Did you know that more than half of Australian men are overweight? Excess weight is a problem: it looks unsightly and can be dangerous for your health. Rosemary Stanton explains how to work out if your weight is a health hazard by calculating your Body Mass Index or BMI.
How to calculate your BMI
Find your height in metres and square this number (multiply it by itself). Then divide your weight in kilograms by the height squared. The result is your BMI.
Example: Let’s use an example of a person who is 1.75 metres tall and who weighs 84kg.
Height squared = 1.75 x 1.75 = 3
Weight (84 kg) / height squared (3) = 28
A figure between 20 and 25 is said to be a healthy BMI. Numbers above or below this indicate a problem.
Type of fat
Where your body fat is situated can also determine whether it’s a health hazard. If it’s on your waistline or on the upper body it is a health hazard. Some men do have a lot of muscle, which is heavy, but most just have a lot of fat. It is quite safe if the fat is around your bottom or thighs, but as most goes to the waist even a small paunch increases your chances of heart disease, bowel cancer, diabetes and other health problems.
Lifestyle changes
According to Rosemary Stanton, the reason so many men are overweight is the change in lifestyle. Gone are the days where men (and women) worked hard physically and could mostly eat whatever they liked without getting fat. In an ideal world less physical activity should result in a lower food intake, however this doesn’t seem to be the case.
It is important to increase your physical activity to reduce your weight. The more active you are, the better your chances for getting slim and staying slim. Exercise doesn’t have to be excessive or expensive – both walking and gardening, if done regularly, are great forms of exercise. So walk more or get involved in some active gardening.
Feeling hungry is thought to be what men fear most about losing weight. This need not be a problem. There are satisfying foods available which aren’t fattening, such as potatoes, breads and cereals.
Giving up beer is another fear some men have when confronting weight loss programs. For this reason it’s good to know that beer is not converted to body fat. However, any fatty foods eaten while drinking (such as chips) will be converted to fat. As well more than one or two beers will stop you losing weight because it stops you burning fat as the body is busy burning up the calories from beer.
Further information
Nutrition week: The Australian Nutrition Foundation is conducting seminars and activities in areas around Australia. This year’s theme is ‘Men’s Health and Nutrition’, held over the week of October 13-19 1997. For further information contact the Division in your state or territory:
NSW
Phone: (02) 9552 3081
NT
Phone: (08) 8951 6731
QLD
Phone: (07) 3876 2677
TAS
Phone: (03) 6226 7700
VIC
Phone: (03) 9528 2453
WA
Phone: (08) 9235 6447
GutBuster program: For information on the ‘At home’ course contact;
GutBusters ‘At Home’
PO Box 434
North Sydney NSW 2059
Phone: 1800 674 688.
Outside courses are also run in some states of Australia.
For more of Rosemary Stanton’s advice on food and nutrition consult the revised edition of Rosemary Stanton’s Complete Book of Food and Nutrition (Simon & Schuster, $29.95 rrp). Also consult her book Eating for Peak Performances (Allen & Unwin) which outlines how best to handle the drinking of alcohol.