Do You Really Need to Lose Weight for a Better Shape?

Do You Even Need to Lose Weight?

For me, the best way to answer the question, “Should I lose weight to be fit and healthy?” should be: Not necessarily.

People tend to equate better shape to less weight. But they are not the same thing. Sure, everyone can use some finer shape, but not everyone needs to lose weight to accomplish that.

Granted, for some people – maybe a lot of people – the path to a leaner body and better shape goes through weight loss. However, as a matter of fact, there are those who are trying to gain weight.

Having said that, this article will primarily address weight loss as a step to getting better shape.

Chew on this: Once upon a time, somebody suggested to me that the best way to lose weight is to take many small snacks instead of one big meal.

My answer: Wrong!

The Nature and the Nurture of Weight

I’ve heard the argument that the best way to lose weight is to not gain it. If you want to get into semantics, you may ask: How would anyone want to lose something they didn’t gain in the first place? But we all get it, don’t we?

But if you insist on semantics, perhaps a more accurate, albeit not catchy, way to phrase it would be: Don’t gain weight if you can help it, unless your BMI shows otherwise.

Read: How to gain healthy weight

That would mean there are situations where you can’t help it as we saw in another discussion on nature vs nurture.  Some people are just born heavy, and that’s their nature. While we can’t change nature most of the time, we can control or nurture it. And it’s in the nurturing where we usually fail.

Whether you gained it or you were born with it, think about the following simple equation, then decide for yourself if it’s right or wrong:

Calories In – Calories Out = Weight Gain/Loss.

What Are Calories Anyway?

Calories are units of energy that your body needs in order to function. The main sources of calories are Proteins (4 calories per gram); Carbohydrates/Sugar (4 calories per gram); and Fat (9 calories per gram).

No matter the source, calories are only bad if taken in excess. That is because if they’re not all burned, they’re are stored in your body as fat.

Note: Calories should not be confused with nutrients. Although proteins and carbohydrates produce the same amounts of calories per gram, they don’t have the same nutritional values. Carbohydrates are absorbed as glucose by our bodies. Proteins, on the other hand, are absorbed as amino acids.

While calories are simply units of energy, nutrients are substances for nourishment that come from different classes of food. Not all classes of food produce calories. For example, Vitamins and Minerals are necessary for nourishment, but not for calories.

We elaborate on nutrients in the diet section.

How Much is Too Much Weight? 

Ways to Lose Weight

There are factors used to determine the appropriate weight such as height, age, gender and fat distribution in your body.

According to experts, the most popular way to measure your ideal weight is the Body Mass Index (BMI). The following is the simple formula:

If you’re using Kilograms and Meters, the formula is Weight in Kilograms, divided by Height in Meters squared:

BMI = Weight (kg)/[Height (m)]₂

Example: If your Weight is 100 kg, and your Height is 2 m,

BMI = 100/(2×2) = 100/4 = 25

If you’re using Pounds and Inches, the formula is Weight in Pounds multiplied by 703, divided by Height in Inches squared:

BMI = (Weight(lbs) x 703) / [Height(In)]₂

Example: If your Weight is 180 lbs and your Height is 65 in.,

BMI = (180 x 703) / 65×65 = 126,540 / 4,225 = 29.95

What do you do with BMI once you know it?

According to experts, you’re considered:

Underweight if BMI is less than 18.5
Normal weight if BMI is between 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight if BMI is between 25-29.9
Obese if BMI is 30 or more

Note: We talk about overweight so much so that you’d think it’s the only problem. But as you can see, you can be underweight, and we discuss that problem in a different session.

The important thing to note is that weight and shape are two different things.

Just because you’re underweight or normal weight doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about shape. Having said that, we all know too much weight is a bigger problem. Therefore, the rest of this article pays more attention to it.

1. Diet

What is diet exactly? Is it the same as dieting? What does mean when someone says Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi?

There is a whole section on diet for a better shape, but in the context of Weight Loss it simply means ‘less food‘.

If we look at excess calories as excess weight, then we can say that dieting is reduction of intake of foods that produce substantial amounts of calories – including Proteins, Carbohydrates (sugar), and Fats. Dieting can come in form of taking less food per meal or skipping meals altogether, also known as fasting.

2. Surgery

According to Dr. John Rabkin, there are 7 types of weight loss surgeries, a.k.a. bariatric surgery – Gastric Sleeve, Gastric Bypass, Duodenal Switch, LAP-BAND, Gastric Balloon, vBloc Therapy and AspireAssist.

If you ever decide that surgery is the most appropriate remedy for your weight loss, it’s important to know these names and what each means for you.

For the purpose of this discussion, the notable goal for the named types of surgeries is to reduce food intake. With reduction of food intake comes the reduction of calories, hence, reduced weight.

Caution: There is such a thing as losing weight too fast.

A human body can only cope with so much change at a given time. Some experts recommend losing more than 2 pounds a week maybe too much.

Personally, I’m conservative when it comes to getting in shape in general, and losing weight in particular. Here is my Rule of Thumb: If I see you every day, I shouldn’t be able to notice the change on a daily basis.

3. Exercise

Of all the weight loss methods, this is my favorite. Exercise is movement (just in case you didn’t know!), and movement requires energy and burning of calories. When you move any part of your body – whether you’re typing, eating, walking, talking, turning in bed, etc. – you’re exercising.

While we talk about exercise a whole lot more in other articles, the notable thing I must mention here is that it’s more than just a tool to lose weight. Unlike dieting and surgery, exercise enhances blood flow for all parts of your body, the most important of which is your brain.

Additionally, it builds muscle that your body requires for proper functioning, or for sheer physical appearance. Believe it or not, some people live for that!

Conclusion

It bears repeating here that while it’s okay to lose weight if one is overweight, weight loss is not an end in and of itself. It’s a means to achieve health and fitness, and the ultimate goal is your survival.

Also, we must emphasize that having no weight or losing it does not necessarily mean you’re healthy. Longevity of life is what you should strive for. A weighty person could be fitter and healthier than a skinny person.

Psst…It’s called Survival of the fittest, not of the skinniest.

Further Reading:

• Carb Cycling for Weight Loss
• 10 Weight Loss Mistakes to Avoid

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