Why the scale may always lie (even when you hope its telling the truth!)

When Scales Lie: Normal Weight but Still at Risk?

People Considered Average Weight May Still Be 'Normal Weight Obese'

By ANGELA ELLIS

Jan. 27, 2010—

Monika Sumpter did what many women dream of -- she set a goal to lose weight and dropped 50 pounds.

Despite losing all of that weight, her ratio of fat to muscle was around 25 percent, 5 percent from where she started and dangerously close to what some researchers say is an unhealthy situation.

"I was just shocked. I thought that it was a lot lower, and I thought that I was healthy," Sumpter said.

There are others like Sumpter. As many as 30 million Americans who are considered average weight may actually have what scientists call normal weight obesity, according to a recent study by the Mayo Clinic.

Are you a healthy weight? Click here to measure your body mass index.

The study, which followed 6,171 Americans over nine years, found 20 percent to 30 percent of people considered normal weight still have an alarmingly high percentage of body fat.

The Mayo Clinic says that generally, women should have a body fat percentage below 30 percent, while men should have a fat to muscle ratio of less than 20 percent to 25 percent.

Sumpter, a 34-year-old mother of one, is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds, which is in the normal weight range for her height.

However, if 42 of those pounds -- or 30 percent of her weight -- are made up of fat, Sumpter would actually be considered normal weight obese.

That diagnosis means a higher risk of obesity-related diseases, such diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of women.

"Women with normal weight obesity, meaning those who have high fat and a normal weight have a two times increased risk for death or dying from heart problems or a stroke," said Dr. Francisco Lopez Jimenez, who led the Mayo Clinic study.

Sumpter changed her workout routine, adding more weight-bearing exercises to build lean muscle mass instead of only doing calorie-burning cardio.

"Resistance training is the key," said Sumpter, who is now certified as a personal trainer and works at Equinox in New York. "There are three key components to a healthy lifestyle, which is healthy eating habits, resistance training to build muscle and of course cardio to burn calories and for a healthy heart, but it's a combination of all three."

Today she weighs 20 pounds more than her lowest weight, but her body fat percentage is down to 14 percent.

Doctors Suggest Looking at Your Waistline

Inspired by Sumpter's story, ABC News' Juju Chang asked researchers at the Human Body Composition Laboratory at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City to measure her body fat.

Chang's body mass index measured between normal and overweight but was far from obese.

According to the World Health Organization, 23 to 35 percentage of body fat for a woman her age is acceptable. But she measured 37 percent, putting her at risk.

"So on some level this study points to people like me who need to be aware of their body fat," Chang said. "I didn't need a full body scan to know that I'm out of shape and I need to exercise."

Doctors said they do not recommend people getting their body fat tested because of this study. Instead they ask that people look at their waistline.

Because belly fat is considered more dangerous than fat in the butt or thighs, doctors say if you have fat around the waist or love handles, that is an indication that you could be over your normal, healthy weight.

The Hype of Ratios

Hello all,

I've been reading a lot about ratios for carbs, fat, and protein intake. Some people swear by the Zone Diet (40% Carbs, 30% Protein, and 30% Fat). Some people swear by 40% Carbs, 40% Protein, and 20% Fat). Another popular one is 50% Carbs, 30% Fat, and 20% Protein. And there are thousands of combinations of this. Depending on your goals (to lose fat, to build muscle, to maintain weight, to gain weight), there is likely "the perfect ratio" out there being prescribed for you and I'm sure there's research to support it. There are even diets where you might have a combination of different ratios and interchange them throughout the week to "confuse" or "trick" your system and thus sustain the fat burning/muscle building.

I won't lie, I used to buy into the hype. I used to very meticulously plan out my food journal so that my pie chart would be exactly a 40/30/30 ratio. It wasn't too hard, but it did take some forethought and planning.

I am much more relaxed about it now. I might recommend the Zone Diet for those starting out with weight loss and food journaling just so you can get the hang of foods that fall into the carbs/fat/protein categories. But once you learn the ropes, keeping a perfect ratio is more of a guideline. Sure, its good to make sure you don't go overboard on carbs one day or have too much fat in your diet, but its not an absolute necessity in order to lose weight. Which brings me to my next point.

I've lost weight using several of these combinations. I've lost weight without using ANY of these combinations back in the days before I did food journaling and all of that. And from what I've read, dietary professionals have had clients lose weight on a combination of all these "ideal" numbers. There is not just one rule that applies to everyone.

But you're not off the hook yet! There is a rule that fits almost everyone and that is the rule of caloric intake. CALORIES!! Find a calorie calculator, get your number, and don't go over it! This probably works so well because no matter what you eat, if you can only eat 1300 calories, its pretty limiting as to how much trouble you can get into. So if nothing else, foodjournal based on calories and you should see some results as long as you're trying to eat better (taking a step in the right direction - you don't have to change everything overnight) and doing your workouts (at least 30 mins a day), you should see results!!

Being good is not that bad

So as part of my resolution, I returned to working out and eating healthy. Joe, who can eat whatever he chooses without gaining a thing, turned up his nose at the idea of me going grocery shopping for my list of healthy foods and snacks. I said "I promise its not that bad, you will like what I make". Sure enough, we are now 4 days into it and I have yet to hear a complaint.

To give people some meal ideas, here are my meals

Dessert: Pan Seared Bananas (with 1 tbsp of brown sugar) with 1 scoop of low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt

Breakfasts: Scramble with egg whites/eggs, 1 turkey sausage pattie, and veggies
Eggo Nutrigrain waffles/pancakes with sugar free syrup
1 Thomas 100% whole wheat mini bagel with cream cheese
4 oz of oatmeal with 1 tbsp brown sugar (and fresh berries if you'd like)
Ricotta cheese with cinnamon/brown sugar or fruit
Goat cheese/tomato/spinach/part skim mozz scramble

Lunches/Dinners: Salad with veggies, roasted chicken, a little cheese and balsamic vinaigrette
Wrap with chicken/turkey, low fat cheese, and hummus or mustard
Grilled fish
Sauteed/stir fry meat with veggies
Veggie burger/lean ground beef burger/turkey burger

Snacks: Sweet potato with low fat butter and brown sugar
Almonds
Raw veggies with low fat Italian dressing/vinaigrette
Baked potato chips (half a snack bag)
Fruit

If I go to Fast Food:

Taco Bell Fresco menu
Chick Fil-A
Subway
Chicken sandwich (grilled) from pretty much anywhere
Salads

To eat healthy and better for you, you don't need to eat tofu or beans all the time. You can take regular food, change it a little, and make it work for you. I never say that I'm on a diet...it tends to get a bad rap. Truth be told, I'm not a "health nut" in that I still like to shop at regular places, I still like to eat out, and I try not to make my meals too gourmet and off-market. I just try to do better than what is marketed for the average American. I eat my whole grains, I eat my veggies (albeit in creative ways), and I try to eat light. The point is to get creative! You don't have to eat boring to eat healthy. There are plenty of sauces, seasonings (like Mrs. Dash), and cooking ways (grilling, baking, sauteeing, broiling) that you should never HAVE TO eat bland meal.

So, going back to my original point, being GOOD is not that BAD!!

Resolutions

This is my New Year's Resolution

1. To get in shape - and let this be the last year I have to use this as my resolution
2. To use my new cooking skills and kitchen gadgets to make healthy, lean meals since you are what you eat, inevitably
3. To get back at it first thing in the morning because I've learned that with a child especially, u never know what will come up
4. To get back to blogging and keeping myself accountable
5. To be the best me that I can be... I've got the tools I just need to use them!

Even though there are 5 pieces to this resolution, they all go together to form my resolution which is to live a fit lifestyle during 2010. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever heard is not to live like you're trying to achieve your goals, but to live like you've already achieved them. I need to live like a fit person who is confidently in charge of their diet and exercise habits. I have never felt so good about my life as I did when I was putting in the work and yielding results. My knee has healed - getting back to it with no more excuses!! Let's do this!!