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Being overweight or obese is one of the major health hazards of today's world, and one which is increasing rapidly. In recent times, two reliable indicators of health risk have emerged body mass index and waist ratios. |
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| Body Mass Index BMI is essentially the ratio between your weight and the square of your height, using metric measurements.Just enter your current weight and height, and find current BMI, what a healthy weight for you should be and suggested courses of action to get you there! |
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A healthy weight for medical reasons is below BMI 25 and target weight should be within the range BMI 20 - BMI 25 according to personal preference.
It is not healthy to be below BMI 20.
What your BMI means is shown below.
Below 20 Underweight
You are underweight and your health is at risk. You do not need to be on a weight loss programme. Talk to your doctor or health professional about a healthy diet which will help you reach at least BMI 20.
BMI 20 - 25 Normal
You are a healthy weight for your height.
Your Options
Enjoy a balanced diet. Eat a wide variety of foods from the 5 food groups:
To ensure a healthy diet, use Cambridge Diet as a nutritional supplement.
To assist weight maintenance, replace one meal a day with Cambridge Diet.
To shed a small amount of weight use a programme from 'Maintain with Cambridge' at 800 kcal or 1000kcal per day using Cambridge Diet plus food.
Exercise regularly to ensure general good health and a firmer, fitter shape.
Body Mass Index
BMI is essentially the ratio between your weight and the square of your height, using metric measurements. Find your Body Mass Index
Waist Ratio
As well as BMI, the waist measurement can be an important indicator. There are two important ratios that have been established as reliable indicators of overweight risk:
People with ratios above these values are at increased health risk because of their fat distribution.
Your waist measurement can become an important motivator during the weight loss phase, especially if the customer has not lost any weight because of fluid retention. In this scenario, regular waist measurements will confirm that inches - if not pounds - are still being lost!
Following work done by Dr Margaret Ashwell, the Shape Chart is a reliable indicator of health risk, based on people's shapes - classified as either 'apples or pears'.
The Ashwell Chart
As well as BMI, the waist measurement can be an important indicator. There are two important ratios that have been established as reliable indicators of overweight risk:
People with ratios above these values are at increased health risk because of their fat distribution.
Your waist measurement can become an important motivator during the weight loss phase, especially if the customer has not lost any weight because of fluid retention. In this scenario, regular waist measurements will confirm that inches - if not pounds - are still being lost!
Following work done by Dr Margaret Ashwell, the Shape Chart is a reliable indicator of health risk, based on people's shapes - classified as either 'apples or pears'.
The Ashwell Shape Chart has been developed by Dr Margaret Ashwell who is the Nutritional Consultant to Cambridge Health & Weight Plan Limited. Her research - based on scientific and medical evidence from the Universities of Cambridge and London in the UK - indicates that health risk could be determined by the shape of people's bodies.
Apples Excess fat which is found deep down in the region of the stomach and gives someone an 'apple' shape, is often associated with serious conditions such as heart disease, raised blood pressure, diabetes and some types of cancer.
Pears Excess fat which is found under the skin, around the bottom, hips and thighs and gives a 'pear' shape is less harmful to health.
Dr Margaret Ashwell is one of the UK's leading nutritionists, with a background that ensures the best possible advice:
Dr Ashwell was Honorary Secretary of the Nutrition Society in the UK from 1984 to 1988 and a member of the UK Government's Food Advisory Committee from 1986 to 1995. She is a member of the Virtual Consulting Group. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Services to Food Policy in June 1995.
BMI 25 - 30 Overweight
You are classified as being 'overweight' and your health is at risk.
Your Options
BMI 30 - 35 Obese
You are classified as being 'obese' and your health is seriously at risk.
Your Options
BMI 35 - 40+ Super Obese
You are classified as being 'super obese' and your health is seriously at risk.
Your Options
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Step 6
1500+ kcal |
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Step 5
1500 kcal |
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Step 4
1200 kcal |
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Step 3
1000 kcal |
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Step 2
790 kcal |
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Step 1
415-554kcal |
Sole Source is suitable for those above BMI 25, with at least a stone (6.3kg) to lose. On this programme, the dieter takes three Cambridge Diet meals in place of conventional food. For men, or women above 5ft 8ins (1.73m), four Cambridge Diet meals should be taken.
In addition to water used to mix the diet powder and cups of unsweetened black tea or black coffee, it is advisable to drink at least 4pt (2xltr) of water per day.
Using the 'Sole Source' programme is not advisable when certain medical conditions are present. We say these conditions are 'contra-indicated'. There are also a number of medical conditions with which 'Sole Source' may be used with special precautions.
Cambridge recommends that the Sole Source programme is followed for no longer than four weeks at a time. At that point, if target weight has not yet been reached, the dieter should have an 'Add a Meal' week.
Cambridge always recommend that you should consult your doctor before commencing any diet programme, but it is essential to get your doctor's signed confirmation of any medication or medical condition before you can start the 'Sole Source' programme, so that the doctor can adjust medication where appropriate.
Continue to drink at least 4pt (2.25ltr) of water per day, and as much unsweetened black tea or black coffee as you want.
Step 3 - 1000 kcal
This programme adds fruit and carbohydrate to the 790 kcal meal in Step 2. It is suitable for those who prefer to lose weight more gradually or those whose lifestyle makes it impossible to avoid conventional eating.
Weight Maintenance
Maintenance usually begins when weight loss stops, and can start at about 1500 kcal per day. However, it will vary because the recommended daily energy intake figures are 2000 kcal for women and 2500 kcal for men, so some people may still lose some weight if their intake is below these levels.
The real danger is – after the 'exciting' weight loss phase – that all the old reasons for being overweight could return. The Cambridge four-stage process helps you to understand the reasons for your original overweight, and the stabilisation adds selected healthy food choices. In the maintenance stage, you can continue this healthy eating and increasing the levels of activity. Many people continue to use Cambridge once or twice a day – not only to control energy intake but to carry on getting the benefits of good nutrition.
Keep a regular check on your weight. When your body weight is increased by more than five pounds above your ideal weight, it is time to take prompt action. This can be done by cutting out a conventional meal and having a Cambridge meal instead. As time goes by, people who have been plagued by being overweight for most of their lives become slim, and attain great confidence. The Cambridge Diet is a very powerful tool with which you can control your weight.
Cutting Down on the Calories
• Avoid fat • Restrict salt • Eat fibre • Restrict sugar • Restrict Alcohol
• Avoid Fast Food • Eat Healthy foods
A Permanent Change
One of the most severe criticisms of the Cambridge Diet made by some psychologists and hospital dieticians, is that it does not change people's eating habits in the long term and is therefore useless, particularly for maintaining weight-loss. To these armchair critics it is just another fad diet. Nothing could be further from the truth as anyone can vouch who has used the diet as a sole source of nutrition for several weeks.
For the first time one realises that vast quantities of food are not indispensable to life. It trains you to live without having food continually on your mind and the experience has a beneficial effect on most people. There is ample proof that the Cambridge stabilisation maintenance plan achieves excellent results in returning the dieter to long-term healthy eating principles.