Everyone knows that being overweight is not healthy, but just how bad is it? Body Mass Index (BMI) is a calculation of your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters. At a normal BMI, a man with a 40 inch waist is twice as likely to die than a 34 inch waist. Also, for every 5cm of waist circumference, there is a 17% increase in mortality. A woman with a 35 inch waist is 79% more likely to die than a 29 inch waist, and for every 5cm of waist circumference there is a 13% increase in mortality.¹ Researchers at Monash University have found a link between obesity and type II diabetes, stating “it appears that the more fat tissue a person has the less sensitive they become to insulin.”2
Let's look to the United States for another example. Each year, state health departments use standardized procedures to collect information from U.S. adults. In 1990, 10 states had a prevalence of obesity less than 10%, while no states had a prevalence greater than or equal to 15%. By 1998, no states had a prevalence less than 10%, seven were between 20-24%, and no state had a prevalence greater than or equal to 25%.3 By 2007, only Colorado had a prevalence of obesity below 20%, thirty states had a prevalence greater than or equal to 25%, five of which were above 30%!4
I know what you're thinking, “But those are Americans! We aren't that bad in Canada.” In 2004, 22.9% of males and 23.3% of females in Canada were obese. Here in Ontario, we fell very close to that average, with 23% of our males and 22.4% of our females obese. What's worse is that 40.9% of males and 31.0% of females were overweight.5 That means that in Ontario, 63.8% of males and 54.3% of females were overweight or obese.
So what is causing this disturbing trend? Emotional eating? Too busy to exercise? Increased fast food sales? The low-fat craze? If you answered 'all of the above and more,' you'd be right! But don't worry, there is something you can do (and it isn't complicated).
The first step is to change what you're eating for breakfast. We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet we keep feeding ourselves high glycemic foods. The glycemic index (GI) ranks carbohydrates by their effect on blood glucose levels. Pure glucose has a glycemic index of 100, and is used as a reference point. Cheerios have a GI of 74, while Fruit Loops have a GI of 69. 6 That means that your beloved Cheerios have a greater effect on your blood glucose than Fruit Loops. As a comparison, red peppers have a GI of 10, and cherries 22. 7 Spike your insulin once, and you'll find yourself riding the wave of sugar cravings all day.
So tomorrow, rather than having your cereal, try some fresh, lean meat and nuts (no peanuts, they aren't actually a nut).8 Here's the kicker, don't even weigh it. If you're hungry, eat. Starting the day off with a high protein, high fat meal will help to regulate your blood sugar (read insulin) all day. Insulin management is the key to effective fat loss, but more on that later.
References:
¹ http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0801891
2 http://www.sawfnews.com/health/58776.aspx
3 http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/BRFSS/list.asp?cat=OB&yr=1998&qkey=4409&state=All
4 http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/BRFSS/list.asp?cat=OB&yr=2007&qkey=4409&state=All
5 http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/t/4053595-eng.htm
6 http://www.gilisting.com/2004/05/glycemic-index-breakfast-cereals.html
7 http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/
8 http://charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/270/The_Meat_and_Nut_Breakfast.aspx
