Are You at a Healthy Weight?

This page was reviewed or revised on Wednesday, April 18, 2007.

If you've lost the same 10 lbs. 10 times, you're not alone. About every third person you meet is either on a diet, has just fallen off a diet or is about to go on a diet. Six million Canadians are on a diet right now.

But our efforts to loose weight have not paid off. About 95% of people who lose weight on a diet gain it back within 5 years. Even more frustrating is that people often gain even more weight than they lost in the first place. So the weight loss industry has gained 11 billion dollars a year while we have lost our money but not the weight.

If dieting doesn't work, why do we do it? All around us we see society's view of the thin, ideal body. Magazines, television and movies send the message that to be successful and happy you need to be a slim female or a muscle bound male. People then diet to try to get that perfect shape. But, most of us were never meant to be fashion model size. Just as people differ in height , people are meant to have different weights.

Healthy Weight Range

There is no perfect weight for anyone, but there is a healthy range of weights for everyone. Being at a healthy weight really pays off. It will decrease your risk for high blood pressure, raised blood cholesterol levels and diabetes, all risk factors for developing heart disease or stroke.

What's a Healthy Weight Range for You?

You can find out how healthy your weight range is by using the chart here to figure out your BMI or Body Mass Index.

If You Need to Lose Weight

If you need to lose weight do two things: Eat and Move.

Move: Be Physically Active

There are many weight experts who believe that the condition of being overweight results from under-exercising rather than over-eating. In fact, some believe that physical activity is one of the best-kept secrets in preventive medicine!

Whatever the cause of being overweight, it is clear that physical activity is just as important as healthy eating. Activity uses up calories, allowing you to eat enough to nourish yourself and feel satisfied, while at the same time helping you to reach and maintain a healthy weight.

For more information on how to be more physically active, refer to Active Living.

Eat: Healthy Eating

Eating, not dieting, will take the weight off. You will eat less if you eat well.

It's your total diet, not each and every food that counts in the end. As long as you practice healthy eating habits most of the time, extras here and there won't hurt. They will keep your diet interesting and, in moderation, won't ruin your day-to-day efforts to eat in a healthful way.

Enjoy a Variety of Foods

No single food or food group can make a diet healthy or unhealthy. Our bodies need over 50 different nutrients to be healthy. Different foods contain different nutrients. Canada's Food Guide suggests that we eat a variety of foods to ensure that we get everything our body needs.

There seems to be a tremendous amount of information around that tries to tell us what we should be eating. Most of us by now have heard the low fat, high fibre message. Someone once asked me why those of us in the business of health didn't just come clean and say "no taste." Now, a lot of people know that fibre is found in grain products like breads, bagels, cereal, pasta, as well as fruits and vegetables. The rest of us can come up with at least one idea of how to cut some of the fat out of our diet. So there is no problem, right? Well, understanding something doesn't really mean much. What is it that prompts us to take what we know and put it into action? Usually people enjoy far more success when making changes when they shoot for small changes and take them one at a time. What are those? That's when you say, "This week, I will try drinking milk in my coffee instead of cream." If after a week, you are ready to kill for a cream in your coffee, then move onto something else; you have not failed, you have defined what areas of your life are flexible and those that are not. So, what do you do next? Move onto the next thing. This time we try putting margarine on only one slice of bread when making a sandwich. If that hasn't killed us by the end of the week, we consider it a lifelong habit. No looking back.

You see, when you try to overhaul your diet in one shot, all the changes are overwhelming. You finally throw up your hands and say, "I can't do it!" Well, of course you can't, it has taken a lifetime to put together all these habits and you want to change them overnight? So what do we do? Throw up our hands and scream for ice cream? Sure, every now and then have ice cream since food is something to be enjoyed. However, if you know that there are things that you can change, do one thing at a time. Need more ideas? Put milk in your coffee instead of cream, use 1% or skim milk, broil meat instead of pan frying, buy whole grain breads, .... Remember, don't take on the world, just one change this week.

Overnight changes are not what you're looking for. Start with small gradual changes that you can live with.

Additional Information

If you want more information on healthy eating, refer to our Nutrition pages or call a nutritionist or dietitian at the Community Health Services.