REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY- A MAJOR WEIGHT LOSS AND MAINTENANCE KEY

I’ve been briefly touching on this in the previous blog posts due to its importance and major role in weight loss and weight maintenance once the desired weight has been achieved, hence, the need to further elaborate on the need for it.

Regular physical activity is very important for every individual as this enhances loss of body fat and encourages lean muscles which use up more energy to perform basic body functions even while resting. Many of us rarely do more than SIT, stand and sleep. We sit at our desks in the office for an average of 6 to 9 hours a day, attending to issues on our desks, brainstorming or being briefed at meetings, sending mails and “facebooking” LOL etc while the body obviously expends more energy during physical activities than at rest.

An important point to note is that Duration and Regular performance rather than Intensity are the keys to the success of this approach to weight loss and maintenance.

How do I go about increasing my Physical activity?

There are various  ways of increasing ones Physical activities daily and these includes:-

1.       Taking the stairs rather than the Elevator

2.       Packing your car a little bit farther than your point of destination   in  order to walk a longer distance.

3.       Walking the distance to a colleague’s desk to deliver a message rather than using the intercom.

4.       Engaging yourself in conscious exercise:- The most important key here is to engage in something you really enjoy doing as this will encourage you to continue over time e.g. Joining a dance club or school will be more beneficial to someone who enjoys dancing than joining a gym to slave it out on the treadmill. Such individual will look forward to returning to learn new dance steps and to generally have fun, so if you’ve been longing to know how to dance Salsa or Tango join a class and have fun as you lose the extra weight.  Also, joining the neighbourhood/Office Football/ Basket  ball team to practice and play each week will be more beneficial to a sport fan and can also be combined with Gym activities. You can even start the neighbourhood team if none is in existence and you do not have to be a professional to start or join an already existing team, you end up combining the health benefit of exercise with having fun.

An individual who weighs 68kg will expend the following amount of energy if he/she does the following activities for 1 hour

Activity                                 Energy expended inkilocalorie/hour

Sleeping                                           80

Lying at ease                                    89

Eating (Sitting)                                  93

Writing (Sitting)                                118

Light Aerobics                                   204

Walking (2.5 MPH)                             204

Cleaning (Male)                                 236

Golf                                                 244

Cleaning (Female)                              253

Walking (3.5MPH)                              299

Swimming (0.25MPH)                          299

Jogging –slow                                   476

Football- touch                                  476

Jogging – medium                              612

Basketball – vigorous                         680

Running/Jogging (10MPH)                    897

                                                      Reference  *Wardlaw 1999

Other Benefits of Increased Physical Activities includes:

• Raising HDL in the Body: Research has showed that HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) which are usually refered to as “good Cholesterols”  can be raised by about 5mg/dl with at least 45 minutes of exercise four times a week.

• It stretches the muscles and strengthens the bones which reduces risk of injuries.

• Increased physical activity boosts overall self esteem.

A man I hold in high esteem once said (about 2000 years ago) that “bodily exercise profits little, so if in that day and age such could be deduced then I advice you (including yours truly) to get off that couch/seat and get moving.

SUSTAINABLE TOOL OF WEIGHT LOSS

The approach and style of a Nutritionist or Dietitian to weight loss usually seems laid back to some individuals who want to lose weight.  Some people ask, Why do I have to wait for 6 months to lose 25kg/55 lbs when I can lose all that in 1 month if I wire my jaws or use pills? My answer is that they will not be able to sustain that weight loss over the next few months. The FOUNDATION of A HEALTHY FOOD PLAN are VARIETY, BALANCE and MODERATION.

I know people who actually lost significant amount of weight on those crazy diets usually called Fad diets, but none has been able to maintain such weight loss on the long run. The major reason is that such diets are so rigid and impractical that nobody can remain on them for life. For instance, an individual with wired jaws can only sip liquids with the aid of a straw. For how long if I may ask? Also, People’s experience and research has showed that the use of pills like laxatives to achieve weight loss usually results in loss of body fluids and electrolytes and not excess body fat.  Some of these fad diets also results in loss of lean muscles rather than body fats, unfortunately when the weight is gained back it is usually in form of fat which are harder to lose and results in the yo-yo weight gain syndrome.

Oh, I just want to jump start my weight loss program with an extreme measure, then I can eat moderately to sustain my achieved weight goal some do rationalize, but they do not follow through on such because they do not know how. I am not disputing the fact that some individuals may need to jump start their weight loss, but I will recommend that such individuals consult a Dietitian or Nutritionist who will help them to plan a relatively healthy way to jump start the weight loss,  also calculate what will be needed  to further lose the remaining weight at a pace the body will gradually get used to and recalculate the body calorie need when the  desired weight is achieved to enable sustenance  over the years.

The way forward is to balance one’s diet by consuming a variety of foods daily with physical activities. The need for increased physical activities cannot be overemphasized as this enhances loss of body fats and enhances lean muscles build up which uses up more calorie even at rest.

Note that there are no “good” or “bad” foods as such, it is the way we process them and the regularity of consumption that usually causes the problems with food.

Finally, my peeps, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on this things. Philippians 4 verse 8

CARBOHYDRATE! FRIEND OR FOE?

If a survey were to be carried out amongst my readers, I am convinced that a significant percentage of my readers will click on the foe button with speed and alacrity. On the contrary, carbohydrate is not a foe rather it is a friend.

In my few years of practice, I often hear my clients say “I have gained lots of weight because most of the food I eat are carbohydrates” but the challenge is not always with the carbohydrates but most often than not, with the fat content of their meals.

Carbohydrates especially starch and dietary fiber rich foods should constitute about half of an individual’s daily intake.  WHY?

1.       Carbohydrates are energy yielding nutrients which are not as fattening as fats and oil quantity for quantity. i.e. 1 gram of Carbohydrate will yield 4 kilocalories of energy while 1 gram of Fat will yield 9 kilocalories of energy.

2.       Carbohydrates protects the body against needless protein metabolism for energy and this is called  protein sparing , that is, when carbohydrate  is present in the body dietary protein can be used to make body tissues and to perform other vital processes.

3.       Carbohydrates provide flavor and sweetness to foods.

4.       Carbohydrate also prevents Ketosis, as adequate intake of carbohydrate is necessary for the complete metabolism of Fats to carbon dioxide and water. Ketosis in people living with Type 1 diabetes can cause numerous complications.

The challenge of carbohydrate intake usually lies in the type of carbohydrate consumed (preference of simple sugars above complex sugar) , quantity of the meal itself(eating more than is actually needed to perform daily activities) and the energy output/ physical activity of the individual in question(not expending as much energy as the quantity consumed).

Reduction of simple sugars can go a long way in helping to achieve as well as maintaining a healthy weight as a whole.

Note that sugars are naturally present in our foods, and by the time we consume foods with excess sugars added to them during processing, it becomes excessive hence the need to reduce the consumption of added sugars on the table, in the kitchen and at the supermarket.

TIPS TO REDUCE CONSUMPTION OF SIMPLE SUGARS

·         Use less of all sugars and these includes honey, brown sugar, white sugars, syrups and molasses.

·         Reduce the sugars in foods prepared at home gradually until you’ve decreased it by 1/3^rd or more so that the taste bud can gradually adjust to the new taste of little added sugar while you still enjoy your food.

·         Eat fruits as dessert or in between meals/snacks instead of sweets and candies.

·         Add less sugar to your coffee, tea and cereal. While you can aim to get to a point where you take your tea/coffee without sugar and you still enjoy it. (Seriously this is achievable, what we have is an acquired taste and you will be surprised by the things you enjoy once you get used to it- I’ve been doing Tea/coffee without sugar for the past 10 years and I sincerely enjoy it.)

·         Cut back on the number of sugared soft drinks and substitute with water and pure fruit juice when the need arises.( I am still struggling here though, LOL)

·         Eat fewer foods that are high in sugar  e.g candies, baked goods like cakes, muffins e.t.c.

·         Read food labels before you buy any processed foods and buy the ones with less sugars. (note that lactose, sucrose, fructose, galactose and maltose are also sugars).

So I challenge you all to treat carbohydrate as a friend as from today. Go enjoy your food and sin no more. lol