The No More Excuses Diet by Maria Kang Read Free Book Online

statistics, and your fitness level. I show you how to measure each of these so that you can compare these baseline figures with the recommended averages and document your progress in your journal. No matter what the numbers say right now, don’t be discouraged: This is about finding out where you are today so you can develop a safe and effective program to get where you want to go.
YourBody Composition
    This is what you can externally see. You can easily assess your physical progress through your weight, body circumference, and clothing size, making it the most common measurement people use to assess their health.
BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)
    The most popular and controversial test that physicians have used is the body mass index (BMI). This is a mathematical formula that takes into account both height and weight. The BMI equals a person’s weight in kilograms divided by his or her height in meters squared (BMI = kg/m 2 ). To convert your pounds into kilograms, simply divide your weight by 2.2. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, your conversion weight is 68.2 kilograms. If your BMI measures 18.5 to 24.9, you are considered of normal weight; anything more is considered overweight or obese.
    The BMI is not always the best reflection of how healthy you are, however. While this test is widely used, athletes could be cited as overweight because they have extra muscle. That’s why it’s important to utilize several different tests to determine your level of health. If you have more muscle and rank higher on the BMI chart ( see here ), don’t be discouraged. We will review several body and fitness tests that measure your starting point.
BODY FAT
    Measuring your body fat is another important tool to see how much of your weight consists of pure fat versus solid muscle. There are two types of fat. Subcutaneous fat is the common fat found beneath the skin. Visceral fat, a more dangerous fat, is hidden in between your organs and is stored deep within your abdomen. Too muchbody fat is linked to high levels of “bad” cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.

    Only a professional with proper equipment can accurately measure your body fat. Many gyms will have someone on hand to do this without much cost. For a male adult, an average amount of body fat is 18 to 24 percent. For a female adult, it’s 25 to 31 percent. If you don’t belong to a gym, search for centers in your area that can test your body fat.
WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO
    Once you know your BMI and percentage of body fat, the last thing you should measure is your waist-to-hip ratio. You can probably take a good look at your body shape and see where your fat is stored. To determine if you have a healthy waist-to-hip ratio, use a measuring tape to measure the smallest part of your waist, usually just above the belly button. Then measure the widest part of your hips, which will include part of your buttocks. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to find your ratio. Research shows that women with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.80 or below and men with a ratio of 0.95 or below face fewer health risks. In other words, storing excessive fat in the abdominal region (aka apple-shaped bodies) is linked to weight-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and lower kidney function.
OTHERBODY MEASUREMENTS
    Since a pound of fat is three times larger than a pound of muscle, you could be gaining weight but losing inches. Check your body measurements once a month to document your progress. With a soft measuring tape, measure your neck, shoulders, biceps, chest, waist, hips, upper/middle/lower thighs, and calves. There is no standard for these measurements, but the numbers will help you measure your physical progress without a scale.
YourVital Statistics
    The “vitals” are your internal measurements of progress. Most often, the changes your body will undergo are areas you won’t see in a mirror. Through exercise and good nutrition, though, you will improve