There is probably nothing more talked about in the US that weight. Daily numbers of overweight and obese adults and children proliferate the news channels. Yes, Houston, we have a problem. The question is, does obsessing about the scale help individuals get healthier? I think that’s up for debate.
Let’s look at the issue from a variety of angles.
- Examine the official markers of metabolic health
- Visceral fat vs. pounds/kilos of weight
- Mindset enhancement or negative promoter
- Sustainability choices over quick fixes
Metabolic Health Markers
The five official markers of metabolic health are waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, Triglycerides and HDL cholesterol. The recommended levels are listed below. Notice weight is not in there.
- Waist circumference women 35 inches or less, men 40” inches or less
- Blood pressure 130/85 mmHG (without medications)
- Fasting blood glucose 100 mg/dl or less (HbA1c less than 5.7 without medications)
- Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dl (under 100 mg/dl might be more optimal)
- HDL Cholesterol women 40 mg/dl or above, men 50 mg/dl or above
I’ve stated this numerous times but only 12% (maybe even less) of US Adults have good metabolic health. Poor metabolic health means according to some organization you have two or more of the above criteria out of range. Some say even 1 marker is cause for concern.
Food for thought, could just improving these markers be a starting point for a new road of health? The old paradigm is “you just need to eat less and move more.” In other words, lose weight, decrease your calories all the while your energy plummets and you’re then supposed to exercise more. A recipe for yo-yo dieting and weight cycling.
If you want proof that the old dogma works, I challenge you to go to any public space, look around, see if this recommendation, which has been going on for 50 years, is working. Having just returned from a cross-country flight I can tell you, it is not. For a primeur on metabolic health see post here.
Inches vs. Pounds
All fat is not created equal. Fat that accumulates around our organs, called visceral fat is the most deleterious. The classic example is the “beer belly.” However, individuals vary on where exactly they carry fat, more waist and or hips, or both. That said, our waist circumference as well as our waist to height ratio are good indicators of your level of visceral fat content.
The CDC says women should be 35 inches or less and men 40 inches or less. Other institutions and medical professionals say a good rule of thumb is to keep your waist to less than half your height. Once again this might be potentially a better indicator of good metabolic health (be in the 12% group!) than the scale is.
Having worked for decades in the health and wellness industry and our company Square 1 Wellness clients inches lost is a major win. Additionally, due to the complexity of hormonal make-up women tend to lose inches even when the scale might not move. It’s vital to understand the value of increased health by losing inches and visceral fat loss.
I say this especially to the ladies because you’ve been ingrained to worship the scale. I’m generalizing big time here, but men can often lose weight quicker and might not be so obsessed about the scale. Of course, there are exceptions.
There is also the possibility one could be losing fat and gaining muscle. This is true for those individuals who maintain a good regime of regular protein intake coupled with consistent resistance training at any age.
This brings up another point. Often in not only the weight-loss community but health sector the phrase “Non-Scale Victories” (NSV’s) is thrown around. In an interview, here, I had with researcher, nutritionist Amy Berger, she mentioned can we just call them victories. AMEN!
Whether it is inches lost, energy increased, mood enhanced, sleep augmented, medications reduced, stress management improved or whatever, it is a VICTORY. The scale does not get a privileged hierarchical place above all the others. How you feel, move and enjoy life is part of a healthy lifestyle, end of story.
Mindset Matters
Instinctively we know our mindset impacts our mood, actions and life in general.
Example, you’re standing in line at the grocery store, it’s moving incredibly slow, the individual is having issues with their credit card. You know, if you start getting angry, wondering why you always choose the slow line it doesn’t help. If you practice a bit of “Letting Go” your blood pressure doesn’t rise and suddenly the line is moving.
If every morning or every day you fixate on the scale is this enhancing your health? Debatable in my book. Not saying you should never have a picture of where you are weight wise, but if it is causing you undue stress, literally step off it. Give it a time-out. Put your energy and focus on other health parameters, start measuring those and oh yeah by the way monitor how you feel and perform in life!
Quick Fixes
When you cut your finger, you’re glad to have a band aid. However, at some point you take it off, the wound has healed, and you move on. I’ve been around long enough to see countless “weight loss miracles.” From slim-fast drinks, to taking diuretics to the now infamous GLP-1 agonist drugs. Every decade has its’ favorite quick fix. Ask any frequent dieter they do work in the short term, a different story over time.
I’m not saying weight loss drugs don’t have a place and time. This is something for you and your health and wellness team to decide together. Just make sure you know the risks, try to mitigate them as much as possible and continue to work on lifestyle enhancement.
One of the huge drawbacks to rapid weight loss of any kind, is the potential to lose muscle mass. Personally, I find this the most troubling part of the new set of weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Monjaro and others is muscle mass loss. Working in the fitness industry for decades and understanding, especially for those 50 and above, how hard it can be just to maintain muscle mass, let alone build some. A trend to monitor seriously if on these drugs.
Having a strong regiment of resistance training, eating adequate protein and fat along with all the other lifestyle enhancement components cannot be sidestepped, especially when making use of a weight loss enhancer, IMHO. At the end of day, sustainability needs a strong foundation to thrive beyond the treatment period.
Final Note
Weight matters and is good to know where you stand. That said, there is so much more to being metabolically healthy and those markers have a big impact on lifespan. You are more than just one data point, consider all the parameters that contribute to high level performance in life and wellbeing.
