What
is healthy body weight?
When we talk about weight and health - whether we are discussing
pounds, kilos, or Body Mass Index, we are trying to assess the body's
composition of fat and muscle deposits. The degree to which muscle
and fat are present or absent in the body can have implications
for overall physiological functioning and the risk of developing
certain medical conditions. And that's the problem with the indices
above: at best, they are an estimation of body composition, yet
they are treated as gospel. We need to have additional ways to talk
about body composition and health beyond "the numbers."
So what
else can we look at to determine whether someone's body composition
is healthy and normal for them? Here are some questions; the more
often you answer "Yes," the more likely it is that your
body is reflecting what is right for YOU:
Do
you get feedback from your doctor that suggests that your pulse,
blood pressure, and labwork results are healthy for someone of
your age and gender?
If
you have finished growing (and remember, many people will not
finish growing until their early 20s), does your weight tend to
stay in the same range, without a lot of significant ups and downs,
and without any strenuous efforts on your part?
Do
you find that you have plenty of energy throughout the day, and
that you are not more likely to catch colds, flus, etc. than your
peers?
Are
you getting 30-60 minutes of enjoyable physical activity on most
days of the week?
Do
you generally eat only when you are hungry and stop when you are
comfortably full?
Do
you eat a wide variety of foods (covering all the food groups
or food group substitutes)? Would you say that most (not all!)
of your choices are high in nutrients and moderate in calories?
Do you include lots of high-fiber choices?
Do
you have a minimum of five servings a day of fruits/vegetables?
If you drink alcohol, do you use it in moderation?
Does
your body resemble the size and shape of other healthy members
of your family?
If
you are a woman, do you get your periods regularly, and is the
flow pretty normal?
If
you are an athlete, do you make it through training, games, or
events with only a normal amount of fatigue? Are you able to recover
fairly quickly?
But
what about Body Mass Index, Ideal Body Weight, and Percent Body
Fat?
We hesitate to provide calculations, numbers, or ranges because
each body is different, and even these clinically-focused assessment
tools need to be interpreted in the context of an individual's other
health factors. Athletes, for instance, are likely to carry more
muscle mass than a typical student; standard calculations don't
take this into consideration, and might suggest that an athlete
is "overweight." Likewise, some people have large, dense
bone structures, and their healthy weight will be different from
someone of equal height with a smaller frame. And lastly, some folks
are meant to carry a higher percentage of body fat than others.
There are large-framed students with a higher percentage of body
fat who play a sport or exercise several times a week, and eat a
healthy balanced diet. Other students may be very thin, have a low
percentage of body fat but don't consume adequate nutrients or have
a consistent relationship with physical activity. If you are really
concerned about your weight or body composition, check with a medical
provider at Health Services (863-3953) or in the community. Choose
someone who is not affiliated with a commercial weight loss program;
consulting with an unbiased health professional will help you get
a more realistic idea of whether it would be healthy for you to
gain or lose weight, and how to go about it wisely.
Do
you need to change your weight? Are you sure?
As we said a moment ago, if you are answering "Yes" to
most of the questions above, your body is likely to be in the place
that is normal and healthy for you. Every day, however, we get bombarded
with images of "desirable" bodies that look radically
different from what is normal and healthy. It can lead to a lot
of body dissatisfaction, and the urge to significantly change the
way we look. If that's the case, and you are trying to lose or gain
weight even though you probably don't need to, you might want to
think about some things first.
Researchers
estimate that 40-70% of your weight is determined by genetics; we
are programmed for certain bone structures, levels of adipose (body
fat), and muscle development capacity. You would have to spend A
LOT of time and energy to significantly change your adipose and
muscle endowments; you would probably need to pathologically distort
your relationship with food and exercise in order to do it; you'd
have to be willing to divert resources from a lot of other important
pastimes (school, work, relationships, hobbies), and you'd have
to be able to keep that up for - well, the rest of your life. This
is impossible to maintain and would seriously undermine your emotional
and physical health.
The body
strives for balance and stability, and as we stated above, it pays
a price when it has to function too far from its comfort zone. This
price tag includes decreased functioning mentally, emotionally,
and physically. Researcher Ancel Keys conducted what is now considered
the classic study on semi-starvation during World War II, and he
noted the following outcomes among the conscientious objectors who
volunteered:
Decrease
in metabolic rate by 40% as caloric intake and weight dropped
Feelings
of anxiety, depression and irritability
Dizziness,
weakness, and fatigue
Withdrawal
from important social relationships and disinterest in sex
Decreased
interest in intellectual pursuits
Food
preoccupation (e.g. collecting recipes, hoarding kitchen implements,
constantly thinking and dreaming about food)
Development
of distorted eating rituals: extremely slow consumption, cutting
of food into small pieces, creation of weird and distasteful food
concoctions
Feelings
of embarrassment and guilt about perceived "overeating"
episodes
Binges
of thousands of calories per episode while on leave from the study
Self-induced
vomiting (in some) to get rid of the post-binge discomfort
These
men were chosen as highly intelligent, highly motivated, and psychologically
stable volunteers, but it wasn't until 8 months later, when they
returned to normal eating and were fully weight restored, that the
changes in cognitions, behaviors, and mood completely subsided.
And what
if you answered "No" to a lot of the Healthy Body Weight
questions above? Lifestyle trends (rather than isolated actions)
CAN affect the body's ability to maintain a healthy weight, so if
you habitually underuse or overuse food and physical activity, you
are more likely to be at a weight that isn't right for you and to
have negative changes in heart rate, blood pressure, labwork, energy
levels, reproductive functioning, and athletic performance. If underuse
or overuse of food is an issue for you, check out our section on
Eating
Concerns and consider calling 401.863-2794 to make an appointment
with our Nutritionist, who can help you develop a more balanced
lifestyle pattern.
Does
dieting help you lose weight?
There's no question about it: when you significantly change energy
balance in the body, by repeatedly affecting either intake or expenditure,
you're likely to see at least short-term changes in weight as muscle,
adipose, and fluid status are impacted. But wait: the body is built
to react strongly to systemic changes like this - particularly if
the changes are drastic. The rate at which the body burns calories
(metabolism) slows down every time you diet, in part because of
the inevitable loss of muscle mass, our most "metabolically-active"
tissue. Less muscle means the body doesn't need to spend as many
calories in order to maintain itself. When you begin to eat normally
again, your body is still functioning at the lower rate. So every
time you diet, weight comes off more slowly and goes back on more
quickly because your metabolism gets lower. And it isn't just muscle
that determines how your body will respond to changes in energy
balance. We are also programmed for a certain level of adiposity
(body fat) - a level that is monitored very closely by the survival
mechanisms of the body. Researchers are finding that adipose can
be just as metabolically-active when the body perceives that survival
and reproduction are being endangered, and that there are many chemical
messengers whose function is to influence appetite, metabolism,
and mobilization of fat stores in order to preserve or restore the
status-quo. So under-nutrition and rapid weight loss can eventually
result in preferential fat storage.
Once
normal eating is resumed and maintained, the metabolism generally
returns to normal. But the early stage of this metabolic adjustment
can be scary for some people because they may put on a few pounds
as the body attempts to reestablish equilibrium. Fearing that the
weight gain will be too significant, or that it will last forever,
they may go back on a diet - causing their body to downshift metabolically
again, and promote fat storage.
Don't
crash and burn.
Studies show that people who repeatedly go on and off crash diets
actually gain weight over time. The sad fact is that the only thing
crash dieters ever learn is how to starve. And suppressing your
appetite with most diet pills risks a number of nasty side effects,
such as irritability, insomnia, high blood pressure, and dependency.
Plus, once you stop taking them, any weight you've lost will probably
sneak right back on. Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight
means practicing a variety of good self-care behaviors - day in,
and day out.
What
else goes along with dieting?
Although some people will engage in dieting behavior with little
or no significant change in the way they think and feel, many people
find that the legacy of dieting goes far beyond a transitory effect
on their weight. The following are some side-effects of dieting
that should be considered carefully:
Diets
tend to polarize our attitudes towards foods, creating categories
of "good" and "bad," that then go on to affect
how we feel about ourselves when certain foods are eaten - whether
or not we are currently dieting.
Diets
tend to perpetuate the belief that control with food and eating
exists only as a function of an external system of regulations;
we forget that our bodies have an innate ability to self-regulate,
and we mistrust the demands of our physiology.
Because
of the externalized focus, and because the cookie-cutter approach
of many diets will NOT be a match for our individual needs, diets
can foster a disconnect between hunger and fullness. As a result,
we lose touch with the primary mechanism by which the body self-regulates
energy balance.
Because
dieting may involve ignoring hunger and promoting inadequate fullness,
and because much-loved foods are often re-categorized as "bad,"
we can experience enough perceived or real deprivation to make
us feel tremendously preoccupied with food - particularly with
the "bad" foods. As a result, we can wind up spending
a lot of time and energy thinking about how we will consume or
avoid certain foods. Even more painfully, we may wind up feeling
vulnerable, out of control, and lacking in character as a result.
Although
dieting and exercise are two different behaviors, viewing physical
activity primarily as a means of losing weight or re-shaping the
body is a shift in attitude that can often accompany dieting.
People can respond to this by developing a driven, compulsive
relationship with physical activity that pushes them to exercise
when fatigued, ill, and injured, and that cuts into their ability
to enjoy other things. People can also respond by developing an
aversion or resistance to physical activity, because it has become
associated with guilt, obligation, and anxiety for them.
So what DO you do to promote a healthy body weight? Have breakfast within an hour of waking up.
Your body is craving fuel after a night's sleep. Not only does having
breakfast support an optimal metabolism, but studies have shown
that having breakfast helps our bodies with appetite control. Study
participants were found to experience less hunger all day long when
they had breakfast - there's something about that meal that is uniquely
satisfying to the body. (And for those of you who are saying that
you experience more hunger during the day when you eat breakfast,
here's a news flash: the hunger you are experiencing is actually
your REAL level of hunger. When you skip breakfast, your body sometimes
begins to produce a chemical called a ketone that "covers up"
your natural hunger signal. As a result, you may not notice significant
hunger - until you eat or drink something with nutrients in it that
"breaks" the ketosis, causing you to feel suddenly and
ravenously hungry - a real set-up for overeating and feeling uncomfortable).
Be
regular with meals and snacks; try to eat something every 3-4 hours.
Again, your metabolism is better supported when the body is fed
in a regular, consistent way. Erratic eating patterns with more
than 4 hours between meals and snacks may cause the body to fight
back against what it perceives as deprivation and uncertainty. It
may cause the metabolic rate to drop, and it may signal the body
to preferentially store calories as fat instead of spending them
freely.
Think
of the peace symbol when you're planning your plate at lunch and
dinner.
Aim to fill 2/3 of your plate with carbohydrates: a fruit serving,
a cooked or raw vegetable serving, and a grain. The last third of
your plate is for a serving of protein (animal or vegetable). Add
a serving or 2 of fat to round things off, if your other food choices
don't contain much fat. This meal mix: carbohydrate + protein +
fat provides the fast acting and long acting sources of energy that
keep people well-fueled and satisfied for a longer period of time.
When you are well satisfied, you're less likely to feel compelled
to "nibble" during the day, and you aren't likely to arrive
at the next meal or snack over-hungry and prone to over-eat. Click
here,
for more help with understanding portion sizes.
Get
milk.
You can improve your meal mix (and bone health!) even further by
having an 8 oz. serving of low-fat milk or yogurt with each meal.
Some studies have shown that low-fat dairy products are helpful
in achieving a healthy body weight. It could be because the protein
provides an additional boost to appetite control, or because calcium
has a role in fat metabolism that we don't understand yet. In any
case, a serving of low-fat milk (or its soy alternative) is a great
way to round out a meal.
Add
high fiber choices to meals and snacks.
High-fiber foods like wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and
legumes help us with energy balance by promoting a feeling of comfortable
fullness. Both the bulk of these foods, and the more gradual way
in which they are digested for energy, can help us to experience
fullness at a meal and maintain a feeling of comfortable fullness
for several hours.
Start
eating when you are comfortably hungry, and stop eating when you
are comfortably full.
Eating when you are at a comfortable level of physical hunger (instead
of starving), and finishing when you are comfortably full (instead
of stuffed) is one of the most powerful ways to make sure that your
caloric intake stays appropriate. And the two are definitely related:
by the time you are over-hungry, not only will you have a hard time
slowing down your eating long enough to listen for a subtle fullness
signal, you may also develop a preference for over-fullness in reaction
to or as a defense against this uncomfortable level of hunger. Moreover,
you may find yourself developing a preference for higher-fat, higher-sugar
foods under these circumstances because of the brain chemicals (galanin
- fat cravings, neuropeptide Y - sweet cravings) that are released
when someone has gone for too long without eating.
But what if you have a hard time knowing
whether you are really hungry? Hunger is the physiological expression of the body's need
for energy. There are some common symptoms of hunger that people
may manifest in ascending order as their blood sugar levels continue
to drop. It's useful for you to identify your personal progression
from slight hunger to over-hunger. You are more likely to begin
a meal or a snack at a comfortable level of hunger if you eat within
5-10 minutes of your early hunger signals.
Rumbling,
or empty stomach - EARLY HUNGER
Decreased
energy, particularly during physical activity
Decreased
ability to focus
Irritability
Headache
Feeling
weak or shaky
Nausea,
cold sweats - LATE HUNGER
Appetite
is our interest in food. It usually accompanies hunger, but it can
also be stimulated by sensory triggers (walking past a bakery),
habit ("I always have a snack at this time"), or emotions
(wanting food when sad or anxious). Most of us are familiar with
the experience of a food "calling to us" when we are clear
that we are not hungry, and eating under these circumstances once
in a while is totally normal. A frequent tendency to eat from appetite
rather than hunger, however, is likely to create inappropriate weight
gain because it promotes consumption of calories that the body has
no use for. Appetite is linked to our innate need for pleasure,
and can be aggravated by food deprivation, but it can also be exacerbated
by a lack of fun, not enough relaxation, and insufficient outlets
for soothing and comfort. Our appetite for food stays more manageable
when we eat enough, when we eat things we really enjoy, and when
we have many other ways of relaxing and having fun. To learn more
about the link between emotions, self-care needs, and eating, look
at our section on Emotional Eating below.
And
what if you aren't sure whether you are truly full? Fullness is the physiological expression of the body having
received enough energy at a meal or snack. The experience of fullness
can be affected by a variety of food-related factors:
High-fiber
wholegrains help to fill us up at meals and snacks, and keep us
feeling full for longer.
Protein
is best at promoting comfortable fullness at a meal or snack,
and it will continue to promote comfortable fullness for several
hours afterwards.
Although
the presence of fat in a meal may not boost fullness in the moment
because it is digested more slowly, it contributes significantly
to long-lasting fullness.
Fruits,
vegetables, and beans provide bulk and fiber that boosts fullness.
Hot
foods and beverages tend to make us feel more full than cold ones.
Eaten
alone, processed grains (e.g. low-fiber breakfast cereals) and
sugary foods don't contribute to a significant feeling of fullness,
and get used up too quickly to support long-lasting fullness.
Fullness
is a more subtle physiological signal than hunger, and can more
easily be overridden or missed - particularly if you are eating
quickly or in a very distracting environment. The old guideline
about taking a minimum of 20 minutes to eat still makes a lot of
sense.
Like
appetite and hunger, satisfaction can travel along with fullness,
but there are other aspects that go beyond whether the body feels
it has received enough energy. Satisfaction usually requires:
Reaching
a preferred level of fullness, and
Achieving
a reasonable "match" between the sensory characteristics
you were craving (hot/cold, spicy/bland, crunchy, creamy, smooth,
chewy, salty, bitter, sweet) and the foods you actually chose.
Most
of us can identify with eating situations in which we've been physically
full but not yet satisfied, and we usually found ourselves "grazing"
afterwards, still searching for that satisfaction. This situation
is even more likely to occur with dieting when people disallow themselves
the types and amounts of foods they really want. Unfortunately,
the result of under-cutting satisfaction is a tendency to eat when
not hungry and eat beyond fullness - both of which contribute to
inappropriate weight gain. So make sure that you choose foods you
really like at meals and snacks - even if some of them are high
in calories, you can have them in moderate portions and you'll be
doing yourself a favor in the end!
Emotional
Eating: Eating Too Much
As a species, we have several strong biological imperatives: survival,
pleasure-seeking, and pain-avoidance, to name just a few. Food and
eating are connected to all three of these major themes, so is it
any wonder that they get over-used sometimes? And possibly because
our experience with food is so strongly reinforced on a physiological
level, we have also developed a powerful emotional relationship
with food. Food and eating seem to be "about" a lot of
things: family, cultural values, security, fun, intimacy, personal
identity, spirituality, sensuality, control, power, love… the
list goes on, and on.
As a
result, our relationship with food can get a little distorted when
we are having a hard time coping in other areas of our lives. Food
can be used as a way to meet other needs when we are depleted (e.g.
eating a snack, when we really need to take a nap or have a study
break). Food can also be used to manage emotions (e.g. eating to
"numb-out," or relax). Everyone eats emotionally once
in a while - that's normal. When emotional eating becomes frequent,
however, it can be really disruptive and distressing. First of all,
it confuses the body, which prefers to regulate its intake according
to hunger and fullness. Secondly, it interferes with our ability
to deal with our feelings and meet our real needs directly. It turns
the language of FEELINGS into the language of FOOD, creating a situation
in which you can begin to think that you have a "problem"
with food. Food isn't the problem - it's a symptom of coping difficulties.
Here
are some ways to manage emotional over-eating: Take care of your basic needs for sleep, relaxation, social connection,
and pleasure on a daily basis. There is a tendency, particularly
during college, to treat these needs as optional: they are not.
And ignoring the deficit doesn't make it go away; it simply goes
underground and pops up someplace unexpected - like your relationship
with food. Create academic, athletic, social, and work schedules
that don't require you to sacrifice the foundation of well-being.
Find
more supportive ways to comfort or distract yourself when things
are difficult. Phoning a friend, taking a hot shower, going
for a short walk while listening to your favorite music; these are
some ways to take a break and boost your mood without using food.
Get
help understanding and managing feelings. The transition to
college life is exciting - and incredibly stressful. Everybody struggles
with this in their own way, and a little coaching can help you to
understand your situation better and feel more effective. For more
information about all of the above suggestions, Psychological Services
is a fantastic resource. You can reach them at 401.863-3476.
If
you are going to eat emotionally, do it really, really, well.
Like we said, everyone eats emotionally once in a while. So if you've
considered other self-care options, and eating something feels like
the most satisfying choice, make it count.
Pick
out a food that gets as close as possible to your craving, so
that you get the sensory satisfaction you are looking for.
If
you can, aim for a single-serving portion of whatever you are
craving; remember - you can always have more afterwards if you
truly want it.
Sit
down and concentrate on what you are eating; take your time and
stay in touch with how good it tastes.
Give
yourself permission to enjoy whatever you are eating - without
guilt. Feeling guilty increases the likelihood that you will "numb-out"
and rush through your eating, making you prone to eat more because
either you missed out on the pleasure, or you are having to comfort
yourself for feeling so guilty.
Emotional Eating: Not Eating Enough
Sometimes dealing with emotions results in the opposite problem
- under-eating and weight loss. Here are some emotional under-eating
issues, and some ideas that may be useful:
Feeling
stressed-out about making time for meals and snacks because your
schedule is so tight. Healthy eating gives you the energy to
do what you want to do, so make it a priority. Avoid painting yourself
into a corner by creating a schedule that allows you to put self-care
first.
Feeling
overwhelmed by the crowds and atmosphere of the dining halls.
Try coming at a time when the crowds are smaller (Noon to 1 pm is
usually the busiest time of day.). Since the Ratty is the largest
of the dining facilities, try the V-Dub or another location if you
need a smaller and less hectic eating environment - even if it means
a few extra steps in your usual routine. Plan to go with a friend
if you are uncertain about trying a new place alone.
Arriving
at meals too stressed to eat, having no appetite, or getting an
upset stomach after eating. Some of the same brain and endocrine
chemicals that start to cascade during our experience of stress
also have receptors in the gut - no wonder people lose their interest
in food or get an upset stomach. Do what you can to arrive at meals
in a relaxed frame of mind. Leaving plenty of time so that you can
arrive, eat, and hang out for a little while afterwards can really
improve interest in eating, and definitely cuts down on stomach
discomfort afterwards. Practicing deep, abdominal breathing, progressive
muscle relaxation, or doing some mini-visualizations can also help
people manage their stress before heading into a meal. To learn
more about these and other techniques for stress management on-the-go,
visit our page on Stress.
Feeling
anxious about the types of foods available and how they are prepared.
Getting used to new foods or foods that are prepared differently
is sometimes difficult. You can't ask for "made to order"
dishes, but you can experiment with creating some of your own dishes
with items already available in the dining facilities. Think about
trying one new food each week, so that you can begin to broaden
your tastes and bring down your anxiety level. If you suspect that
your anxiety about food and eating is related to disordered eating
or weight concerns, visit our page on Eating
Concerns.
Located on the third floor of Health Services.
Confidential information or care is available through individual
appointments with a Nutritionist to discuss the many types of eating
concerns you may have regarding yourself, a friend, roommate or
teammate. Health Education also offers workshops, pamphlets, and
reading materials covering these and related issues. Health Education
services are free as part of your Health Services fee.
Located at 13 Brown Street across from Keeney Quad.
Confidential information and care is available for initial, current
or past disordered eating patients.
Located
on the second floor of Rhode Island Hall.
Confidential appointments are available at Psychological Services
for students concerned about their eating issues. Guidance is also
available for those who are concerned about a friend, roommate,
or teammate's eating. Services include crisis intervention, short-term
psychotherapy and referrals. Appointments at Psychological Services
are free as part of your Health Services fee.
Highly recommended web site, offering support and programs for people
seeking a lifestyle without diets. You can take a self-profile quiz
that cues one to the many benefits of a non-diet life. Slogan: "You
Count, Calories Don't." Run by registered dietitian Linda Omichinski.
This site includes a chat line, resources and links to other sites.
Another
fantastic diet-free web site, with particularly good information
about the connections between nutrition, hormones, and brain chemistry.
Run by dietitian Monika Woolsey, the site includes "Eating
Resource Centers" covering everything from Irritable Bowel
Syndrome to Sleep Disorders, Q&A sessions on hot topics, and
links to providers specializing in a given topic.
Established by dietitian Karin Kratina,
one of the foremost leaders in the Health At Every Size approach,
this web site is a great place to go for a balanced clinical counterpoint
to the "war on obesity." Having recently completed her
PhD in Cultural Anthropology, Karin's work is particularly useful
for anyone interested in exploring the symbolic and socio-cultural
aspects of food, eating, exercise, and body image.
Daily Tips and Feature Topics often have articles of interest. By
sending an email to findnrd@eatright.org,
you can ask questions directly of registered dietitians in your
area. Nutrition Network is a national referral service for registered
dietitians in their areas nutrition. Award winning web site.
This site looks at ways we can feel good in the bodies we have.
One of their slogans: "Remember, your body hears everything
you think." Other topics on the web site: Size Acceptance;
What do you say when everyone around you is dieting? 200 Ways to
Love the Body You Have; Dieting Detox; Evaluating Weight Loss Programs:
What are the Red Flags? Free subscription to email newsletter "Body
Positive Pages."
Disclaimer: Health Education is part of Health Services at Brown University. Health Education maintains this site as a resource for Brown students. This site is not intended to replace consultation with your medical providers. No site can replace real conversation. Health Education offers no endorsement of and assumes no liability for the currency, accuracy, or availability of the information on the sites we link to or the care provided by the resources listed. Health Services staff are available to treat and give medical advice to Brown University students only. If you are not a Brown student, but are in need of medical assistance please call your own health care provider or in case of an emergency, dial 911. Please contact us if you have comments, questions or suggestions.
