This time of year many friends and clients ask me for the best way to lose weight. Whether the goal is to look better in shorts and short sleeves, or to play better golf or tennis, it is urgent (I’d like to lose 20lbs by yesterday!). Often people look into and decide to go on various “diet” programs which either limit their overall calorie intake (often too low) or limit a specific nutrient, carbohydrates for example. Many of these programs involve purchasing their “unique” supplements and meal replacement options.
Losing weight is mostly within our control. It can involve getting enough sleep, maintaining an active lifestyle and sticking to a well-balanced diet. Of course, some weight issues are not within our control. Where you store extra calories and how you metabolize food is influenced by genetic factors as well as by medical conditions and medications you may be taking.
Let’s take a look at some areas that are not within your control.
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A. Aging: We tend to lose 5-10% of our lean/muscle mass starting at the age of 30. This loss of muscle mass decreases our metabolism. If you don’t lower your calorie intake or increase your activity level, the result will be extra calories stored as fat.
B. Insulin Resistance: It is estimated that over a third of Americans have some degree of insulin resistance, diabetes or pre-diabetic condition. Insulin resistance, also called metabolic syndrome, means that your body’s cells are not utilizing insulin properly to break down the sugars in food that is used for energy. Insulin continues to be released however. Because the cells aren’t using the insulin properly, sugar in the blood remains elevated. Medical conditions often associated with insulin resistance are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, overweight and heart disease.
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C. Thyroid medical conditions: Whether high or low, the hormones your thyroid produces can either over or under-stimulate your metabolism. While the underlying cause of thyroid conditions is unknown (except in the cases of tumors, or tumors induced by medication), your doctor can routinely check your thyroid levels and help keep them in balance. Interestingly, menopausal women tend have symptoms of an underactive thyroid after menopause possibly due to the lower estrogen levels. Please talk with your physician if you experience some or any of the following symptoms:
a. Underactive Thyroid: feelings of sluggish, weight gain with no changes in eating or exercise habits, dry skin and increases in muscles aches;
b. Overactive Thyroid: feeling like you’ve have been drinking high caffeine products all day long, weight loss and insomnia.
Let’s look at some areas you CAN control.
A. Sleep: Recent studies show that getting 6-8 hours of sleep helps to decrease stress hormones and to balance the hormones (ghrelin and leptin) that influence hunger and satiety(that feeling of fullness).
B. Adding more lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables plus having snacks help to keep your metabolism up.
C. Losing as little as 5% of your bodyweight helps to influence how the body’s cells utilize insulin to process the sugars from food.
D. Increasing your lean/muscle tissue with weight training and increasing your aerobic calorie expenditure help to increase your metabolism.
E. There has been a lot of information about how breakfast affects weight loss. What IS known is that eating a balanced (protein, carbohydrates and fat) breakfast kick starts our metabolism, helping to increase our metabolism, energy and focus for the day.
KNOW YOUR METABOLIC RATE (BMR)
Go to http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/bmr-formula.php to help YOU determine your caloric and exercise needs. First the formula will help you determine how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. This website will also help you decide what you need to do to lose weight. It will also help you decide how many calories to consume if you want to gain weight.
Remember: The best approach to weight loss is a balanced one of reduction in calories, increase in aerobic activities, and beginning or, in some cases changing, your weight training program. A few websites that will help you learn more are: eatright.org, calorie-count.com, ideafit.com.
You can also solicit the assistance of a certified personal trainer through your local community center, fitness studio or personal reference. Go to ideafit.com to find a certified trainer near you.
As always, I am available for you questions and/or comments by contacting me at marsha1130@verizon.net or visit my profile at http://www.ideafit.com/profile/marsha1130.
In Health, Marsha
