Throughout the world, people differ in color, weight, height,

and other physical traits. Due to this difference in physical traits,  one particular value cannot be used to define the standard weight. Society views the woman with a tiny waist and wider hips as the ideal woman today, but this body type may not have been the ‘ideal shape’ some fifty years ago and might change in 5 years.

However, there appear to be varying views on the ideal body type. What a part of our society tags as ideal or normal body type might not be the same for another group. So, let’s assess this from the health point of view.

No particular weight or height is considered normal for health status. When we are talking about normal values in health, we are talking about a range -from one number to the other. For instance, normal fasting blood sugar levels should be between 70-100mg/dl- not just one particular value like 85.

Here’s a diagram that highlights different body silhouettes.

Choose a number you think best describes your body type. Pick another number you think is ideal/ normal alongside a number you want to achieve. When we look at an ideal or normal weight, we are looking at the weight and lifestyle factors that will promote health now and prevent diseases in the future.

FACTORS THAT DETERMINE OUR WEIGHT

Different factors affect our body weight and how much food we should consume, like the genes we’ve inherited from our parents, the type of food we eat, the type of exercise we engage in, and lifestyle factors like drinking alcohol, or whether a person has some type of disease(s) or not. Age is also a factor, as well as whether a person is pregnant, lactating, or not.

* The traits and characteristics you inherit from your parents may dictate your weight. That is why you will find that in some families, the grandmother, mother, and daughter are slim. You might also find a family where some siblings are slim and others are big.  Now, genes can dictate your weight but other factors like environment can affect whether those genes will manifest or not. So a person who tends to be slim, from the gene he/she inherited may gain extra weight due to the intake of more food than required, in conjunction with being inactive- just sitting down in a place all through the day. Likewise, a person who tends to be fat might not be fat if he/she does not have enough nutrients to support weight gain. These are some of the factors we consider before embarking on a weight loss or gain program with a person.

*The type and amount of food we eat affect our weight status. Foods contain some substances called nutrients that perform different functions in the body. The 3 nutrients that provide energy are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and oils. No single food contains all the nutrients in the right proportion that is needed to sustain health and prevent diseases so we need to eat different foods in the correct proportion. Also, no food is ‘bad’ or ‘good’ in itself. It is the combination of our choices that can be either bad or good.

* More so, some people gain or lose weight when they are stressed. So true! Emotions affect our food intake and weight status.  Some people might eat more or less ( and so they gain or lose weight) when they are sad, or happy.

*Another fact is that alcohol intake can lead to obesity.  It especially causes an increase in waist circumference (Potbelly)

*As mentioned earlier, your environment also plays a role in your weight status. For instance, the type and amount of food you consume during working hours largely depends on the food/ snacks/ drinks that are sold around your workplace, whether or not you can afford it, whether or not you have time to eat, and whether or not you like eating in front of others. These are things we help you work out so that you can either gain or lose weight. The obesogenic food environment is the one that promotes availability, accessibility, affordability, and desirability (things like advertisements and posters) of foods that promote overweight and obesity.

*There are different guidelines on how to combine your food that shows how you are supposed to eat cereals and grains like rice; legumes like beans; roots and tubers like yam; fruits like apples and oranges; vegetables; milk, and milk products, fish, eggs and poultry, etc.

These guidelines include: My Plate, My Pyramid, and the Eat well guide. Which have been well planned based on evidence from research.

*ANY WEIGHT LOSS OR GAIN OR MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THESE GUIDELINES WILL NOT ONLY BE DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR HEALTH, IT WILL ALSO LEAD TO DISEASES IN THE FUTURE.