The percentage of women in America with weight problems continues to rise. On one extreme there are women who are considerably overweight and on the other extreme there are women who are considerably underweight for their height and build. These conditions can cause serious mental and physical health issues, or may be a result of those. Various things need to be taken into consideration when determining what a healthy weight for an individual is.

How does one become overweight? This might sound like a simple question with a simple answer, but it's not that easy. Eating less is not always the solution. It really depends on how much energy is used in relation to how many calories have been taken Calories are needed, even some of the fatty ones. We need them to keep our metabolism up, to provide energy, and to help with digestion. A person's weight depends on their caloric balance. If a person eats more calories than the body needs for energy, those calories will be stored in the body as body fat; thus the person's body weight increases. If, however, the person uses more caloric energy than they consumed, the body will draw from the stored energy and the person will lose fat and their body weight will decrease.

Effectively, women in the United States typically consume more calories than they expend. Thus excessive calories are stored. This is the case because the amount of physical effort required to procure food is relatively very low. Consequently they are expending very few calories, and consuming quite a large amount. This is easy to do for multiple reasons - mostly because women do not understand how to be healthy; and quite honestly, it is comfortable and easy to have an unhealthy lifestyle. To be in good health requires discipline, time, effort, and indeed discomfort.

Our bodies need fat; however, we need to take into consideration the amount of fats we are consuming and the types of fats. Harmful fats include saturated fats, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol. Healthy fats include monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and omega-3 fatty acids.

In order to lose weight it must be done in a healthy way if to be effective and not cause serious problems within the body. Those who lose weight from dieting alone are often unhealthy looking because the body is feeding on its own tissues during the starvation period. In addition, during dieting, a good percent of muscle mass is also generally lost. Rather than dieting, one should eat healthy foods, but also keep a regular exercise routine that includes muscle building.

When the body does not get enough food, it protects itself by going into starvation mode. It will store fat in order burn it at a controlled pace; therefore desirable tissues, to include muscle, will be burned instead. Every bit of food eaten will be stored as fat as the metabolism slows down to burn food more efficiently. The body will get used to having fewer calories to burn and will eventually burn up all the fat. When the dieter stops, the body prepares for the next diet period and stores as much fat as it can. If the last diet period was a long one, or if they come often, the body will be off adjustment for a long time, which is to say, storing every bit of fat it can.

In the 1970's, in order to get around the body's starvation mode, Dr. Atkins developed a carbohydrate free diet in which the dieter eats mostly protein. This has been shown to be effective in circumventing the starvation mode; however, it is not the healthiest means to lose weight as there are definite health issues involved in neglecting carbohydrates. But the concept is correct, the carbohydrates are being stored as fat, so don't eat them, the protein isn't, so eat it.

The most effective way to lose weight is balanced cardiovascular and weight training programs. This causes the body to burn off the fat reserves naturally. To allow the body to burn off fat, you must not be getting enough daily calories to burn. If there are too few, the body will respond to starvation, so the caloric intake must be just below the caloric requirement.

Understandably, people want to see results. Especially if they are just getting motivated to lose weight, they put a lot of effort into it and want to see it happen. Many get frustrated and quit when they do not see results right away. It can be frustrating because the body likes to maintain homeostasis, which is to say it wants to stay like it is. It will make adjustments to your diet and exercise efforts in order to maintain itself like it is. It is often difficult to break free of this. Once it is achieved, however, it is usually a steady track, with occasional plateaus. Ultimately, health is not a short term thing that should be treated as something to hurry up and accomplish and move on. That will only produce disappointment. Health must be seen as a long term thing. The body is there for the rest of a person's life and must be maintained for all of it. Once it is recognized that it is a long term effort, a person can change her lifestyle and really see long term results.

In conclusion, it is essential for all women to become aware of what is normal and healthy for their age, height, and body build. The media's ideal body must be rejected, and the healthy body must be sought. In order to pursue a healthy body, one must exercise regularly and eat a balanced, healthy diet. By doing these things one will avoid many of the health risks that face those who are overweight and those with eating disorders.