A recent study in Economic Inquiry raises the question: “Is fat the new normal?” Let’s face it, what we consider “normal” changes based on what appears to be a majority rules mind set. With approximately 2/3 of the American population now considered overweight or even obese, has this changed our view of what we see as “normal weight?”

Now, don’t get me wrong. I think we needed to adjust our sights from the rail thin, “waif” look that was so popular when skinny models on the covers of fashion magazines were all the rage. The skeletal look caused widespread self-esteem issues among American women – especially young girls – as they compared themselves with these impossibly thin role models. But, has the pendulum swung too far in the opposite direction now making fat the new normal?

The study found that standards for acceptable body weight relax as the average weight of the population increases. And the average weight continues to increase in response to the loosening up of social standards. This report doesn’t really present any shockingly new information. A 2000 study in Obesity Research obtained similar results in that people general choose their own shape as being within the “acceptable” range – even if the respondents were obviously outside of what would be considered a healthy body weight.

In the end, what truly matters is not what is “normal” or “acceptable” but rather, what is “healthy”. Do you feel energetic? Can you take a brisk walk without gasping for breath? Is your blood cholesterol level in a healthy range? If you answered now to any of those questions, then it may be time to re-evaluate your own body shape. If it isn’t where you would like it to be, you can change it.

A healthy diet combined with physical exercise is your best bet at achieving a healthy weight for your own body. Yo-yo dieting, low fat/low carb diets or the latest diet fad won’t get you where you want to be long-term. Calorie cycling is a wonderful way to achieve that healthy weight. You don’t lose the weight only to put it back on, because you never feel as though you are depriving yourself of the foods you love. In fact, most people comment that they can eat far more food than they ever dreamed, and still lose weight. And, the best part is, because you are retraining yourself to eat more healthily rather than simply “dieting”, you will keep the weight off.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 at 5:31 am and is filed under loose weight, calorie cycling, calorie shifting weight loss, shifting calories, shifting calories method, lose weight, weight loss, how to lose weight. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.