Exercise for Weight Loss and Maintenance

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Our last post was about customizing our diet, so it is time to turn to the exercise half of the weight loss equation.

If you currently do NO physical activity, it is important to get clearance from your physician before starting an exercise program. This is essential. Do not take chances with your health by skipping this step.

After making sure you are healthy enough to exercise regularly, decide how to incorporate all three aspects of fitness into your program. This includes cardiovascular (aerobic), strengthening, and flexibility. All three are equally important for total fitness and need to be included, but the proportions will vary based on your specific goals.

Of course, you are reading this because your number one goal is to lose weight. Both cardiovascular and strength training will help you with this goal. Cardio burns the calories at the fastest rate but strength training builds muscle, which increases your overall metabolic rate. Your program should include both elements, along with some stretching for a cool-down.

The fun part is in choosing the exact activities you participate in. There are so many out there and studies have actually shown that it is best to VARY your activities to improve your exercise efficiency. When you do the same activity all of the time, your muscles are trained, and no longer expend the same amount of energy. So go ahead and choose several different activities and alternate them to keep your body guessing and maintain your exercise efficiency.

As for strength training, there are several ways to achieve this and they don't all require equipment. Traditionally, strength training involves weights, either free or machine, but there are other ways to achieve this. Inexpensive dumbbells, resistance bands, and your own body weight can all be used for strength training. An abundance of information is available on line, in books, and on DVDs that can show you how to use these things and develop a balanced program using your choice of materials.

Frequency and length of time is an important decision. Of course, if you are just starting out, you will want to start low and build up. Start with maybe 5 or 10 minutes of activity per day and add 5 minutes per day until you are at your goal. My recommendation is to aim for 45 to 60 minutes of activity (combined cardio and strength) on most days (at LEAST 4 per week). If you minimize your rest periods between "sets" in your strength training, you will maximize the "punch" of your workout. By decreasing rest periods, you can also do more work in the same amount of time, he says, and that means better (and faster) results. Even in a 30-minute workout, reducing rest periods will increase your challenge level - which, in turn, will increase your body's ability to recover. So you end up in better shape in less time.

I've tried to cover the basics of designing your exercise plan for weight loss. There are plenty of programs out there that can be a good fit for you. They take the guesswork out of the process. But whichever program you choose, or if you decide to design your own, PLEASE check with your physician first!

Happy weight loss in 2010!!!

MommyDoc

Key Questions to Answer in Choosing a Diet Plan

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In order to design your own diet, ask yourself the following six questions:

• Do you prefer to eat three, five, six, or eight meals a day? Determine your desired eating schedule then divide your calories accordingly.

• How much time will you devote to food preparation? Do hate to cook, or have limited time? Then you'll need to simplify the preparation of healthy, fresh, and lightly (or preferably UN-) processed foods.

• What type of support, and how much, do you require? Everyone needs support to succeed, especially when the initial enthusiasm for changing bad habits begins to wane. Family and friends, online weight loss communities, and diet buddies can help you when you're tempted to stray from your healthier diet and exercise program.

• Do you enjoy dining out? You'll need to account for restaurant food by finding out the calorie counts of the foods you eat most often.

• Will you need a daily treat to feel satisfied? If you can't live without a particular treat every day, reserve 100 calories for a single-serve package of cookies or chips, or for a frozen treat, like a fudge bar.

• How much exercise can you reasonably do? Experts recommend at least 30 minutes a day (60 is much better) of moderate physical activity, such as walking, on most days of the week. You may have to build up to that if you aren't currently physically active. Ask your doctor what's best for you.

Once you have asked yourself these questions and answered them HONESTLY, you can narrow down your choices of plans, or design your own. These are but a few of the questions I will ask. I will also want to know lab values, measurements, results of a few simple fitness tests, and other lifestyle information. This will help to personalize each plan.

As always, I remain, MommyDoc.

Lasting Weight Loss

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Sixty-seven percent of the American public is overweight and 34% are obese. The diet and weight loss industry is a huge one that preys upon these people and their hopes and dreams of acheiving a normal weight. The secret is that there IS NO SECRET when it comes to losing weight. These companies try to sell you quick fixes that DO NOT WORK in the long term. LASTING and HEALTHY weight loss can only be achieved through a negative calorie balance, carbohydrate restriction, or bariatric surgery (or a combination of the three).

A negative calorie balance refers to burning more calories than you ingest. One pound of fat equals 3500 calories. Therefore, a negative balance of 500 calories/day will lead to a weight loss of about a pound a week. It is not reasonable or healthy to lose more than two pounds per week if you want LASTING weight loss (unless you are also drastically limiting carbs or have had bariatric surgery). The negative balance can be achieved either through calorie restriction (diet) or calorie burning (exercising). Ideally, it should be achieved using BOTH methods.

As we age, it becomes more difficult to lose weight because our metabolism slows down. Exercise helps to rekindle our metabolism. It is VERY difficult for someone, especially a woman, over the age of 35, to lose weight without the benefit of exercise. Interval exercise, with some weight training, is the most effective combination to increase your fat-burning. You can do intervals with any type of aerobic exercise. The key is to exercise at a moderate level to warm up for about 5 minutes, then kick it up to close to your maximum level for 1-2 minutes. Then scale back to moderate for 1-2 minutes. Repeat this sequence for a total of 5 times. Then do a cool down bringing yourself down to a low level of exertion for 5 minutes before stopping to stretch. This can be done with walking, jogging, elliptical, dancing, spinning, stair-stepping, swimming, biking. Just about any form of aerobic activity you can name will do. Mixing up your workups is the key to avoiding boredom.

Weight training is essential to increasing your muscle mass, which will help to increase your metabolism and is a key component to a plan for lasting weight loss. It will help to sculpt your body as you lose weight. The amount of weight and reps that you do will depend on your goals, and the exact types of exercises you do will depend on your goals and the equipment you have available to you. There are plenty of activities that can be done using your own body weight, a set of inexpensive dumbbells, and a resistance band.

I have battled my weight all of my life. I have never been obese, but I have yoyo-ed between a healthy weight and overweight since I was about 10 years old. I am now pushing 50. As a physician, I have taken my medical knowledge and applied it to the various diets and plans I have found out there. My conclusion is that the only successful plan is going to be an INDIVIDUALIZED plan. Some of the diets out there have merit, but they are not for everyone. An ideal plan is one that is customized to an individuals food and exercise preferences, as well as lifestyle. I am hoping to be able to offer this service if there is enough interest.

Would you be interested in a customized diet and exercise plan based on your needs and preferences?? I would want information such as food likes and dislikes, current eating schedule, work schedule, how often you eat, lab results, current weight and height and measurements, goal weight, how much you currently exercise, if you EVER exercised, preferred exercises, available equipment, etc. I plan to be very thorough. I would review and interact with each person WEEKLY and send you your diet and exercise assignment weekly also. I would interact more often as necessary.

How much would you be willing to pay for such a service? I was thinking of a tiered approach with discounts for longer terms, but want to get a feel for what people think is appropriate. I am investigating what other, non-individualized programs charge, but I wanted to get an idea from readers who would be interested as to what they might be willing to pay.

I welcome any comments and feedback with open arms. I look forward to hearing from you and hope you feel free to express your opinions on how I can improve my blog and my service to you.

Happy Healthy Holidays to you and yours!

Mommy Doc