Weight Loss
From new year's resolutions to beach body targets, losing weight must be the most popular reason people aim to get fit. Of course, being fit means more than simply shedding a few pounds. It could mean living longer and actually getting more out of life.
This article will discuss weight loss but I must stress that it is an opinion formed from articles I have read and personal experience. Aside from A-Levels, I have no formal qualification. That being said, I am not associated with any brand, product or club. Anything I include in this article is purely aimed at providing information with the genuine intention of it being useful to aid natural and healthy weight loss.
I will try to back up anything I say with factual links to files, web pages and / or articles.
This article will discuss weight loss but I must stress that it is an opinion formed from articles I have read and personal experience. Aside from A-Levels, I have no formal qualification. That being said, I am not associated with any brand, product or club. Anything I include in this article is purely aimed at providing information with the genuine intention of it being useful to aid natural and healthy weight loss.
I will try to back up anything I say with factual links to files, web pages and / or articles.
What is weight?
Well, I'm not going to give you a scientific definition of weight or mass, but, in weight loss terms, weight usually refers to excess stored fat. This fat is either directly consumed or created from unused carbohydrates (sugars).
What is overweight?
Two people can weigh the same with only one of them being overweight. It makes sense to think that taller people will be heavier than shorter people of the same build, after all, there's more to them. It is because of this that weight alone can not be used to decide whether somebody is overweight. A person's height must also be considered. With a person's height and weight, their Body Mass Index (BMI) can be calculated.
The metric calculation for BMI is: Mass(kg) ÷ Height(m)² = BMI That's Mass divided by (height squared)
There are, of course, variations of the calculation for imperial units.
The resulting BMI figure is then compared to a chart to determine if the person is over weight. This chart will vary with age groups and from country to country.
Further information on BMI can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index
If you look in the mirror and feel you need to lose weight but your BMI says you're of a healthy weight it's your eyes at fault! Being "underweight" can be more dangerous than being "overweight"!. If you're of healthy weight and not happy with your appearance you could consider building up muscle tone or wearing clothes that highlight your better features.
The metric calculation for BMI is: Mass(kg) ÷ Height(m)² = BMI That's Mass divided by (height squared)
There are, of course, variations of the calculation for imperial units.
The resulting BMI figure is then compared to a chart to determine if the person is over weight. This chart will vary with age groups and from country to country.
Further information on BMI can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index
If you look in the mirror and feel you need to lose weight but your BMI says you're of a healthy weight it's your eyes at fault! Being "underweight" can be more dangerous than being "overweight"!. If you're of healthy weight and not happy with your appearance you could consider building up muscle tone or wearing clothes that highlight your better features.
Calorie Balance
A calorie is a unit of energy. Carbohydrates and fat both contain calories. As unused calories are stored as fat in your body, consuming and burning the right amount of calories plays a big part in body weight management.
Imagine you have a paper cup with a hole in the bottom and it is placed underneath a running tap. The water flowing from the tap would be your food intake and the water coming out would be the food burned off. If you turn that tap up too high or if you close the hole too much, it will start to fill up. So, there are two obvious things you can do to get that water level down. You can reduce the water flow and you can open up that hole. In my view, to attack the excess pounds, it is important to attack both food consumption and exercise levels.
According to the UK Department of Health, the Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) for calories are 1940 per day for a woman and 2550 per day for a man. (Source: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/calorie_intake.htm )
What a lot of people don't realise is that this is an estimated average. For a four foot tall woman who doesn't walk anywhere, I'd suggest that 1940 calories a day would be too many and could lead to weight gain. For a seven foot tall man who works as a postman, 2550 calories a day may not be enough and could lead to weight loss.
So, there are a few variables that help to determine what we should be consuming. Most of these variables, such as height, age and gender, we can't do anything about. We can however, change the amount of exercise we do. Even little changes such as walking short distances instead of driving can add up over a week and tip the balance in your favour.
Imagine you have a paper cup with a hole in the bottom and it is placed underneath a running tap. The water flowing from the tap would be your food intake and the water coming out would be the food burned off. If you turn that tap up too high or if you close the hole too much, it will start to fill up. So, there are two obvious things you can do to get that water level down. You can reduce the water flow and you can open up that hole. In my view, to attack the excess pounds, it is important to attack both food consumption and exercise levels.
According to the UK Department of Health, the Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) for calories are 1940 per day for a woman and 2550 per day for a man. (Source: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/calorie_intake.htm )
What a lot of people don't realise is that this is an estimated average. For a four foot tall woman who doesn't walk anywhere, I'd suggest that 1940 calories a day would be too many and could lead to weight gain. For a seven foot tall man who works as a postman, 2550 calories a day may not be enough and could lead to weight loss.
So, there are a few variables that help to determine what we should be consuming. Most of these variables, such as height, age and gender, we can't do anything about. We can however, change the amount of exercise we do. Even little changes such as walking short distances instead of driving can add up over a week and tip the balance in your favour.
Burning Fat or Burning Carbs?
Calories will come from carbohydrates or from fat. We burn calories all of the time by just being alive. The less we do, the higher the proportion of calories burned is from fats. Let's say that somebody watching television burns 60% fat and 40% carbs. Let's also say that a runner burns 40% fat and 60% carbs. You would naturally think that the television watcher is getting the better deal. Well, now consider this. In the same amount of time, the television watcher has burned 40 calories and the runner has burned 250. That's 24 calories from fat for the television watcher and 100 calories from fat for the runner.
The bottom line for this question is more is better. You could spend hours walking or see the same benefit from a fraction of the time jogging or running.
(Sources: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/busting-the-great-myths-of-fat-burning.html and http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/a/burningfat.htm)
The bottom line for this question is more is better. You could spend hours walking or see the same benefit from a fraction of the time jogging or running.
(Sources: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/busting-the-great-myths-of-fat-burning.html and http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/a/burningfat.htm)
What? You prefer the walking option?!!
The two sources seem (to me) to be biased towards lower intensity exercise. While I understand that higher intensity exercise isn't for everybody, I strongly feel that it is more beneficial. Let's weigh up a few pros and cons from each type.
High Intensity Training (such as jogging / running)
Pros
|
Cons
|
Low Intensity Training (such as gardening)
Pros
|
Cons
|
Of course, the choice is yours.
If you're going to do low intensity training or workouts, make sure you're doing more than you would normally be doing. For example, if you normally walk to the local shops in the afternoon, don't start counting that as exercise. However, if you normally drive, it's a perfect opportunity to increase your calories burned.
If you're going to go for it hard and hit the high intensity training make sure your prepare properly. Check with your doctor that you are fit enough for what you have in mind. Buy the appropriate equipment and clothing (such as trainers for running or jogging). Take it one step at a time and listen to your body. Just because your friend can run a mile in six minutes it doesn't mean you have to in order for it to be classed as high intensity. If your workout is getting you sweaty and out of breath, it's high intensity. There's nothing wrong with resting during parts of your workout. New joggers should jog for a distance / time, walk for a distance / time and repeat for the session.
If you're going to do low intensity training or workouts, make sure you're doing more than you would normally be doing. For example, if you normally walk to the local shops in the afternoon, don't start counting that as exercise. However, if you normally drive, it's a perfect opportunity to increase your calories burned.
If you're going to go for it hard and hit the high intensity training make sure your prepare properly. Check with your doctor that you are fit enough for what you have in mind. Buy the appropriate equipment and clothing (such as trainers for running or jogging). Take it one step at a time and listen to your body. Just because your friend can run a mile in six minutes it doesn't mean you have to in order for it to be classed as high intensity. If your workout is getting you sweaty and out of breath, it's high intensity. There's nothing wrong with resting during parts of your workout. New joggers should jog for a distance / time, walk for a distance / time and repeat for the session.
Ambient Calorie Burning
Every time you move your body your using muscles, and, in turn, they're burning calories. During the times when you aren't doing a lot, your burning a higher percentage of fat (still not a lot, because you aren't doing a lot). You could always do more to get that calorie burned count up. Taking the stairs instead of the lift for example. Walking on the spot in the kitchen and carrying a hand exerciser with you to squeeze are other good examples of burning more calories without doing much more work.
Genetics
Recent scientific research has shown that mice with a defective gene tend to become obese. This gene with a similar defect is also found in humans. I have very little doubt that there are hundreds of genes with potential defects that could cause somebody to be more likely to put on weight. It might be a gene that handles the way fats are stored, it could manage our appetites, it could manage out metabolisms. I think, in some cases, this is something that, with more effort than most would require, can be overcome. Undoubtedly, there will be cases where medical procedures are the only option. I do strongly feel that medical procedures should be the very last resort.
Summary
I think losing weight is all about changing our habits. Habit changing isn't just about taking on a program, but about changing the way a person's mind works. For example i am in the habit of running to work. I've even turned down the offer of a lift to work a number of times in the past to complete my run. If a person can change their daily and weekly diet and exercise habits, they have the power to reach a healthy BMI. I found this article on habits very interesting and useful: http://zenhabits.net/the-habit-change-cheatsheet-29-ways-to-successfully-ingrain-a-behavior/
I believe regular medium to high intensity workouts can not only play a huge part in losing and maintaining weight loss but also lead to many other health benefits.
There will be the unfortunate few who are geneticly coded to eat too much. It's this natural variation among the population that makes evolution successful (that's another article!). For these people, I think medical procedures should be provided, but I am against the idea that some of these procedures are be a shortcut to successful weight loss.
If you feel I've been inaccurate or you have something you'd like to add or discuss, please don't hesitate to contact me.
I believe regular medium to high intensity workouts can not only play a huge part in losing and maintaining weight loss but also lead to many other health benefits.
There will be the unfortunate few who are geneticly coded to eat too much. It's this natural variation among the population that makes evolution successful (that's another article!). For these people, I think medical procedures should be provided, but I am against the idea that some of these procedures are be a shortcut to successful weight loss.
If you feel I've been inaccurate or you have something you'd like to add or discuss, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Eat less. Burn more.