YOU look at yourself in the mirror and you’re happy with what you see. You are slim and you have no trouble buying clothes off the rack.
Your weighing scale tells you your weight is normal. Everyone envies the fact that in a sea of ever increasing fat adults, you are what they enviably consider thin.
When I meet clients who are of normal weight, it is not uncommon to see their disbelief when they realise their body fat percentage is way above the healthy range. They thought they were fine. They were confident they could eat anything they wanted and didn’t need to exercise as weight has never been an issue.
According to health researchers, there is such a thing as “normal weight obese”, where even though your weight is normal, your fat percentage compared to your lean muscle tissue is high. This condition is a silent hazard as it increases your risk for health problems like high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
So don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. Here are some tips to prevent you from being skinny fat.
KNOW YOUR BODY FAT PERCENTAGE
I highly encourage you to know your body fat percentage. Just looking at your weight on the scale or calculating your Body Mass Index (your weight relative to your height) may not be sufficient to fully assess your health risk.
A simple way to find out your body fat is to get a weighing scale that reads your body fat or a handheld body fat machine.
Women should have a body fat percentage of no more than 30 per cent while men should have no more than 20 per cent.
WATCH YOUR MIDSECTION
Carrying excess fat around your belly area is a red flag. This is because many important internal organs are located around that area.
Researchers believe that too much fat in your mid-section causes inflammation that can degrade blood vessels and important tissues. Use a measuring tape (the kind that tailors use) to know your waist circumference.
Position the tape just above the hip bone — the part we refer to as a “muffin top” when we wear our jeans, as this fatty area tends to fold over. Many people make the mistake of measuring the narrowest curve of their waistline, but belly fat is actually accumulated lower, especially in slim people who may not have a visible belly per se.
Women should aim for a measurement of less than 35 inches or 89cm while men should have no more than 102cm (40 inches).
EMBRACE HEALTHY LIVING
View eating well and getting regular exercise as a daily lifestyle, not just a short-term fad diet. The problem is many of us make excuses and put our own wellbeing very low on the priority list.
Over time, heavy meals, being sedentary and never-ending days filled with stress will catch up with you. The small changes you make go a long way in ensuring you keep your body fat percentage within healthy recommendations. You need to make yourself a bigger priority.
Use the Malaysian Healthy Plate as a visual to help put your food portions into clearer perspective (see picture). Overeating high fat foods will also contribute to accumulation of too much body fat. Choose more dishes that are cooked with less oil such as steamed, braised, soups or ones lightly stir-fried. Cut out low nutritional quality foods and drinks.
GO FOR REGULAR CHECK-UPS
Most healthcare professionals tend to overlook normal weight populations, always focusing on those who are overweight or obese to make lifestyle changes.
If you haven’t already done so, make it a point to go for regular medical check-ups, whether you are slim or otherwise.
I understand that with all the things going on in our daily lives, many find it difficult to take time off for a medical check-up. Hence many don’t bother to go for it unless it is for employment purposes or an application procedure of some sort.
But on the flip side, most of us would take time off to service our cars because we realise how inconvenient it would be if our cars broke down. Think of yourself as your car that keeps your daily life running smoothly. Whether you want it to remain an efficient well-run machine or one that constantly breaks down is entirely within your control.
Warning signs of normal weight obesity are your HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar and blood pressure levels.
Indra Balaratnam is a consultant dietitian who believes in simple, practical ways to eating well and living healthy. She can be reached at indra.balaratnam@gmail.com