In collaboration with Curely¦ Throughout history, different body shapes have been in fashion; from the curvaceous figures of the Renaissance Period to Kate Moss’ “heroin chic” frame in the 90’s. While fashions change, the most important thing is to try to keep your body healthy. We’re all naturally different shapes and sizes, so what is a healthy weight for you will likely be different for you and your friends or family.
Losing Weight
Being either underweight or overweight can have negative implications for your health, which we will look at further shortly. If you’re overweight it can be really tough to shift those extra pounds. Of course, it’s always best to try and achieve a healthy weight through a balanced diet and exercise. You need to burn off more calories through exercise than you take in and there are lots of diet plans online which may help. However, recently many people have been using products such as mounjaro injections to suppress their appetites to drop those pesky pounds they’re having difficulty losing. If you decide to take that route, make sure you buy them from a reputable provider and seek medical advice to make sure it’s suitable for you.
Being underweight is usually easier to solve through gradually increasing your calorie intake with protein, carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables. However, pharmacists advise avoiding eating lots of high-calorie foods full of saturated fat and sugar which increase body fat rather than body mass.
Why maintaining a healthy weight is important
According to Bupa, achieving and sticking to a healthy weight can reduce your risk of many common health issues and diseases.
Problems caused by being overweight
If you are overweight, you may be at a greater risk of the following health problems:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol – which can increase the risk of some of the other issues on this list
- Stroke
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Osteoarthritis
- Some types of cancer (according to Cancer Research UK, being overweight/obese is the second biggest cause of cancer)
Problems caused by being underweight
Being underweight also causes problems including:
- Less muscle strength
- Being more likely to suffer from illness or infection
- Greater risk of heart problems
- Fertility issues
- Wounds being slower to heal
How to find your healthy weight
One way of finding out how your healthy weight is by working out your BMI. A lot of people don’t like BMI, but for many people it can give a good rough idea of what range their weight should be. However, it doesn’t give a good estimate for everyone. For example, it shouldn’t be used in instances such as if you’re under 18, pregnant, very muscular or have an eating disorder.
Another way is to calculate your waist-to-height ratio (although this again does have limitations, so use both methods with caution!)
Once you know what you’re aiming for, you can start working towards it. Hopefully this will improve your energy levels and quality of life, reducing your risk of many health problems. If you need more help working out what your healthy weight range is, seek your doctor’s advice.
Disclosure: This article was written in collaboration with Curely. I am not a medical professional, so please consider this article a rough guideline about maintaining a healthy weight. Please do seek further medical advice if you are underweight or overweight and/or have any health concerns.
Cover photo by i yunmai on Unsplash