TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report
by Brazos Minshew, TriVita’s Chief Science Officer

Lose a Little Weight… Gain a Lot of Health Benefits
September 12, 2009 – www.trivita.com/13295706

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

Setting and achieving worthwhile goals is the key to lasting happiness. Some goals seem so large that they must be comparable to eating an elephant – just too big to even know how to begin. Weight loss can be that challenging for many. Looking at the BMI chart and knowing how far you have to go can be discouraging. There is good news, though. Losing just a little can have profound health benefits.

How to eat an elephant
I want to make a suggestion that I have seen work countless times: If you are overweight or obese, set a goal to lose only 10% of your body weight. That’s all – just 10%. Meeting this goal will give you most of the health benefits and much of the energy you will need to improve your life substantially.

It is often said that weight loss is simple, just not easy. Many experts tout the “calories in – calories out” formula as if it were Holy Scripture. I first heard this as the prescription for weight loss when I was a teenager. Now, here I am well over 50 years of age and I still hear it almost daily. In those intervening decades we have experienced an explosion of obesity. So, merely repeating the same formula over and over is clearly not working!

What does work?

Purpose!
Purpose works because it ignites passion. Purpose defines the reason for effort – for example, the reason we want to lose weight – while passion translates that sense of purpose into motion. Granted, some people want weight loss for reasons that do not require much passion. Cosmetic weight loss may be one example and disease prevention may be another.

Purpose requires a plan. In a previous Weekly Wellness Report I detailed how we set “SMART” goals:
•Specific
•Measureable
•Attainable
•Realistic
•Timely
Take that sense of purpose fueled by your passion and structure a plan that will help you accomplish your mission.

Purpose, passion, plan and mission are successful strategies when it comes to weight loss. We have seen this time and again. Now, this is not as simple as “calories in – calories out.” But it is easy. And it works with the way we function as human beings: with purpose!

Even a little helps
To reach your SMART goals you will likely need better health and more energy. Did you know that even modest amounts of weight loss can provide you with substantial improvements in vitality? Use the chart below to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI).

BMI
Height (in)

58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76
Wgt. (lbs)
4’10″ 4’11″ 5’0″ 5’1″ 5’2″ 5’3″ 5’4″ 5’5″ 5’6″ 5’7″ 5’8″ 5’9″ 5’10″ 5’11″ 6’0″ 6’1′ 6’2″ 6’3′ 6’4′
100 21 20 20 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 14 14 14 13 13 13 12
105 22 21 21 20 19 19 18 18 17 16 16 16 15 15 14 14 14 13 13
110 23 22 22 21 20 20 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 15 14 14 13
115 24 23 23 22 21 20 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 14 14
120 25 24 23 23 22 21 21 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 15
125 26 25 24 24 23 22 22 21 20 20 19 18 18 17 17 17 16 16 15
130 27 26 25 25 24 23 22 22 21 20 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 16
135 28 27 26 26 25 24 23 23 22 21 21 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16
140 29 28 27 27 26 25 24 23 23 22 21 21 20 20 19 19 18 18 17
145 30 29 28 27 27 26 25 24 23 23 22 21 21 20 20 19 19 18 18
150 31 30 29 28 27 27 26 25 24 24 23 22 22 21 20 20 19 19 18
155 32 31 30 29 28 28 27 26 25 24 24 23 22 22 21 20 20 19 19
160 34 32 31 30 29 28 28 27 26 25 24 24 23 22 22 21 21 20 20
165 35 33 32 31 30 29 28 28 27 26 25 24 24 23 22 22 21 21 20
170 36 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 27 26 25 24 24 23 22 22 21 21
175 37 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 27 26 25 24 24 23 23 22 21
180 38 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 27 26 25 24 24 23 23 22
185 39 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 27 26 25 24 24 23 23
190 40 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 27 26 25 24 24 23
195 41 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 27 26 25 24 24
200 42 40 39 38 37 36 34 33 32 31 30 30 29 28 27 26 26 25 24
205 43 41 40 39 38 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 29 28 27 26 26 25
210 44 43 41 40 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 29 28 27 26 26
215 45 44 42 41 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 28 27 26
220 46 45 43 42 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 28 27
225 47 46 44 43 41 40 39 38 36 35 34 33 32 31 31 30 29 28 27
230 48 47 45 44 42 41 40 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 30 29 28
235 49 48 46 44 43 42 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 29
240 50 49 47 45 44 43 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29
245 51 50 48 46 45 43 42 41 40 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 32 31 30
250 52 51 49 47 46 44 43 42 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30
255 53 52 50 48 47 45 44 43 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31
260 54 53 51 49 48 46 45 43 42 41 40 38 37 36 35 34 33 33 32
265 56 54 52 50 49 47 46 44 43 42 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32
270 57 55 53 51 49 48 46 45 44 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33
275 58 56 54 52 50 49

If your BMI calculation is over 25, consider making it a SMART goal to lose 10% of your body weight. Losing just 10% of your body weight as fat can help improve your blood pressure, blood sugar, digestion and metabolism. You will have more energy, better self-esteem and a more optimistic view of life in general.

Remember, the elephant you are trying to eat, so to speak, is not weight loss itself. Trimming down gives you more energy to do the things that matter to you the most. Weight loss is a means to an end: a means to living a life of purpose. So, as a milestone on your goal toward a life of purpose, set a 10% reduction in weight as a SMART goal. Use a body composition scale to make sure that you are losing only fat, not lean tissue like muscles, bones and brain. You will need those as assets in your journey.

Our Leanology® body-composition program was thoroughly reviewed in an Arizona State University study. Researchers found that with Leanology, 100% of the weight loss came from fat – none from vital, energy-producing organs.

Maintain balance
So, do you know how to eat an elephant? The answer is still “one bite at a time,” only now we see that there must be a valid reason for eating the elephant in the first place! Don’t try to eat the elephant all at once and don’t try to do it alone. Purpose, passion, plan and mission are the stuff of life. Yet, life is about balance. As humans, we Love, we Play, we Work and we Worship. Our manner of life should reflect these priorities.

Take Control of Your Health
•Decide what you really, really want
◦Write it down
•Now, decide WHY you want it
◦Write it down
•List your SMART goals
◦Write them down
•Use the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness to structure your success
•Use the Leanology system to achieve a 10% reduction in body weight
◦Leanology Weight Loss Capsules
◦Leanology Nutritional Shakes
◦Leanology Appetite Control Chews

Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

•Homocysteine, Genetics and Vitamins
•Get Energized by Optimizing Your Cellular Health
Send us your topic suggestions!
If you have specific health topics you’d like Brazos Minshew to discuss in upcoming reports,
click here to submit your suggestions.

Please note that Weekly Wellness Report topics will be chosen at the discretion of Brazos Minshew and based on general relevance.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

© 2009 TriVita, Inc