Question and Answer سوال جواب: Nov 3, 2010

November 3, 2010

How to lose weight – the basic rules

Unlike other illnesses, fighting obesity would require much more than surgery and medications. You would need to do major lifestyle changes including diet and exercise. But before doing so, it would be beneficial to know some basic weight loss facts so you will be on the right tract on your journey to losing weight.

Am I Underweight, Normal, or Obese?

Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI is a ratio based on body weight and height. It is highly correlated with body fat, but increased lean body mass or a large body frame can also increase BMI.

The ideal BMI is 24, Individuals who have a BMI below 24 or who are 80% or less of their desirable body weight for height are at risk for problems associated with poor nutritional status. Those who have a BMI of 25 to 29 are considered overweight; those with BMI of 30 to 39 are considered obese; those who have BMI of 40 and above are considered extremely obese.

To calculate your BMI, simply divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters (metric method) or divide your weight in pounds times 703 by the square of your height in inches (imperial method).

BMI =( lbs/inches² )	*(weight in pounds 703 )**
	————————————
	height in inches²

BMI =( kg/m² )	weight in kilograms
	————————————
	height in meters²

In addition to the calculation of BMI, waist circumference measurement is particularly useful for people who are categorized as normal or overweight. To measure the waist circumference, a tape measure is placed in a horizontal plane around the abdomen; men who have waist circumferences greater than 40 inches and women who have waist circumferences greater than 35 inches have excess abdominal fat.

Why some people lose weight faster?

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) represents energy needed to maintain essential physiological functions, such as respiration, circulation, and muscle tone. This means that even when a person is at complete rest both physically and mentally, he/she still burns calories because the body needs energy to perform these functions. However, relying in the calories burned through BMR alone will not help you lose weight. It is simply a determinant of why some people lose weight faster than others.

Men: 66 + (13.7 x Weigh in Kilograms) + (5 x Height in centimeter) – (6.8 x Age in years) = BMR

Women: 665 + (9.6 x Weigh in Kilograms) + (1.8 x Height in centimeter) – (4.7 x Age in years) = BMR

How many calories should I consume daily in order to lose weight?

Health buffs are very careful with the amount of calories they take in daily. Some even treat calories as something that is bad for the body and that should be avoided. Calories are actually essential to one’s body because the calories that we get from the food we eat are converted by the body to produce energy for us to be able to do our activities of daily living. Calories become bad for the body when the person takes in too much while living a sedentary lifestyle. If the person is less active, the calories will not be used but instead it will be stored in the body as fat deposits. Whenever we eat 3,500 calories more than what our body needs, we get to gain one pound. If we burn 3,500 calories more than what we eat, we lose a pound. To calculate your daily calorie needs, you may use the Harris-Benedict Equation.

Little to no exercise	BMR x 1.2
Light exercise (1-3 days per week)	BMR x 1.375
Moderate exercise (3-5 days per week)	BMR x 1.55
Heavy exercise (6-7 days per week)	BMR x 1.725
Very heavy exercise (twice per day, extra heavy workouts)	BMR x 1.9

For example if your BMR is 2000 and you do not do any regular exercise then you need 2000 X 1.2 = 2400 calories.

According to the data given by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, two in five Americans are 20% or more over their ideal body weight. People who are overweight or obese are at higher risk for health complications, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and bronchitis. Also, they could suffer from impaired body image, depression, and low self- esteem.

Because of this, the US Department of Health and Human Services has organized campaigns and programs to fight obesity like “We Can!” a national childhood obesity program. Even with these programs, the best person who can help you is yourself, if you want to live a longer and happier life, do take care of your health and lose that excess weight TODAY! Some resources to help you get started:

How to lose weight – the basic rules

How to lose weight at 30 and above

Fastest way to lose weight after having a baby

Are there any 2 week weight loss diets that work?

5 Best ways to lose weight for women

How many calories to lose weight

How many calories are in a pound?

How to lose weight at 30 and above

I am probably one of the few lucky people who eat a lot yet do not gain weight. I am 24 years old, a mother of one, and weight 102 pounds. I did gained weight when I got pregnant but I easily shed it off after a few months of giving birth. My mom told me she was just like me when she was my age, and that she started gaining weight when she reached 30. I was so scared because aside from the fact that you can’t wear everything you want when you are fat, it also pose risk on one’s health. If the above sounds familiar to you then relax, get a glass of water and learnhow to lose weight for people in their 30′s and above.

It is true that the metabolism slows down as people gets older. This is because the aging process doubles the proportion of one’s body that is made up of fat and decreases muscle mass. Since fat burns fewer calories compared to muscles, the metabolism slows down causing more calories to be stored in the body as fat deposits. Though it is physiologically normal to gain weight at 30 and above, you can still do something about it. If you make the commitment to yourself “I want to lose weight” then there are ways to reverse the situation.

Live an active life

Studies show that people tend to live a sedentary lifestyle as they grow older. Though you may feel some aches and pains here and there, it should not stop you from getting those muscles to work. Heading out to the gym can greatly help in keeping one’s body slender and healthy despite of age. If you find workouts boring and tiring, it is a good idea to bring along a friend or enroll in special classes that interest you; men usually prefer boxing, mixed martial arts, and basketball while women likes dancing, yoga, and step aerobics. It is important to engage in activities that are not only good-calorie burners but will allow you to have some fun as well.

Lower calorie intake

The body needs calories from food for energy as it needs air for oxygen. As a person gets old, his body needs fewer calories because of decreased muscle mass and decreased activity level. This means, if you continue eating the same amount of calories, you will definitely gain weight because your body has a decreased calorie requirement for you age. For example, an average woman at the age of 20 needs 2205 calories/day; when she gets at the age of 25, her calorie requirement will decrease to 2168 calories/day, and by the time she gets to 30 she only needs 2095 calories/day and this will continually decrease as the person gets older. In every 3,500 excess calories you take in, you are adding a pound to your weight. Lowering one’s calorie intake to the amount that is just enough to how much your body needs will help in managing weight at the age of 30 and above.

Get adequate and quality sleep

Sleeping and losing weight are not commonly written in the same sentence, but do you know that sleep can actually contribute to weight loss and weight gain? This is all because of the hormones Leptin and Ghelin. Leptin is the appetite- suppressing hormone which is produced by the white adipose tissues, it then travels to the brain through the blood and tells the receptors in the hypothalamus, the satiety center of the brain, that your body is full, thus you do not feel the sensation of hunger. Ghelin, on other hand is the opposite of Leptin, it is the appetite- stimulating hormone that is produced by the cells of the stomach and the pancreas and also travels to the brain through the bloodstream and tells the hypothalamus that you body needs food, thus making you feel hungry.

Physiologically, Lack of sleep decreases the body’s Leptin level thus you do not feel satisfied with what you eat causing you to eat more. Also, not having enough sleep increases your Ghelin level thus sending a hunger- message to your brain causing you to eat.

Some physical changes caused by aging like the wrinkling of the skin and the growth of gray hair are inevitable, however gaining weight at 30 and above is something that anyone can manage. Losing weight may be harder as one gets older but if you work hard in managing your calories, losing weight is not impossible. Be inspired by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who is 38 years old, Ashton Kutcher who is 32, Penelope Cruz who is 36 and the sexy Angelina Jolie who is 35 years old.

Fastest way to lose weight after having a baby

Having a baby is the best thing that could ever happen to a couple, especially to the mother because it is the fulfillment of her role as a woman. When a woman becomes pregnant, almost everything about her changes; unpredictable mood swings occur because their hormones go crazy, feelings of excitement or depression arise out of the blue, the quantities of food consumed increases, food cravings become more often, your tummy bulges, and you gain weight really fast.

Weight gain is definitely normal during pregnancy because this excess weight includes the baby’s weight, amniotic fluid, placenta, and body fat. These components are essential to the baby’s survival, the amniotic fluid and the placenta serves food and oxygen to the baby and the body fat provides the mother a constant amount of energy because pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare are really exhausting tasks. The weight of the baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid usually disappear during childbirth, fluids introduced to you like IV fluids could retain but usually disappears after 2-3 weeks of childbirth; it is the body fat that usually causes burden to a woman because most of it remains in the body and you need to work hard to burn all those fat off. This article gives you some ideas on the fastest way to lose weight after having a baby.

Tip #1 Breastfeeding

Breast milk is the best food for babies because it contains all the nutrients they need to grow as well as the antibodies to protect them from diseases. But do you know that breast milk is not only best for babies but for moms as well? Aside from the fact that it could help you on your finances because it is free, it is also a great calorie-burner. One of the reasons of gaining body fat during pregnancy is to make sure that the mother has “reserved energy” for breastfeeding. Breastfeeding allows you to burn 400 to 800 calories per day or 500 calories on an average. An estimate of 20 calories is burned with every ounce of breast milk produced; this why lactating mothers have increased daily calorie requirement. Studies show that lactating mothers tend to lose weight faster than non-lactating mothers, thus breastfeeding is highly recommended by health professionals as one of the fastest and healthiest way to lose post-pregnancy weight.

Tip #2 Watch your calories

After giving birth, your calorie requirement is decreased because the baby is already separated from you, however if you are breastfeeding, you may need to increase your calorie requirement by 500 to meet the energy demand of lactation. Do not worry though as this added calories can easily be shed off by breastfeeding and childcare. This means, if you are normally in a 2000 caloric requirement, make it 2500 calories per day when you are nursing.

Tip #3 Make the right food choices

Health experts discourage diet fads after giving birth because you need nutrients from all the food groups. Your daily diet should certainly include whole grain (carbohydrates) to supply your body with real-time energy, one fruit and vegetable (vitamins and minerals), one teaspoon of healthy fat for reserved energy, two to three ounces of lean meat for protein that helps build and repair muscles, and a cup of milk to meet the daily dose of calcium for stronger bones and teeth. These types of food may carry more calories so it is important to choose the ones that contains just the amount of calories you need everyday. Also, you need to eat three full meals a day and two snacks in between to ensure that you have constant supply of energy and nutrients for you and your baby.

Tip #4 Gradual Exercises

Vigorous workouts are discouraged days after birth because your body is too weak to do it, your baby needs you, and you need to conserve the calories for breastfeeding. However, health experts recommend going on light gradual workouts as soon as you can such as a 10-minute walk to the park with your baby on a stroller daily, and gradually increase it to 20 minute walk with your baby in a snugly, parking further from your office, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and eventually enrolling on a gym class with a program that fit your needs.

With commitment and discipline, anyone can easily lose that pregnancy weight. So, don’t be afraid to gain weight during pregnancy because the joy a baby can bring is priceless.

Are there any 2 week weight loss diets that work?

There are 2 weeks weight loss diets that work, that’s for sure. The difficult part is to choose a diet that works for you and generate the results you want. In this article we can help you understand more about 2 week weight loss diets and be able to differentiate which of them work and which are fads.

There are various reasons why people want to lose weight. Some people lose weight because of health reasons, others because of their job (models and celebrities), and some because they need to prepare for a big event like weddings or office parties, or maybe because they want to raise their self-esteem and improve their body image.

Whatever the reason is, people are always looking for the fastest way to lose weight. Because of this, some people would resort to weight loss pills, diet plans, or even surgery. Although some of these weight loss methods do work; we should still consider the large percentage of those that don’t. Some of these “quick fix” techniques could even possibly do more harm than good, thus it is very important to consult your doctor before trying any of these.

The most popular “quick fix” method is a weight loss diet. There are countless diet programs available in the Internet alone. If you try to key in “fast weight loss diet plan” in the Google search bar, it would generate a lot of diet plans or menus that promise fast results. Some claim in losing 10 pounds in 10 days, some say 2 weeks, and others say 7 days. A lot of these diets are promising and aside from the challenge of choosing the right diet for you, the biggest question is: Are there any 2 week weight loss diets that work?

The direct answer is YES, there are actually a lot of two week diets that work. However, the success of the said diet depends on the actual amount of weight loss in a period of 14 days. To better understand this, it is essential to know a bit more on how the body loses and gains weight. If you understand this it will be easier for you to also understand how to lose weight in 2 weeks.

The first fact that you should remember is the ratio between calories and pounds. There are 3500 calories in every pound. This simply means, that for every 3500 excess calories that you get rid of by eating less caloric food or by burning it through exercise, you would lose one pound. On the other hand, if you gain 3500 excess calories, you are also adding a pound to your weight. This numbers mean that, if you lose 3500 calories in 2 weeks; you lose one pound. If it’s 7000 calories in two weeks; you lose 2 pounds in two weeks and so on.

Each person has a different daily calorie requirement. Factors that affect the calorie requirement are age, sex, weight, height, and intensity of activities in a day. You may use online calorie calculators or the Harris-Benedict equation to compute your daily calorie needs. However, an average adult has 1500-2500 caloric requirements every single day. Which means, losing 3500 calories in a day to meet the promise of losing 10 pounds in 10 days is not only dangerous but it is a bit impossible. If you do your math, you would also be able to figure out if the amount of weight loss promised by any diet is realistic and safe.

The healthiest weight loss for two weeks is 2-4 pounds. Sorry to disappoint you with these low numbers, but if you want to lose weight safely and you’re thinking of a long term goal, this is the safest I can recommend. You would see the candidates for the Biggest Loser lose more than these numbers in two weeks, but do remember that these people are closely monitored by health professionals and nutritionists.

If that would be the case, you need to lose 500-1000 calories everyday. You do this by eating foods that contain fewer calories like fresh fruits and vegetables coupled by burning the excess fat by exercising.

I always advice my clients to eat a balanced diet everyday; that means, you should eat foods from different food groups that have fewer calories. I highly discourage my clients to go on with no-carbohydrate diet because it will only result to ketosis which could increase the body’s toxic level and damage the organs. And most importantly, I always remind my clients to never try starvation diets. Fasting is okay for religious purposes, however starving yourself will only result to anorexia, malnutrition, and more serious health problems.

So, the next time you are offered a diet plan that guarantees results within two weeks or any specific time, try to check first if it’s realistic and safe. This way, you will not only save yourself from wasting the extra dollars but you save yourself from the disappointment as well.

5 Best ways to lose weight for women

Both men and women want tolose weight. But if I were to choose on which gender is more aggressive or desperate to lose weight fast, I would say it would be the women. This is because, women have more options in clothing style, are more conscious of how they look and gain self-esteem plus confidence from their appearance.

Oddly enough, the female gender is the one who wants to have a well sculpted physique, but they are also the ones who find it harder to achieve it. This is because women have more body fat percentage and less muscle mass than men. Do not lose hope though because this article will tell you the five best ways on how to shed off those excess pounds.

#1 finding the right reasons

Unlike most men who usually do things with no deep or apparent reason and yet succeed, a woman needs to have the right reason/s to keep moving. A woman must have the right reason to shop, to drink, to work, and to lose weight so she’ll be able to do or even to start a specific task.

If you really want to lose weight, you need to ask yourself the question “Why do I want to lose weight?” It is unsurprising if you cannot come up with 101 reasons, but the most important thing is to choose the best among the list and engrave it to your mind and heart so you’ll never give up even when you feel like going to.

#2 make sure you have a strong support group

Women usually have different means to deflate all the bad emotions they feel inside. They can call their BFF to cry with them, they have a sweet tooth that tells them to eat chocolate and benefit from the ‘happy chemical’ called phenylethylamine (PEA). Though this may sound healthy, but chatting and crying with girl friends always involves a food element. Common foods in a normal girl bonding are sweets like cake and muffins, junk food like chips, and alcohol.

For that reason, make sure that your support group is strong enough and that they too are conscious for their health. This is to avoid any innocent but bad health influence. Talk with your friends and ask them to help you lose weight by not serving unhealthy foods (especially chocolates as they contain very high amount of calories) whenever you cry running to them.

#3 Calorie counting

If you are not quite good in computing your calorie input and output, you may use online calorie calculators to do so. Also, if you are the type of person who is not good in memorizing numbers, you may write your daily calorie count by keeping a food journal.

Since calories play a vital role in weight gain and weight loss, monitoring your calories is very important. By doing so, you’ll know if you are taking in too much and you’ll be able to plan your weight loss menu.

#4 Engage in fun activities

Singer Cyndi Lauper said on her award-winning song, “Girls just want to have fun”. She is right. Girls are not as persevering as boys when it comes to exercise. Girls are often caught chatting with their gym buddies or ending up in the gym’s cafeteria.

A fitness trainer-friend told me that in a three hour workout, girls spend two hours chatting and just one hour to actually workout. For that reason, fitness experts have recommended that women should engage into activities they can burn calories while still having fun. Some suggested activities are sports like badminton, volleyball, and swimming, dancing like belly dancing, hiphop, and ballroom dancing, and the famous Pilates and yoga.

#5 Get as much workout as you can

Over 90% of the women in the United States go to work to earn a living. That means, women especially those who work in an office are getting sedentary jobs. Sedentary living as we all know is one of the major contributing factors of weight gain. Thus, to avoid that, women must make an extra effort to get those muscles working out.

In an office: try to get as much exercise by using the stairs instead of the elevators. Also, park as far as you can from the office so you’ll have a longer distance to walk and if your workplace is not too far from your house, try walking or biking to work instead.

At home: try to avoid sitting for long hours in front of the TV, but instead, why don’t you do simple workouts like jumping jacks, push-ups, and crunches. Another good calorie-burning activity at home is doing household chores like mowing, mopping, and washing dishes. This will not only make your house clean and organized, but helps you lose weight as well.

How many calories to lose weight

“How many calories to lose weight?” is a very popular question among people searching for ways to shed the extra pounds. Calculating the number of calories you consume daily and the number of calories you burn can give you an indication on how long it will take you to lose weight.

A calorie is the unit of measurement for energy we get from the food we eat. That means, the more calories you consume, the more energy you’ll have. However, when calories are left unconverted due to less energy expenditure, they are deposited in the body as fats which can still be converted as energy at a later stage, thus body fat is also referred to as “reserved energy”.

People have different calorie requirements and have different paces of burning the calories. More than half of the daily amount of calories converted to energy goes to the normal physiologic functioning of the body such as respiration and blood circulation while the other half goes to physical activities like walking and working. Factors that determine the daily calorie requirement of an individual are age, gender, body size, and activity level.

Another important fact to remember is the pound calorie ratio of 3500:1. This means, in every 3500 excess calories your body gains, you gain a pound; in every 3500 excess calories your body burns, you lose a pound; and if you are consuming just the right amount of calories that your body burns daily, you keep your weight.

So, how many calories to lose weight? Let’s discuss this by examining each determining factor.

Age

The amount of calories that the body needs gradually increases from birth to mid adulthood (20 to 39 years old) and gradually decreases from late adulthood to old age (40 years old and above). This is because the body’s metabolism naturally slows down as we get older due to hormonal changes, increase in body fat percentage, etc. Considering this factor, you need to increase you energy spending as you get older to cope with the drop of your metabolism.

Gender

Because men are blessed to naturally have more muscle mass and less fat percentage compare to women, they lose weight faster. For this reason, women should apply more effort to burn calories than men.

Body size

People who are overweight or obese lose weight faster compared to those who are already slender. This is because they have more weight to lose. Unlike fat people, people who are already slim and slender need to decrease their fat burning activity to conserve energy reserves.

Activity level

People who are more active tend to lose weight easier than those who are living a sedentary life. Though this seems obvious, the explanation is simply because their bodies burn more calories to meet the energy requirements of the different physical activities they perform.

Overall, if you want to lose weight, you simply need to decrease the amount of calories you take in daily and increase the amount of activities you do everyday.

Based on the weight-calorie ratio, you simply need to lose 500 calories daily to lose one pound in one week. Increasing the amount of calories you burn daily will also increase the number of pounds you lose per week. However, a person’s daily calorie intake should not go lower than 1200 to avoid any interruptions in the body’s normal functioning.

Consider the factors stated in this article and start planning your weight loss strategy today.

How many calories are in a pound?

How many calories are in a pound? 3500 calories make one pound. Calories and weight gain are closely associated because excess consumption of calories while living a sedentary lifestyle could make anyone gain weight in no time. However, calories are not necessarily that bad, weight gain is actually caused by the people who have no control of their caloric intake.

When we talk about the calories found in food, we are actually talking about the unit of measurement for energy. For example, a person needs 100 calories to walk a distance of 100 meters, that simply means he needs to eat a food that contains 100 calories so he can successfully accomplish the task. Eating a food less than the said requirement will prompt the body to burn its energy reserves, also known as body fat, to compensate for the lack of energy from the food, thus a person loses weight. On the other hand, if the person consumes more calories than what the body needs, the body will store the excess calories in the body as fat deposits causing the person to gain weight.

There are about 3,500 calories in one pound. This applies to the calories from the food you eat and on the calories you burn through exercise or any activity that requires energy.

This means that each time a person loses 3500 calories, s/he become a pound lighter. However, losing 3,500 calories in one day is not only unhealthy but it is also impossible, thus you must get rid of the 3,500 calories in an installment basis. For example, 500 calorie deficit everyday is equal to 3500 calories in one week which is synonymous to one pound lost per week. You simply have to increase you daily calorie deficit if you want to lose weight faster. See also how many calories to lose weight.

If you want to watch your caloric intake, you can check the nutrition facts label which is mostly located at the back of food containers. Take note that every food has different amount of calories, fruits and vegetables for example are great source of vitamins and minerals but contains very little amount of calories compared to dairy products which contains high amount of fats.

Food nutrients also have different calorie contents. Carbohydrates and protein have 4 calories per gram each, fat has 9 calories per gram, and alcohol has 7 calories per gram.

So, if you aim to lose weight fast and healthily, you simply need to reduce you daily calorie intake or do activities that require your body to burn more calories.

How To Improve Your English

Learning English (or any language for that matter) is a process. You are continually improving your English and the following "How to" describes a strategy to make sure that you continue to improve effectively.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: Varies

Here's How:

Remember that learning a language is a gradual process - it does not happen overnight.
Define your learning objectives early: What do you want to learn and why?
Make learning a habit. Try to learn something every day. It is much better to study (or read, or listen to English news, etc.) 10 minutes each day than to study for 2 hours once a week.
Remember to make learning a habit! If you study each day for 10 minutes English will be constantly in your head. If you study once a week, English will not be as present in your mind.
Choose your materials well. You will need reading, grammar, writing, speaking and listening materials
Vary your learning routine. It is best to do different things each day to help keep the various relationships between each area active. In other words, don't just study grammar.
Find friends to study and speak with. Learning English together can be very encouraging.
Choose listening and reading materials that relate to what you are interested in. Being interested in the subject will make learning more enjoyable - thus more effective.
Relate grammar to practical usage. Grammar by itself does not help you USE the language. You should practice what you are learning by employing it actively.
Move your mouth! Understanding something doesn't mean the muscles of your mouth can produce the sounds. Practice speaking what you are learning aloud. It may seem strange, but it is very effective.
Be patient with yourself. Remember learning is a process - speaking a language well takes time. It is not a computer that is either on or off!
Communicate! There is nothing like communicating in English and being successful. Grammar exercises are good - having your friend on the other side of the world understand your email is fantastic!
Use the Internet. The Internet is the most exciting, unlimited English resource that anyone could imagine and it is right at your finger tips.

November 3, 2010

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