The other evening I presented to a mixed group of golfers--men, women, age range from early 40's to late 70's, all health-seekers, interested to hear me speak about Making Weight Control Second Nature: Living Thin Naturally, in 2010, and beyond. I made sure I left time for some questions, and one gentleman raised his hand and said, "Well, I don't know! You said you should know your numbers...your blood sugar, your waist size, your cholesterol. What about just feeling good! You said YOUR best weight is the weight at which you feel good. I feel good! Isn't that enough?"
He had a point...to a point. If you have no diseases associated with being overweight, such as type 2 diabetes, or high blood pressure, or arthritis in your knees or hips--if you have good energy, and you sleep well, and you can fit into your clothes comfortably, and you can walk without getting winded, and your feet and joints don't complain, then what does your weight matter? Not much...but!
If you have a family history of type 2 diabetes or hypertension or heart disease, and you are overweight--and if you carry your excess weight around your belly...if you're a man and your waist size is greater than 40 inches, or if you're a woman and your waist size is greater than 35 inches (equal to or greater than for both) then the numbers are stacked against you. That's when it's a good idea to get your blood sugar tested (best idea is to get your hemoglobin A1c tested--it will show you your average blood glucose reading over the previous 3 month period).
And if your blood pressure is high, if you have impaired glucose tolerance (Hb A1c greater than 6.5, or pre-diabetes), if you HAVE diabetes (Hb A1c is greater than 7%, then you may be already in the beginning stages of damage to your eyes, nerves, kidneys, heart.
Weight IS just a number on the scale, and not the ultimate indicator of fitness or health...after all, Arnold Schwarzenegger is pretty muscular, and his BMI is off the chart--no one would call him fat, 'cause he's not. His weight is irrelevant, because he's so muscular. However, if your weight is mostly fat, and you carry around your belly, the numbers do count.
Here's the revelation! Being thin and healthy, eating what you like yet liking yourself, and controlling your weight without fixating on it for the rest of your life is not about natural gifts, but about the gift of knowing how.
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