Even when you’re decades past gaining the freshman 15 or trying to lose postpartum pounds, you may find you’ve put on some extra weight. It’s natural to worry, but it’s not always an accurate indicator of your health status, according to recent studies and Atlanta-based weight loss and metabolism experts.
If you’re carrying 10 extra pounds and it puts your body mass index in an “overweight” category, you’ll want to consider whether the weight is coming from a healthy source, according to Nancy Massoud, metabolic specialist and holistic practitioner at LockedIn Wellness who is board certified in functional anti-aging.
“If you’re figuring your body mass index and that extra weight puts you outside the healthy range, there’s no need to get fixated on it,” Massoud told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The guidelines are not 100 percent, they just give you a range to consider.”
The extra pounds could be from muscle or hydration. “If you’re well-hydrated and healthy, and your bone density looks good, then it’s OK to carry some extra weight,” she said. “It’s not always linked to indulging or overeating. A few extra pounds can be positive in many ways, so determine their source.”
Even normal-weight people can be unhealthy if their bodies are inflamed, bloated or puffy, or their bone density is insufficient, Massoud said. “In that case, the number on the scale doesn’t match their actual health.”
There are also dangers associated with people who don’t perceive their weight correctly and begin dieting. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated 26.5% of older adults who were trying to lose weight were actually at a normal or low weight.
High amounts of visceral fat, on the other hand, increased the risk of diabetes by 51% and doubled the risk of metabolic syndrome even in individuals who were not obese or were a so-called “normal” weight, according to a recent study of 1,005 midlife men and women from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
In the final analysis, you get to decide whether you are happy in your own skin, even if you’re carrying a few extra pounds,” Atlanta-based certified eating psychology counselor Margaret Schwenke told the AJC.
“In my professional role, I’m often asked to define the perfect nutrition plan or perfect relationship with food or the ideal body weight,” she said. “But in truth, everyone gets to define these things for themselves. It can be helpful to have advice from the experts and a target to aim for, but at the end of the day we are responsible for our own health.”
Self-acceptance at any size makes you more assured and attractive, she said. “If you want to lose weight, I say go for it. But if you don’t and you’re happy and confident in your skin, I say that’s OK, too. No one gets to decide whether your body shape, size or weight is ‘acceptable’ or not.”
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