Most of the time, people live in illusion, especially regarding their health. You may be one of these people who simply feel that your body is fit; however, when you check, you will be surprised to see your clinical results.

This is because many people do not consider obesity a big problem, and you could even find a minority of people living under the impression that a fat body is a healthy body. However, the fact is simply the opposite: obesity is known to cause some medical ailments and disorders, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart issues. So, if you are among the ones overweight, you are simply at risk of getting some medical ailments in the future. So, it’s essential to keep a check on your body weight, which is being tracked by a system called measuring the BMI, or body mass index. Once you know your BMI, or body mass index, you will decide on your further weight loss course. So, let’s catch the weight loss and body mass index.

Understanding BMI or Body Mass Index

As per medical and health experts, BMI, or the Body Mass Index, could be called a statistical measurement used to measure the levels of obesity and overweight at the population level. It helps calculate the body weight in terms of height, and you could see some people providing a competent indication of the total body fat. It is generally quoted as simple and easy to use in calculations and for noninvasive measurements. So, if you look at its formula, the BMI equals your total weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height. If you do not want to calculate manually, then don’t worry. You could find several smartphone or web applications to calculate this figure. As per this calculation, the health experts categorize the people into four different divisions. People with 18.4 BMI are called underweight, while ordinary weight people fall into 18.4-24.9 BMI, whereas people with a BMI ranging from 25 to 29.9 are regarded as obese, and lastly, the ones with 30 and above could be called the ones that are morbidly obese.

Weight Loss and Body Mass Index- what’s the catch?

The BMI tests are among the best ways to measure your body’s composition as it relates to your overall body fat. It helps in knowing the fatness and thinness so that the health experts can easily discuss the overweight and underweight found with the patients. It has, therefore, become one of the best ways and numerical authority for diagnosing the menace called obesity worldwide. When an obese body can bring problems in the same way the underweight body encounters issues, which include hypertension, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, breast, endometrial, and colon cancer.

But at the same time, just because your BMI falls into any one of the categories of higher health risk, it simply doesn’t mean that you have been at a greater risk for several diseases than people with healthy BMIs. If you are classified as underweight, obese, or overweight, the doctor would enlist you in a couple of risk factors for several diseases along with a couple of predictors, including getting the waist circumference and checking the level of physical activity, so that he or she can embark on a more precise kind of diagnosis. Hence, it could be said that BMI alone is not the only factor that is considered an accurate indicator of a healthy and unhealthy body. There are several other factors as well, which the doctors consider, as stated above, to come out with the precise diagnosis.

Is BMI system still valid?

Although BMI may not be the only factor to consider, health experts cannot discount its significance. By calculating your body mass index, you could still get some basic idea of your overall health and, therefore, chalk out some tangible solutions. This will undoubtedly help you make your body fit and healthy.

Final word

Body Mass Index, or BMI, could be obsolete to certain doctors, yet its importance cannot be denied. To play it safe, you must understand the catch of weight loss and BMI and go as per your calculated body measurement index.

Whenever I see the newest “flavor of the month” fad diet that thousands of people flock to, all I can do is roll my eyes. These same people saying, “This is the one, I’m going to stick with it this time!”, were the same ones flocking to the “Greatest, Easiest, Fastest, Bestest Diet” from last month…and the month before that…and before that…you get the point. They are searching for the proverbial “magic pill” that’s going to instantly transform them into a leaner, healthier version of themselves.

I’m here to tell you point blank, there is no magic pill! If you can’t accept that, then please don’t read any further, there may be no hope for you. As with anything of any value, it takes hard work and dedication to change your body. Sure, the main reason for wanting to trim the fat for many people is purely cosmetic, and that’s fine, but the increase in your overall health and benefits of your new more efficient body will GREATLY outweigh the physical aspects. It is truly a win-win situation – you can “have your cake and eat it too.” (PUT THAT FORK DOWN! It’s a figure of speech, not an open invitation to stuff your face!)

Lose your weight

Before I get into the details about what you need to do and what you need to avoid to lose weight, I can hear you asking, “What about liposuction, isn’t that the magic pill I’ve been looking for?” Wow, you clearly weren’t listening above, there’s no magic pill! Liposuction is costly and potentially dangerous if there are any complications, not to mention the failure some people must feel admitting to themselves, “I want a quick fix, because I’m not determined enough to change, and I’m willing to risk a lot of money and potential long-term health problems instead.” That’s why many liposuction patients put the weight right back on, because they weren’t willing to change what made them fat in the first place, and now their bodies have gone through two strenuous “getting dangerously fat” phases. Even if the surgery goes as planned without any complications, now you’re a skinny fat person. What I mean by that is if you haven’t taught yourself the eating and exercising habits needed to lose weight the natural way, then you are probably just as unhealthy now as you were when you were overweight.

Secrets of losing weight

OK, so hopefully if you’re still with me, and you’re ready for the real “secrets” to losing weight. First and foremost, don’t try to overanalyze your eating right away. A lot of the fad diets have you adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing every calorie to the point you need an accounting degree just to keep up. All of the complication and hassle of spending more time picking and preparing a meal based on numbers is usually the reason people give up on their diet. It’s great to get into macronutrients, weighing your food, and analyzing every crumb when you become extremely lean (I’m talking cover model lean). But right now, you just want to concentrate on building a solid base, or rather UNbuilding. Just like a sculptor who starts out with a giant block of stone (yes, I just compared you to a giant block of stone), you don’t start chiseling the fine details of the eyes and face right away. First you have to chisel away the large chunks of stone to get a basic overall shape or outline. And just like the sculpting example, it’s relatively easy to start hammering away the large chunks, compared to chiseling the fine details when you get closer to your ideal weight.

So, are you ready to start hammering?

How to Buy a Bike

One of the most inspiring books that I have read in my life is “It’s not about the bike” which is based on the time period when Lance Armstrong was battling with testicular cancer.

If you have any idea what this kind of cancer does for a man, you’ll know how heartbreaking it must have been for him to deal with a very low survival disease.

And to come back from it all, and win the Tour de France with the best time ever… that’s the mark of a man!

And of course, while the title clearly indicates that it wasn’t about his bike, there’s no doubt that for some of us for lesser capabilities, getting a good bike is definitely a priority!

Buying a Bike – A Walk down memory lane, perhaps

Let’s accept the fact that when we were kids, things were different in terms of why we wanted a bike. Of course, the budget mattered for a lot as you wouldn’t have that much money and would have to convince (even bribe or beg) your parents to buy it for you.

As time went on, and as you got older, perhaps your interest in riding a bike became irrelevant and you might have given your old bike to the younger kids. In reaching full circle in your lives, there comes a point when buying a bike might be an option to keep fit.

But how does one know which to buy as bikes have changed so much since the time you were kids, and your needs might be so radically different from then?

How do you know which is the best choice for you from the several available brands?

Perhaps in following a step-by-step process, our ignorance of bikes in this day and age can be dealt with, and so here is a list of steps that you follow that will show you how to buy a bike.

Steps in buying the right bike

Step #1: Before you even decide which brand you would like to purchase, first determine what kind of activity you want to use the bike for which could be anything from riding around the neighborhood all the way to trail riding.

Step #2: Next, you should get down to a bike shop and test ride different sizes of bikes so that you find the right fit, and which isn’t too cramped or stretched but just right.

Step #3: DON’T buy the first bike you like, though, at the first shop you visit. Go to a few more stores and try riding other branded bikes of a similar size before putting down your money.

Step #4: While you are doing this, ensure that you keep in mind the costs of each bike that you test, and in this way, you can also narrow down your choices to those that fit into your budget.

Step #5: When you have narrowed the list of bikes offered, you can also check as to whether the components they offer fall under the budget you have in mind.

NOTE: If you really want to get the best bike, doing a detailed comparison of the different models available is a good idea.

In Closing

In one sense, Lance’s book is about the bike because that was all he knew he could do with his life…