How to manage your weight

Let's start with the simplest method — a visual assessment. Get undressed, stand in front of a mirror and examine which areas of your body might need correction. Be careful, though, not to compare yourself to fashion ideals. Chasing them is a mistake, because every body has its own characteristics.

A second option — measure your skin fold. Pinch the skin together with the layer underneath (best of all in the area of the shoulder blade) and compare it to the sides of a matchbox. If the fold is thinner than the narrowest side of the matchbox, you don't need to worry about extra weight; if it matches the width of the middle side, you can consider those to be “beauty fat” that pleasantly smooths out your shape; but if the thickness of your skin fold exceeds the third, longest side, then you should think about solving the problem.

The most objective indicators can be obtained from a specialist who can precisely measure body fat using a caliper or an electrical impulse device. The norms are as follows: for men, a normal body fat percentage is 8–18% of total body weight (18% to 24% is excess weight, more than 24% — obesity), while for women the norm is 17.5–25% of total body weight (up to 30% is the mentioned “beauty” fat, above 30% — obesity). Such measurements are carried out at many health centers and medical institutions, such as the Nutrition Laboratory of the Latvian Association of Dietitians, the Diplomatic Service Medical Center, Health Center 4 and others.