Do You Need to Diet?

Many people think they need to diet when they don’t. Other people think they are fine when in reality they should diet and lose a few pounds. It’s important to know and to find out the answer to the question: Do you need to diet?

You should always find out the answer to that question before you begin to diet. Obviously no one should diet if he /she doesn’t need to do so. And you need to be honest with yourself too.  If you find that you think you need to diet but everyone you know tells you that you don’t need to diet, you should consult a physician. Let the physician be the deciding vote.

There is so much pressure put on people now to be skinny. There is the most pressure being put on younger females. Media idolizes the ultra-skinny super-models. But being overly thin is not possible for most people and it’s not healthy for most people either. Still, some women look at the models in the magazines, on the internet, and on the television and they think that if they aren’t that skinny then they need to diet.

There are many ways to determine whether or not you need to diet. There are many charts that will help you decide. One measurement that is popular is called BMI (Body Mass Index). This measurement basically analyzes the relationship between a person’s height and weight.

Then a number is derived and that number can that be placed on a chart to see if a person is underweight, overweight, or average. The only problem with BMI is that it doesn’t take into account larger or smaller body frames and it doesn’t take into account muscle mass either.

Therefore, a person with large muscles may have a high BMI but not be overweight. So obviously BMI can’t be used by everyone to determine if there is a need to diet. But for most people BMI is a very good indicator.

Anyone who decides he / she needs to diet should consult a health professional before beginning. Then a suitable diet can be worked out. Along with the diet an appropriate exercise regiment should also be decided upon.

If you consult a health professional be sure you discuss all the possible ramifications the diet and exercise may have. You don’t want to try anything that may cause you more harm than the extra weight on your body.