Part 3 of a deep dive into Body Mass Index (BMI), what it means for you, and how to use it on your weight loss journey
Body Mass Index, or BMI can be a useful way to measure progress in your weight loss journey, and a goal to work towards. For background reading on what BMI is, and how to calculate it, check out our previous posts on BMI:
In this, the third part of our series on BMI, we want to help you figure out ways to improve your BMI through diet and physical activity, and by following a weight-loss plan.
Whether you’ve been on your weight loss journey for a matter of weeks, months, or years, you probably know by now that losing weight and keeping it off depends on both your diet and your physical activity routines. Reducing your BMI can be done through a combination of diet and physical activity, and the aim is to get your weight into a range that’s appropriate for your height.
All of this is much easier with the right support from our weight-loss Consultants at Jenny Craig, who can tailor a weight-loss plan to suit you.
Here are a few of the steps you can take to get that BMI down — and keep it down!
Eat your way to a lower Body Mass Index
It’s often said that weight loss starts in the kitchen, and an essential step in reducing your BMI is to change your diet.
Some of the most significant improvements you can make to your diet are to bump up your intake of fresh fruit and veggies, reduce your intake of saturated fats and added sugars as well as reducing your portions. All of these factors can help reduce your weight, including reducing fat around your waist, which is especially harmful. Having high levels of visceral fat around the waist can increase your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Luckily, Jenny Craig’s meal plans make it easier to improve your diet. Our meal plans are tasty, tempting, and will help you reach your BMI goal.
Call our team today to set up your first appointment.
You can start making changes even before we’ve had the chance to create a personalised plan for you — check out what’s on the menu and be inspired to get creative in the kitchen with our range of easy-to-cook recipes.
Move your way to health
We get it. Physical activity can be hard. Even just finding the time to to be active can be hard. The higher your BMI, the harder the thought of starting an activity routine can be. That’s why it’s important to combine physical activity with healthy food choices, so you cover your bases and have the greatest chance of success.
But what if we told you that physical activity doesn’t have to be hard? Redefining what we mean by ‘physical activity’ can make all the difference. Instead of aiming to hit the gym five times a week (which is great, but not realistic for many people), think of physical activity in terms of movement.
Get your body moving more and you may well notice a difference in your Body Mass Index:
- Leave home half an hour earlier and walk to work or school
- Get off the bus a few stops earlier, if you can’t walk the whole way
- Incorporate a hill or two into your routine evening or weekend walk
- Grab your girlfriends for a night of dancing minus the drinks
- Take a ball or frisbee to the park with your kids
- Hit the swimming pool on a hot day
- Jog the dog rather than walk him!
There are many ways to build movement and activity into your current lifestyle that don’t require a whole new wardrobe or an expensive gym membership. We’re confident that once your mindset around physical activity shifts, so will your BMI.
Use our BMI calculator now
Before writing BMI reduction into your healthy lifestyle goals, it’s good to know exactly what your current BMI is, and what you should be heading towards. That couldn’t be easier, with our BMI calculator!
If you know your height (in centimetres) and current weight, type these into our handy BMI calculator now, and call us to get started on your weight loss journey.
At Jenny Craig we will work with you to create actionable steps toward your weight loss goals — including mapping out your unique BMI goals.
Just imagining the benefits of achieving a healthy BMI can motivate you to get there faster: improved self esteem, more energy to play with your kids or pets, feeling healthier… These may just be a lower BMI score away!
