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Today women are bombarded by advertisements and the media to cultivate a slim waist, slender legs, and shapely breasts. The attainment of this "ideal" figure is generally unrealistic, and often downright unhealthy. But it is important that you maintain a healthy weight -- one that is right for your age, size, and body structure. Not only will you look and feel better but you will reduce your risk of disease, particularly diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. 

Remember, being a few pounds overweight is not the same thing as being obese. Obesity means being more than 20 percent over your optimum weight. Where you carry the weight matters, too. Muscles weigh more than fat. If you are large and muscular, you may not have much body fat and may weigh more than recommended for your height and age, but this is not unhealthy. If you do have excess fat, note where it is stored in your body. Fat carried around the hips and thighs -- the so-called pear shape -- is considered to be less of a health risk than the apple shape -- the big belly look seen in men and some women. The apple shape has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

HOW OBESITY AFFECTS THE BODY

Too much poundage increases your risk of heart disease and hypertension. In fact, heart disease occurs two to three times more often in obese women than in women of normal weight. One reason for this is that many obese women have high levels of cholesterol in their blood. Cholesterol, a fatty substance, clogs the blood vessels, eventually causing a heart attack. Strokes are also more likely to occur if you have high cholesterol levels. Women who are obese are more likely to have a sedentary lifestyle and high blood presssure, both of which raise the risk for cardiovascular disease. 

The obese are more likely to have the most common type of diabetes, which is the inability of the body to metabolize sugar properly. Other risks of obesity include varicose veins; bloodclots in the legs; arthritis in the knees; gallbladder disease; hernias; breathing problems; and cancers of the uterus, breast, colon, and rectum.

WHAT IS A HEALTHY WEIGHT?

A healthy weight depends on several factors: your height, your body frame size, and your age. Taller women, women with larger bone structures, and older women have higher weight allowances.

Table lists recommended body weights based on height and age. Another way to calculate the suggested weight for a given height is the body mass index (BMI). 

*Height, in inches, is without shoes. Weight, in pounds, is without clothes. The lower weights more often apply to women, who have less muscle and bone.

CONTROLLING YOUR WEIGHT

The United States is fortunate in that it has an abundance of available food and its population is one of the best fed in the world. Malnutrition certainly exists in our society, but the greater problem is obesity. Unfortunately, there is much confusion in the public perception of body image -- women who are only minimally overweight struggle to lose weight, while many obese women, tired of dieting, give up and decide to live with their problem, however severe. 

Women who are greatly overweight or obese can improve their health and lower their risk of disease by rejecting calorie-counting diets and by sticking to a sensible plan of weight control. Weight control means not only losing pounds but keeping the pounds off. Permanent weight loss, then, requires a change in lifestyle and a new attitude toward food and eating. It means not thinking in terms of "dieting" at all. Dieting is merely a temporary restriction of all your favorite foods, which comes to an end as soon as a particular weight goal is met. Making permanent changes certainly is more difficult, but the benefits pay off for a lifetime. These changes include focusing on the right foods, engaging in regular exercise, and perhaps finding the right support system.

Dietary Changes 

A sensible plan for weight loss means losing about 0.5 to 1 pound a week. More rapid weight loss may be achieved by starvation-type diets, but these regimens don't work in the long run. Furthermore, there are physiological reasons for the failure of most of these kinds of diets. When the body suddenly stops taking in the accustomed amount of calories, it acts as though it were starving. The rate of metabolism, or how fast your body burns the calories needed to maintain daily functions, slows down. If the diet is still restricted, weight loss occurs slowly if at all (the so-called plateau of dieting). The dieter becomes discouraged and may begin to sneak in some extra calories. After the weight is gained back, she begins dieting again. This on-again, off-again yo-yo dieting is counterproductive -- the weight is gained back rapidly, and each time a new diet starts, the body's metabolism slows down still more. The pounds are harder to lose each time you try. 

Generally, reputable plans for weight loss do not restrict calories to less than 1,200 a day. On a sensible lifetime plan, foods can be chosen from all the food groups. There is even room for most of your favorite snacks -- including chocolate -- if portions are kept small and the fat content is minimal.

Eating Sensibly

The best plans emphasize a gradual weight loss that, ideally, is combined with a real desire to make changes that will eventually become part and parcel of a new, healthier lifestyle.

Exercise 

Regular exercise not only burns fat but also helps raise the body's metabolic rate, and it increases the size and tone of the muscles. In addition, regular exercise increases your overall fitness and improves your sense of well-being and self-esteem. 

Because regular exercise is so essential, it is important to choose a workout that you enjoy and will pursue often. Choose some activity that is convenient and readily accessible. Although downhill skiing can be fun and is great for burning calories, it's difficult for most women to build a regular exercise program around skiing. Instead, choose jogging, brisk walking, swimming, biking, or aerobic dancing as the core of your exercise program, with other sports added for fun. 

Aerobic exercise works the heart and lungs, and it is the best exercise for weight control and overall fitness. Your workout should up your heart rate into your target heart rate zone. 

Target Heart Rate

The target heart rate is 60 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. (You can determine your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220.) After checking with your doctor, start slowly, aiming for the low end of your target heart rate zone. Exercise three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. As you become more fit, you can work out every day for 45 to 60 minutes at a time. 

Weight Loss Support 

Although most women who lose weight successfully do so on their own, some of us need guidance and support. There are many professionals and organizations who can help you in your weight loss venture. Doctors and nutritionists can plan a weight loss program or refer you to a reputable organization. Many commercial weight loss programs may be a good source of education and support. Weight Watchers and Overeaters Anonymous are two well-known programs. University-based health or wellness programs also exist. If you are interested in joining a weight loss program, do some reseach. Find out how each program operates, what type of weight loss it recommends, and how much it costs. Some programs require that participants purchase some or all of their food from the program. This may seem convenient, but these foods are usually more expensive than similar foods purchased in the grocery store or cooked at home. Relying on a preplanned diet of special foods can also make it difficult for you to maintain your weight loss after you reach your ideal weight. Learning to choose foods wisely is a vital part of remaking one's lifstyle, and this important skill may not be learned as readily in programs that rely on special foods. 

Women who are severely obese need more than supportive programs to lose weight. They need medical help. Weight loss programs for severely obese women should be developed and monitored by a doctor or nurse.

EATING DISORDERS

It's dangerous to be overweight, but it's also risky to eat and weigh too little. Some women, especially teenage girls, have a distorted image of their bodies. Even if their weight is normal, they may see themselves as grossly overweight and may embark on strict diets and rigorous exercise programs. These women may be suffering from an eating disorder that can have grave effects on their health, both physically and psychologically. 

Particularly devastating is anorexia nervosa, a chronic eating disorder. Women with anorexia, no matter what their weight, believe they are overweight and severely cut down on the amount of food they eat. Sometimes these women starve themselves to the point of emaciation. They also may exercise to extremes, led on by their pathological fear of gaining weight. Teenagers as well as models, gymnasts, dancers, and long-distance runners are at risk for this serious condition, which can lead to severe malnutrition, even death. 

Binge eating, or bulimia, is closely associated with anorexia. Women with bulimia eat huge amounts of high-calorie foods -- usually sweets -- at one sitting, and then undergo self-induced vomiting so they won't gain weight. Many of these women use laxatives or diuretics to force fluids quickly out of their systems. This overuse of medications can seriously disrupt the body's chemical balance and increase the chances of heart problems, including fatal arrythmias. Like anorexia, bulimia can lead to death. Unlike women with anorexia, however, women suffering from bulimia recognize that their eating habits are abnormal. They often become severely depressed after a bulimic episode and may seek help more quickly than do women with anorexia. 

There is a strong psychological compulsion connected with these illnesses, and both medical and psychological help is necessary to treat them successfully. Treatment may be long term, as it can take some time to relearn healthy patterns of eating.