You've overindulged yet again over the festive season and is now spending a month persecuting yourself for the good times and the good food. here is the common great weight loss debate.

The culture of fatness

Why do some people get fat and others don't? Although recent evidence suggests that our genes play a significant role in determining how fat or thin we will be, an obesity specialist, points out that only 30 percent of the American public has a really strong genetic predisposition towards fatness. The remaining 70 percent is blamed on lifestyle and environment factors. This is bad news for Asians; it means we can’t rely on the slim genes of our ancestors to keep us trim. Ultimately, if we adopt Western diets we will experience Western rates of obesity and disease.

Overweight or overfat?

How fat are you really? Although, measuring your height and weight and comparing the figures against height and weight charts is the most practical way of estimating whether or not you are overweight, it's not the most accurate method. You may be overweight but are you overfat? There is a difference. You could argue that athletes are over- weight, but that's muscle weight and remember that muscle is heavier than fat. However; generally speaking if you are at least 25 lbs overweight by most weight charts, then you are likely to be overfat too (see chart), And this excess fat can cause you health problems-—now or in the future. If you suffer with high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, high blood cholesterol and triglycerides levels (fats in your blood), losing weight will improve your health. If you are healthy at present, losing weight will help you avoid such problems in the future.

Fat mass

Tie Body Mass Index (BMI) is a better measurement of body fat and health risks, than the height and weight charts. To calculate your BMI:

1. Multiply your weight in pounds by 0.45. For example. If you weigh 150: 150 x 0.45 = 68

2. Multiply your height in inches by 0.025. For example, if you're 5'6" (66 inches): 66 x 0.025 = 1.65 square the answer (1.65 x 1.65 = 2.72)

3. Divide the top answer by the bottom to calculate the BMI (SB/2.72) =25. Therefore, this 150 lb, 5'6" person has a body mass index of 25.

Your BMI should fall within the healthy range of 19 to 25. If you're at the upper end of this range or score more than 25. Consider losing enough weight to lower your BMI at least one or two numbers. A BMI of more than 27 is considered overweight.

Lucky pears

But weight! Consider where you carry your excess weight. Are more susceptible to health problems. Look at yourself in the mirror. Do you look like an apple or pear? Apples tend to carry extra weight around the waist. They are at greater risk for heart disease. High blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. Pears carry extra weight around the hips and thighs and it's possible that they aren't exposed to any greater health risks than someone who isn't overweight. A more accurate way to calculate body fat distribution is the waist-to· hip ratio:

1. Measure your waist at the narrowest point and your hips (over your buttocks) at the widest point.

2. Divide your waist measurement by the number of inches around your hips. If you’re a woman, a number greater than 0.85 indicates higher health risks. For a man, it's a ratio above 0.95.

Extreme measures

Beware before you resort to desperate measures to prune the plump. There are no products that will let you lose weight effortlessly. No amount of rubbing, wrapping, massaging or scrubbing will get rid of fat deposits. And there is no special vitamin or mineral supplements that will dissolve fat. Think twice before you resort to diet pills miracle fat burners and over-the- counter hunger suppressants while you might lose weight in the short term, you could be surrendering your long-term health.

Years ago, the manufacturers of dexfenfluramine (Redux) and fenfluramine (Pondimin) withdrew the prescription drugs from the market because of indications of serious side effects on heart valves. Fenfluramine was one of the drugs used in the two-drug "fen-phen" combination, commonly prescribed for weight loss. The dieting game has developed into a multi- million industry supplying the huge demand for appetite suppressants and anti-obesity pills. New generations of prescription only "fat-busters" are being developed to fight obesity without the detrimental side effects. But just like the fen-pen combination, we might never know the long- term effects until the passage of time reveals its secrets. Most medical practitioners are in agreement that any diet drug should be taken for less than three months and prescribed in low doses, particularly for those who ”just want to lose a few pounds to look good in jeans."

A gentler approach

Extreme measures, perhaps, but the pursuit of a perfect figure has driven thin and fat people alike to the final frontiers of dieting, seeking salvation in starvation or parting with their bank balance to resculpt what nature gave free of charge. The psychological distress associated with actual and perceived obesity has led to some doctors and dieticians devising less costly and dramatic methods of losing weight. Look at your lifestyle Do you overeat, smoke cigarettes, drink more than two alcoholic drinks a day or live with uncontrolled stress? In combination with these behaviors, excess weight has greater health implications. Your size and shape can be considerably improved by toning from exercise and improving your diet. The key to long-term success is behavior modification. Assess what it is that makes you fat; and stop doing it. Simple. Make those lifestyle change and stick to them. Eat more good stuff and less bad, don't take the can walk or run. Slow and steady weight loss is the key. Aim to lose 1-2 lbs a week. Dieting can be fun when the naughtiness is taken out of nice food. Researchers at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US, tested a diet advocating that high fat foods should not be forbidden, but encouraged, with 35% of calories coming from fat, through the consumption of olive and canola oil, avocados, nuts and monounsaturated fats. They argued that fats are an essential dietary component and a diet too low in fat could cause health problems coming from fat, through the consumption of olive and canola oil, avocados, nuts and monounsaturated fats. They argued that fats are an essential dietary component and a diet too low in fat could cause health problems in the longer term.

Big is beautiful

Whilst the controlled and disciplined may be able to organize their lives around these dietary clichés, many have just given up, abandoned the diet ship and now fly the flag for acceptance of 'size’. Jody Abrams of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance wants fat to be associated with beauty, vitality and worth saying " Size is not a measure of our character", while Pat Lyons of the Connection Women's Health Consultancy network agrees "life is too short for self-hatred and celery sticks. " lf you feel good about yourself, it can lead to overall healthier habits. So partake in a spot of self-analysis, take a good hard look at your body and your lifestyle before a panic-buy impulse of wonder drugs. And hey, what's wrong with being a bit cuddly when the bells ring in the Year 2009?

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