8 Questions To Help You Determine Your Body-Weight Fate!

8 Questions To Help You Determine Your Body-Weight Fate!

Most of us tend to be very aware of our present body weight, which is to be expected considering the fact that we find ourselves staring back at our body each and every day when we look into the mirror. What many of us do not take the time to think about however, is what our body weight will be five or even ten years down the road.

We always just put our energy into developing our absolute best body at the present moment, then figure that we'll just be able to maintain that over the long haul.

Unfortunately, that isn't the case.

There are many small factors that will come into play with regards to what our body will look like years down the road and by making yourself consciously aware of what these factors are, you can start taking positive steps now to ensure that you aren't faced with a body you're very unhappy with down the road.

Obviously any changes you make in the present year to your body will point you in the right direction, but if you still have many lifestyle factors working against you, it may not be enough to offset what's in store for the future.

The Questions:

Here are some questions to get you thinking about this.

1. Do you currently or did you previously smoke?
   • Yes
   • No
2. How many hours of sleep do you typically get each night?
   • 6 or fewer hours
   • 7 hours
   • 8 or more hours
3. Do either of your parents have thyroid disorders?
   • Yes
   • No
4. What time of the day do you normally find yourself doing your workouts?
   • Early in the morning before work
   • During your lunch break
   • After workout
   • Very late at night
5. How long is your commute to work?
   • Ten minutes and you walk or ride a bike
   • Ten minutes and you drive
   • Thirty to forty-five minutes
   • Over forty-five minutes
6. Answer quickly - when you're sitting at your computer desk, you are most likely to be:
   • Drinking a cup of coffee or tea
   • Snacking on something found at your desk or in the vending machine
   • Moving some part of your body - you can never sit still!
   • Very focused on the task at hand
7. Your primary fluid intake comes from:
   • Diet soda and coffee
   • Water
   • Fruit juices and milk
   • Fancier drinks such as gourmet coffees and alcoholic cocktails
8. Rate your level of stress on an everyday basis:
   • Low stress levels
   • Moderate stress levels
   • High stress levels

Scoring:

Now that you've taken the time to work through each of those questions, let's take a closer look at how you did.

Question 1:

If you currently smoke or you used to, this could put you at a higher risk for weight gain down the road. The reason for this being that while quitting smoking is a very healthy thing to do, those who attempt to quit do often find themselves gaining weight in the five or so years after they say goodbye to the nicotine.

This isn't to say you should forgo quitting in effort to keep your body weight where you want it to be, but you need to be aware of this fact.

Right now it would be a very smart idea for you to start coming up with ways you can curtail the instinct to reach for a snack when you'd typically reach for a cigarette. Some people find gum works, others find going for a walk gets their mind off it, while others may try some form of deep breathing or relaxation strategies.

Whatever you choose, be sure you are paying very close attention to what you're eating because you may not even realize you're shoving food in your mouth when that urge strikes.

Question 2:

How much sleep you get on a regular basis is one of the biggest factors that could influence what your body weight will be down the road.

Those who are not getting enough sleep each night are more likely to skip workouts, more likely to reach for high-carbohydrate snacks as a pick-me-up, and more likely to suffer from feelings of intense hunger, making it hard to stick with a lowered calorie diet.

Sleep is the primary time when your body repairs all the damage that has been done during the day so it's something that you simply cannot sacrifice on. Aim for at least seven hours each night, if not more.

Question 3:

While you cannot always blame being overweight on your genetics (as often it's strictly lifestyle factors to blame), in some cases, especially when there are very severe thyroid issues at play, this genetic tendency can tend to work against you.

If either of your parents are currently on thyroid medication and they don't have a past history of intense dieting (which can mess up the thyroid gland when it otherwise would be normal), this could come into play and act against you.

If you answered yes to this question, you may want to speak with your doctor about getting your thyroid tested at this point to ensure it's working normally and then you'll want to make sure you're doing everything you can to keep a normal healthy thyroid gland. This includes staying away from very low calorie or crash diets, extremely low carbohydrate diets, extremes in exercise volume, and unhealthy eating habits in general.

Question 4:

In some situations you're not going to be able to control exactly when you do your workout, but those early risers do tend to stick with their workouts more regularly over the long haul. This is due to the fact that if you leave it for any other time during the day (especially during lunch when meetings can often creep into your hour), there is a much greater chance you'll skip it.

To add to this, if you normally work out much later in the evening, the likelihood that you are feeling very fatigued by that point and just opt to stay home on the couch is also quite high.

If you can, start making an effort to get up earlier in the morning and complete your workouts then. It will feel miserable for the first few weeks but once you get into the habit of it, you may just find you prefer it.

Question 5:

If you answered 'A' to this question, you're in the best position because not only is your commute not very time consuming, but it also gives you an extra bout of exercise as well. While ten minutes may not seem like all that much, day after day it will really add up (100 calories per work day X 260 potential work days a year = 26,000 calories - the equivalent of almost seven and a half pounds).

If you do drive to work but the commute is on the shorter side (less than 30 minutes), you're also at an advantage because this frees up more of your time outside of work to get that exercise in.

If you're spending an hour driving to and from work each day, this makes for some very long workout days and makes it even more difficult to find room for your workout in the very few hours you have left.

Question 6:

The worst answer to this question will obviously be eating. If you have a tendency to snack in front of your computer (or TV for that matter) - even if it's foods that are supposed to be on your diet plan, you could be setting yourself up for long-term weight loss.

The reason for this is because you will get the most satisfaction from your meal if you sit down to it and nothing else. By solely focusing on the food in front of you, you will enjoy the taste more and will be less likely to overeat or munch mindlessly.

If you're someone who just can't sit still, you're really at an advantage. These 'fidgeter' types of individuals can really rack up the calories over time, sometimes getting up to 800 more calories burned than those who typically sit very still.

While I don't suggest you take up the hobby of endless fidgeting at your desk - you may seriously aggravate your fellow co-workers - it's important to note that paying attention to just how long you have been sitting completely still.

Every twenty to thirty minutes get up, walk around, switch positions, or just do something that gets the body moving. This will also help to increase blood circulation throughout the body and improve concentration and focus as well.

Finally, if you're someone who gets so into their work that they forget to eat, can also be a drawback as well. It is important that you are eating regularly enough, because if you aren't, you may not get the nutrition you need and could wind up overeating later on in the day once your hunger catches up to you.

For optimum weight control and steady energy levels, you should try to eat every two to three hours throughout the day.

Question 7:

If you choose water for this answer, you're in the best scenario since water is calorie free, an excellent source of hydration, and will help maintain a healthy metabolic rate.

Individuals who choose juice and milk could be at a greater risk of long-term weight gain for the simple fact that the calories in beverages can add up quickly. Milk is a much healthier option than fruit juice (which is very high in simple sugars), but even still, if you aren't tracking calorie intake you could wind up experiencing weight gain.

Worse is if you find yourself getting hydration through fancy coffee drinks or alcohol beverages, since these are typically very high calorie alternatives that will pack on the weight in no time.

Coffee, tea, and diet soda are slightly better options from a body weight standpoint, but do realize that they are no replacement for pure water from a health standpoint.

Question 8:

Finally, the last factor to think about is stress. Individuals who have higher levels of stress will have more stress hormones released in the body, will be more likely to eat in response to this stress, and will be more protein to feeling tired and skipping workouts.

Doing whatever you can to control stress will promote long-term weight maintenance and go a long way towards helping you feel healthier as well.

Conclusion

What you do on a daily basis, both in terms of your overall lifestyle and the actions you take with your workout and diet program will have a large influence on your body weight into the future.

For best results, it really is important to consider everything you're doing and start making a few changes that promote greater weight control and put you in a position to maintain a healthy body weight down the road.