Find your happy weight!
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Most of us have a target weight that we would like to be. It may be the size we were when we were 20, the dress size we wore when we got married or the jeans we fitted into before having kids. But according to experts many of us are setting unrealistic goals.
Instead, the key to long-lasting weight loss is to find your happy weight, the size nature intended you to be.
According to diet and fitness expert, Amanda Jillson, it's very important to have a realistic goal when it comes to weight loss.
“Some people have a tendency to wish they were a size zero when they are 50. But that is both unrealistic and unhealthy for their body.”
She said the secret to healthy weight loss is to stay positive even if you're having difficulty losing weight.
“Don't focus on the scale necessarily. A lot of people focus on a certain number and want to get below that certain number."
“Your happy weight might not be the weight you think you desire for yourself, but it's the weight that you are happy at in this point in your life and that is more achievable for your body" she revealed.
If you don’t know what your happy weight is, you’ll know you’ve reached it when you’re comfortable with your body.
But this is easier said than done, so Amanda has come up with some ways to help calculate your happy weight.
Here's how to do it:
* Multiply your height in inches by itself and then by 0.031. This is your weight at a body mass index of 22, in the middle of the healthy range, so it's a good place to start.
* Multiply your last number by 0.95 if you have a small frame; leave it alone if you have a medium frame and multiply it by 1.05 if you have a large frame.
* Add 2 pounds for each decade you are over 20.
* Add five pounds if you've had any children.
* Subtract one pound if you exercise and weight train once a week, 2 pounds if you do it three times a week and 3 pounds for five or more.
* Add one pound if you allow yourself a treat now and then.
The final number should indicate your happy weight!
But most importantly, don’t beat yourself up over every diet mistake and remember that being healthy doesn't mean being super-skinny.
By Clare Gittins
For great tips on how to lose weight healthily and meal plans tailored to your individual diet goals, check out Closer Diets.