Finishing our look at a healthy heart, there's one more area to work on - weight.

Do you know what category you fall in - healthy weight, overweight or obese?   If you're not sure, check your Body Mass Index (BMI).  If you're between 18.5 and 24.9, you're at a healthy weight.  Overweight is 25.0 to 29.9.  Obese is 30.0 or higher with Extremely Obese starting at 40.0.  

What are some of the reasons to work on your weight?  As it rises, there is a dramatic increase in the likelihood of disease.  To name some of the diseases that are encouraged by overweight and obesity:  Cancer, High Blood Pressure, Stroke, Sleep Apnea, Type II Diabetes, Osteoarthritis, High Cholesterol and Triglycerides.  Obese people are expected to live 2-4 years less than one at a healthy weight.  Those who are extremely obese live 8-10 years less than expected.  More than one-third of the adults in the US are considered overweight and another one-third are obese.

How about the cost?  There's the staggering personal, physical and emotional toll on a person who obese or overweight.  In money, the medical costs associated with obesity are estimated at over $150 billion dollars.  So what can we do about it?

Lifestyle:  Is this easy?  Not really.  Is it worth the effort?  Absolutely!  How do you start?  Set realistic  goals and track your progress.  Drink plenty of water.  Get enough sleep.  Be really positive about this very important step in your life.  Exercise!  Get support from your family and friends.  You may need to talk with them about how important this is to you.

Boost Your Metabolism:  Increase your lean body mass (muscles) to buoy up your metabolism.  There are supplements to help - and so will exercise.

Portion Control:  Develop an eye for how much you should be putting on your plate.  You can load it if you're eating fruits and veggies, which fill you up, are healthy and take time to chew.  Try to order small meals.  Keep an eye on liquid calories (soda pop, etc.).  Develop the habit of eating slowly and enjoying your meal.  Figure out what may trigger you to eat more than you'd like and avoid those situations.

Protein:  Start your morning with a good protein or a protein shake.  That helps you feel full longer and helps you develop a leaner body mass.

Fiber:  Fiber is one of your best friends in weight loss.  It helps you feel full, support blood sugar.  It also helps to remove cholesterol.

Among the many Shaklee helpers for  weight control are the Shaklee 180 products, which are nutritious, taste good and help you stay on track.  That includes Metabolic Boost as well as a line of different flavors of smoothees, bars and chips.  I use the smoothee mix every day because I like it and it gives me energy.  It works for both those who want to lose weight and those who just want to maintain.  Shaklee also offers several  fiber products, including fiber bars, and Energizing Soy Protein as an alternative to Shaklee 180.