Ideal Weight or Happy Weight?

Comment: How much is too much? Don’t set your body up for failure by drastically losing a lot of weight and not being able to maintain it. Take a slower, healthier route to weight-loss to find your ‘happy’ weight.

Research: This research article comments on the question, ‘how much weight do we really need to lose?’ Many of us struggle, without success, to get down to the size we once were…but do we really need to get that low? Experts say the truth is that you can weigh more than your ideal weight and still be healthy (not to mention, happy).

Losing just 10% of your body weight if you are overweight has list of health benefits including: lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood sugar and reducing your risk of heart disease. In addition, this kind of weight loss is easier to attain and maintain, setting you up for success in the long run.

Dr. Thomas Wadden says that just as your body is meant to stay around 37 degrees, your body weight is naturally regulated to stay within a range of 10% to 20%. This weight range is known as the set point. A complex set of hormones, chemicals, and hunger signals help your body naturally maintain your weight within this range. Your eating habits and exercise habits can also help to determine your ‘set point.’

The best way to lose weight is not to lose a large amount at once, but to slowly change eating and exercise behaviour and maintain your new weight for a few months before attempting to lose more. This will slowly lower you ‘set point.’

Read the original article for more information at http://www.webmd.boots.com/diet/guide/ideal-weight-or-happy-weight