It's an INCH loss plan

Kyle here this time… So if you read Cheryl’s post, you might be thinking, “Did I read that right? Is Kyle doing Cinch too?” The answer is yes. We are in this together… but for different reasons.

Cinch isn’t just about weight loss. It is about inch loss and being healthier. I have always been unhappy with a belly that I have carried around, even after the weight loss I had with Weight Watchers in 2004. While I have kept the weight off, there was still that nagging paunch that I saw in the morning, even if no one else did,

Then I read an interesting article in a magazine while on a business trip last month.  (For more info, see page 124 of the August 2012 issue of Delta’s Sky Magazine and look at the article “Gut Check” written by Amy Paturel) The article was talking about measuring health, which up until now had been done by Body Mass Index (BMI). It calculates a number based on height and weight and if you are between 18.5 and 25, congratulations, you’re healthy! But is it that simple? Well yes and no. There are some people (think professional or Olympic athletes) that have lots of muscle mass. Since muscle weighs more than fat, their BMI comes in greater than 25, sometimes greater than 30! But would we say that an Olympic swimmer, or pro football running back is out of shape and unhealthy? Of course not.

The article went on to say that a better measure is to measure the size of the “belly” vs. the size of the hips. Take the ratio of the two measurements and the closer to 0.9 you are the better. In fact, Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez of the Mayo Clinic is quoted as saying, “A ratio higher than 0.9, specifically higher than 1.0 represents an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.”

That’s because Visceral fat (you know- that deep down, hard to get rid of belly fat) is more metabolically active and contributes to raising blood pressure and creating blood clots compared to subcutaneous fat (those inches you can pinch). However, research shows that subcutaneous fat in the hips and legs can actually be helpful. Therefore, this ratio helps weed out skinny people with limited muscle mass and not enough fat elsewhere but are storing it only in their bellies…

And that’s where it comes back to me. I fall into that group pretty well. As we start Cinch, my waist (belly) measurement is 35.75 inches and my hip measurement is 35.0. So my ratio is 1.02. My goal is to hit that 0.9 that the article talks about. What will my weight do? I don’t know. And I really don’t care. For me the journey isn’t about pounds, it’s about inches. At the Shaklee Global Conference, one of the Cinch success stories was a lady who didn’t lose a single pound on Cinch, she only lost 4 dress sizes. Pretty soon, I plan to have them talking about me too. So I will update my progress along the way too, and hopefully add another success story to the Cinch Inch Loss Plan.