition department put it, is that "overconsumption of calories from carrots would be no different than overconsumption of calories from soda." Why does it matter what kind of meals we eat if a calorie is just a calorie?
Let's look at the case of carrots and Coca-Cola. While it's true that 240 calories of carrots—ten carrots—would have the same effect on calorie balance as 240 calories in a bottle of Coke in a strictly controlled laboratory setting, this comparison falls flat in the real world.
You could down those liquid calories in about a minute, but chewing 240 calories of carrots for more than two and a half hours. (The clock is ticking.) Not only would your mouth hurt, but 240 calories in carrots equals nearly five cups, and you might not be able to eat them all.
Carrots include fiber, which adds volume without adding net calories, as do all entire plant foods. Furthermore, you would not absorb all of the calories from the carrots. Some vegetable stuff can pass right through you, washing out any calories it contains, as anyone who has eaten maize can attest. A calorie circling your toilet bowl may still be a calorie, but it won't end up on your hips. Cheerios versus Froot Loops is a more relatable contrast. Kellogg's is virtually delighted to point out that its Froot Loops cereal has roughly the same number of calories as its health-conscious competitor's Cheerios. So, why is Toucan Sam the one that gets singled out? (I heard these arguments myself when I was deposed as an expert witness in a case against sugary cereal manufacturers.)
Yes, the two cereals have equal calorie counts, but that doesn't account for all of concentrated sugar's appetite-stimulating effects.
In a study in which children were alternately given high- and low-sugar cereals, they could have gained more calories if they had eaten more Cheerios than Froot Loops, but the opposite happened. The kids poured and ate 77 percent more sweet cereal on average. Sugary cereals may nearly double caloric consumption, even though the calorie counts are equal.
A calorie is a calorie in a lab, but not in real life.
A calorie may not be a calorie even if you eat and absorb the same quantity of calories. As you'll see, the same number of calories consumed at different times of day, in different meal distributions, or after various levels of sleep might result in varying quantities of body fat. It's not just about what we eat, but also about how and when we eat it. And the same number on the scale can imply different things depending on the diet or the situation. If your body loses water and muscle mass, you may appear to be reducing weight but actually accumulating body fat.
So it's not simply about calorie intake vs. calorie expenditure, or about eating less and moving more. We'll see an example of this later, with a well-known series of studies on Vermont inmates that revealed that, depending on what the researchers fed them, it could take up to a hundred thousand more calories to achieve the same weight gain. So you'll find out how they managed to make a hundred thousand calories vanish. I'm getting ahead of myself, though.
A DETECTIVE STORY IN FOUR PARTS
Part I of the article begins with an overview of our growing obesity problem, including the causes, implications, and current solutions. It answers topics like: What caused the rapid rise in obesity that began in the late 1970s? Is it true that being overweight is as hazardous for your health as "they" claim? What about non-lifestyle treatments like stomach stapling, diet pills, and weight-loss supplements? Are they safe and effective?
Then, in an attempt to create the best weight-loss approach from the ground up, I spend part II looking at all of the major factors that could go into making the perfect recipe for decreasing body fat. In part III, we examine how all of the diets compare to this set of criteria, and we piece together the most effective formula for healthy, long-term weight loss.You'll also gain the tools to evaluate all the brand-new diets that haven't even been released yet. Then there are the boosters. In part IV, I reveal all of the weight-loss hacks and modifications I've discovered over the years while reading the medical literature. These are some of the ways that any diet can be tweaked to increase body fat breakdown. I've organized the boosters into a simple daily checklist so you can pick and choose which approaches are most effective for you. I strongly advise avoiding skipping this segment and opting for fast cures while continuing to consume the same unhealthy foods. Though there are several ways to eat the same foods to produce better outcomes, the boosters are only designed to be used in conjunction with a balanced diet.
In the end, I answered all of your burning questions on fat burning: What are the greatest techniques to workout in order to lose the most weight? How can you increase your metabolism without risking your health? What is the ideal sleep duration?
What evidence is there for ketogenic diets, intermittent fasting, and high-intensity interval training? I also discuss foods that act as both fat blockers and fat burners, as well as starch blockers and appetite suppressants. Did you know that the order, frequency, and combination of foods can all affect your health?
There's even a diet that can help you avoid the metabolic slowdown that thwarts your weight-loss efforts.
I expected to spend the majority of my time railing against all of the gimmicky snake oil out there and offering much of the same usual advice on calorie counting and going to the gym.
I anticipated that the comprehensiveness of this book, as well as its solid scientific foundation, would set it apart. This book, I felt, would stand out—but as a reference book rather than a revolution. I certainly didn't expect to come upon a revolutionary weight-loss approach. I simply underestimated the number of new routes that our newfound understanding of so many disciplines of human physiology would offer up. It's been exciting to bring all of these cutting-edge threads together to create a weight-loss program based on the greatest current data.
People frequently inquire as to why I do not take vacations or simply take a day off. I need to convey that I feel like my entire life is a vacation. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be able to devote my time to assisting others while still doing what I enjoy: learning and sharing. It's impossible for me to imagine doing anything else.
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