Weight Management as an Effective Way to Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

Weight management is the process of creating a lifestyle modification to help maintain healthy body weight. There are many factors to take into consideration when it comes to weight management, such as person’s age, sex, weight and height. Weight management will be completely different for everyone even if the person is the same age as them. Each person has their own set of goals and ideas of success in order to fulfill their weight management. Each goal made must be realistic and take into account habits, behaviors, and support systems of each individual. If a male patient who is 32 years old, smoker, with a herniated disc L5 to S1 and has moderate to severe low back pain wants a weight management plan one must take into consideration many different factors in order to create the plan.

Factors

Age makes a major part of how everything will be managed. For instance, someone who is 16 years old will not have the same weight management as someone who is 50 years old. The reason that they will not have the same weight management is because different age requires more calorie intake or more exercises depending on the lifestyle. Gender is a big part too, men typically have to intake more nutrients than women. Weighing the patient before making the plan is very helpful because it gives them an idea on where they stand, such as, if they are underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese.

Weight Range

Before we begin making the weight management plan, one must determine a weight range that is healthy and accommodates to the patient. To determine a weight range, body mass index (BMI) must be used. According to Dr. Hall, the Body Mass Index measurement is a guide that indicates whether a person is underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese. The body mass index is based on weight and height. The 32-year-old patient would fall within the average BMI for males 30- 39 years old of 25.9. Hypothetically if a patient is 5’10 and currently weighs 210 pound he would have a BMI of 30.7 which would consider him to be obese. The patient would then need to lose weight to bring his BMI down to about 18.5 to 24.9 which would consider him to be normal weight. After determining the weight range, we can begin discussing a diet.

Diet Plan

A diet plan or a healthy eating pattern is personalized to accommodate physical health, and personal preferences, as well as personal food budgets and other issues of accessibility. In order to have proper nutrition one must meet the daily caloric needs and providing the body with nutrients needed to stay healthy. Calories are units of energy used to quantify energy obtained by ingestion of macronutrients which are protein, carbohydrate, and fats (Greene J). One gram of carbohydrates contains 4 kilocalorie, one gram of protein contains 4 kilocalorie and one gram of fat contains 9 kilocalories (Fung). According to The US Department of Agriculture, 3,000 calories is recommended for a patient who is 32 and is active in his daily life. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is a 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, 6-10 g/kg for carbohydrates (Pendick). Each individual would need the nutrient balance of 45 – 65% carbohydrates, 10 -35% proteins, and less than or equal to 25% fats (Health.org). The best way to maintain weight maintenance is to achieve a balance between calories consumed and calories expended through physical exercise and metabolic activity. Calorie intake is very important and needs to be paid attention, so the individual doesn’t get too much calories or too little calories.

Exercise

The type of exercise for a male that is a 32-year-old smoker with a herniated discs L5S1 and is active would be a lot of core stabilizing exercises. These types of exercises will allow the male to strengthen his core which would decrease his lower back pain as well as healing his herniated discs L5S1. For significant health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities that are moderate or high intensity and involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these activities will provide additional health benefits (Physical Activity and Adults). For different individuals, the intensity, duration, frequency, and type of physical activity will depend on any existing medical conditions, degree of previous activity, physical limitations, and individual preferences.

Smoking

Although it would be healthier for this patient to stop smoking but ceasing smoking can cause an average weight gain of 15 pounds (Pearson and Grace). The weight gain will vary by lifestyle, age and social economic status. According to Weight Management: A Practitioner’s Guide, 80% of people who quit smoking will gain weight. When giving up smoking, it is best to do it over a period or else the human body will experience withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, and depression.

Monitor

After coming up with the best weight management an individual must constantly self-monitor. One must be able to keep track of how much they ate and how much they exercise. People who have a weight management plan should monitor weight fluctuations and have an understanding on what might trigger a fall back within the plan. They would need different behavioral strategies for weight control and be able to make adjustments to the diet, exercise behavior and have clear strategies for coping with lifestyle interruptions.

Importance

A weight management plan is important because it helps individuals maintain a healthy suitable weight for them. Maintaining a healthy weight is important for helping prevent and control many diseases and conditions such as diabetes.