WEIGHT CONTROL WITH LIFESTYLE CHANGES

Article from myDr

There is no easy way to lose weight. A gradual weight loss of 0.5 kg to 1 kg per week is optimal weight loss. It takes a long time for weight to be put on, and the most lasting way to lose weight is to do it gradually and let the new lifestyle become the healthy habit.

A change in lifestyle is usually necessary to sustain weight loss. This involves increased activity and different eating habits.

Beware of products that advertise ‘no effort or exercise required’; miracle ingredients in special supplements that speed up metabolism or ‘burn fat’; rapid, major weight loss; very restrictive or limited variety of food diets; or other fad diets.

Dietary considerations

Our main energy (calorie/kilojoule) intake should be from vegetables, fruit and complex carbohydrates such as cereals, breads, pasta and rice.

It is important to reduce calorie/kilojoule and fat intake as well as eating less food generally. Fat has 9 calories per gram while sugar or carbohydrates have only about 3 calories per gram. Fat should not provide more than 30 per cent of the total energy (calorie/kilojoule) intake, and generally should be less than 30g per day.

There is growing interest in the glycaemic index concept (GI factor) of food. The GI factor is simply a ranking of foods based on their immediate effect on blood sugars, e.g. complex carbohydrates have a low GI. The aim is to have a slow, steady release of glucose into the blood rather than short, high peaks. A low GI factor is good; it helps achieve slow, steady blood glucose levels.

Smoking should not be used as a method of reducing weight through reducing food intake. Smoking increases the risk of heart and lung diseases. It also makes people look older than they are by reducing circulation and increasing wrinkles.

Exercising

If you have signs of obesity, heart disease, diabetes or breathlessness, you should first talk to your doctor before starting a weight loss programme. This will help to ensure that the programme provides a safe, healthy way for you to lose weight, while taking into account any medical problems that you may have.

You should start exercise programmes with small amounts of exercise initially, for example 20-30 minutes of exercise per day, perhaps even broken up into 2 or 3 sessions. It is much better to start gradually. Expect to take weeks or months to build up fitness, rather than trying to do too much too soon, and being disappointed or discouraged.

Some people prefer taking exercise as a group or community activity, rather than by themselves. Do whatever suits you best. You can also take every opportunity to move and be active. For example, get rid of the TV remote, always park on the far side of the supermarket car park, walk up and down stairs, get off the bus one stop early and walk the extra distance to work.

Exercise helps maintain body weight, reduces risk of heart disease, improves mental well-being and can provide relaxation and enjoyment.

Some healthy weight tips

The following tips may also help you to maintain a healthy weight.

• Have a realistic expectation of weight loss in total, and over a set period of time. Weight loss should not be too rapid.
• Exercise is very important and should be part of any weight loss programme, but do not start out by overdoing the exercise, e.g. immediately expecting to run 1-2 kilometres. This is not realistic and may be demoralising.
• Diet and/or exercise to target weight loss from ‘just one spot’ such as the hips, generally does not work, but overall weight loss will eventually result in reduction of the size of the ‘problem spot’.
• Lifestyle change is important. The goal is to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
• Read the labels in the supermarket. Check the fat content, aiming for no more than 30g of fat per day. Be alert for ‘hidden’ fats. For example, toasted muesli has a high fat content compared to standard muesli.
• Use tried and proven diets, not fad diets.
• Weigh only once a week, not daily. 0.5 kg to 1 kg per week is the expected, and suitable, weight loss.

myDr, 2001. Adapted from original material sourced from MediMedia Australia.