By Dr. Christina D. Economos

With the stresses and strains facing you as a caregiver, you may not be surprised at how easy it is to join the ranks of the overweight, overfat, and obese. While you may be looking for a simple solution to melt away body fat and food cravings, your key motivator to lose weight should be the serious consequences of excess body weight, such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, degenerative joint problems, and sleep apnea, to name a few. Being overweight may also increase risk of injury and decrease your endurance, two factors caregivers don’t need in their lives.

Body Composition - More Important than Body Weight! 

While many of us seem to stress over the number on the bathroom scale, another important number often ignored is your Body Fat. Your total body weight (your weight on the scale) includes Lean Body Mass (bone, muscle, skin, and fluids) and Body Fat Mass (fat cell tissue and fat under the skin). The body requires a minimal amount of essential fat for normal, healthy functioning.  However, ideal percentages lay somewhere between 12-20% for men and 18-25% for women. 

Overweight, Overfat, Obesity, What’s the Difference?

“Overweight” and “Overfat” are not the same.  Overweight means that your BMI or body mass index (calculated using weight and height) is 25 or over, and obese is a BMI of 30 or over.  On the other hand, the term "overfat" is based on body fat measurement: men with more than 20% body fat are considered overfat, and women with more than 30% body fat are considered overfat.  Obesity means body fat higher than 40%.  To find your BMI number use the WebMD BMI calculator: http://www.webmd.com/content/tools/1/calc_bmi.htm

As many of you in your 40's, 50's and beyond may have already figured out, our metabolic rate (BMR) decreases, percent lean body mass decreases, and percent body fat increases as we age. The good news is that a well-planned fitness and nutrition program combining cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, and flexibility, as well as a balanced diet, can slow this process, improve your metabolism, and help you manage your body weight.

Ways to Lose Weight or Prevent Weight Gain

Here are some key behaviors to help you maintain or lose weight:

• Set Specific and Attainable Goals. “I will walk 30 minutes, five days each week” is better than saying “I will walk 20-30 minutes when I can.”
• Set Small Step Goals. “I’ll reduce my fat intake each day from 40% to 35% of my total calories, and later to 30%.”
• Reward Yourself. Give yourself small rewards for delivering on your small step goals—an hour of quiet time away from duties, watching a movie, for example. 
• Monitor Your Behavior. Keep records of calorie intake, servings of fruits and vegetables, exercise sessions, etc.  Progress in these areas will motivate you.
• Learn Your Triggers. What “cues” encourage your over-eating? For example, do you always munch in front of the TV?  Change those cues over time. Remember, it takes a few weeks for anything you to do to become a habit. You can change your bad habits with motivation, and to give yourself reminders such as post-it notes on the TV that say, “Always eat at the dining table, not on the couch!” Over time, your learned behaviors and cues can be changed.
• Be Mindful of Being Full. Eating more slowly, eating lots of vegetables, drinking water—these are things that can help you feel fuller.  It takes about 15 minutes for your brain to get the message from your stomach that you are full.

Bottom line: Your percentage of body fat is also important in determining your health status and ideal weight.  Don’t let the “O words” creep up on you.