Question and Answer سوال جواب

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.