WHAT YOUR WAIST MEASUREMENT REVEALS
While BMI is widely recognized as a measure of obesity, it does not give a strong indication of your health risks. Storing your weight around your waist or midriff is known as ‘abdominal obesity’. This measurement is much more closely related to your risks of developing chronic disease than your BMI value alone. So, on this diet, the number you need to know and are specifically going to track is your waist circumference.
Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is the term for a cluster of disorders that place you at increased risk of chronic disease. Your waist measurement is one of the strongest indicators of whether you are prone to metabolic syndrome and its associated disorders. These disorders include:
Waist measurements indicating risk of disease are different for men and women:
Please note: if a person has a short stature (under 5 feet in height) and a BMI of 35 or above, waist circumference standards may not apply. If this applies to you, ask your GP to assess your risk of metabolic syndrome.
Quite simply, the medical conditions that worsen with weight gain will improve with weight loss:
TEST YOUR MOTIVATION
“The motivation kicks in as soon as you start to see the results and realize you can maintain them. I felt results within four days. Also, quite early on, my skin felt better and people were saying I looked so much healthier.”
Improving how we look is a strong motivator for us to take action and lose weight, but our health is important too. To test your motivation to follow my programme, complete the table below.
Read through these medical conditions. If you suffer from any of them, tick whether you want them to improve or worsen. If you don’t have these conditions, tick whether you would like to increase or decrease your risk of developing them.
I appreciate that no one wants their health to get worse. Despite this, some people refuse to face up to the impact their lifestyle is having on their health. I have found this chart useful with clients, serving to give them a wake-up call.
HOW MOTIVATED ARE YOU TO CHANGE?
Look at the side of the box you’ve ticked and then take action. If you’ve ticked any of the columns on the left, give this book to someone else because this diet is about you getting healthier, losing weight and feeling better about yourself. If you want to do something about this then read on. We’ve got some work to do, but I’m here to help – so let’s get going!
BODY MEASUREMENTS
Before you start my 28-day programme you will need to take the following measurements:
Record these measurements on days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 of the plan in the chart overleaf.
You may also want to take additional body measurements, such as your chest, hips and thighs, so you can track your progress. Many of my clients have found this very motivating, as you will see your body change shape elsewhere too! Use the chart below to record these additional measurements. I suggest you record them on days 1 and 28 only as it’s likely that changes will be slower here, although your clothes will most definitely feel more comfortable as you progress on the diet.
Over the 28 days I will ask you to record your weight and waist measurements on the chart every 7 days. If you have a tendency to weigh yourself every day I’d strongly urge you not to do this when following my plan. Daily weight changes tend not to reflect real changes in body shape and are more reflective of shifts in fluid retention.
RECORDING YOUR FITNESS
Just as you record how your body measurements change, I’d also like you to record how your fitness improves. This can be done very simply, by walking a set distance as fast as you can and recording the time it takes you and your heart rate. You will need to do this test at the very start of the plan and also on day 28. You will surprised at how much your body can improve in just 28 days.