The first thing any woman whose goal is to lose weight should ask herself is
" Am I fat . . . and if so, why? " After all, the first step in solving any problem is to figure out exactly what the problem is, how big it is, and why it exists.
Makes sense?
I guess the answer to the question " Am I fat? " might seem like a pretty simple one to answer - just take a quick look in the mirror and you'll know, right?
Well, don't be so sure! You see, in all areas of our lives we tend to judge ourselves by comparing ourselves to everyone else - to what the "average" is. But since the "average" woman is becoming more and more overweight each year, our impressions can sometimes get a bit skewed over time.
I've come across numerous women, for example, who are quite happy with their bodies, when in actual fact they're quite unhealthy. The fact is that having an average amount of body fat doesn't necessarily mean your body has the healthiest amount of body fat.
So for the majority of women, the answer to the question " Am I fat? " sadly, is "yes".
Consider this . . .
The results from a 2007/08 National Health Survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that 55% of all adult Australian women were overweight or obese (about 33% overweight and 22% obese).
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2005 about 62% of adult women in the USA aged 20 or over were overweight or obese.
Pretty scary huh?
So if your goal is to lose weight and get healthy, the first important weight loss tip is to assess and understand the severity of your problem in real terms. There are a variety of methods available for measuring your body's physical condition. Some of the major ones are:
- Body Weight
- Body Mass Index (BMI Chart)
- Waist Measurement
- Body Fat Percentage
It's very important to understand what each of these is, how you can measure them, what they mean, and how relevant they are in the real world.
Why Am I Fat?
Next . . . " Why am I fat? " That's probably an even more important question.
The good news is that for most women, it's because of their lifestyle. Why is that good news? Because it's something that you can easily change.
Well, maybe not always easily, but it's changeable - through making small changes to your daily habits, or even by undergoing a sensible weight loss program if necessary.
There are a variety of factors however, that unfortunately are out of your direct control. For example, some women can gain body fat as a result of menopause, or as an after-effect of pregnancy. Some women are simply predisposed genetically to being larger - their bodies may actually have a proportionally higher than average percentage of fat cells.
Weight gain can also be the result of a thyroid condition (although this is a lot less common than many women would believe). Fortunately however, this can usually be overcome or at very least controlled to some degree through medical treatment.
One of the most important weight loss tips however, that I like to stress to women who ask " Why am I fat? " is this:
Regardless of the hand that Mother Nature has dealt you, it doesn't mean
that you need to be overweight all your life.
Anyone can lose weight and get into great shape - it's just that for some women, it might take longer and require more work that it does for others. The key to success is a simple and effective weight loss program, and the desire to put in the required effort.