The two major players in the weight-loss battle are diet and exercise. But can the battle be won using only one of these tools? Many people opt for the easier route, which they believe is dieting. But when you consider how poor the statistics are for long-term weight loss through diets, you need to consider a combination of both. Normally, only about 5 percent of dieters are successful in keeping weight off, and weight cycling is very common. Usually one-third of weight lost is regained within one year and almost all is regained within three to five years.
How Weight Loss Works
The mechanism of weight loss is simple. It is encompassed in a concept called energy balance. When you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. Therefore, to lose weight you need to burn more calories and/or consume fewer calories. The combination of both of these methods is the best way to lose weight and improve your health.
How the Pros Do It
Members of the National Weight Control Registry are people who have lost weight and kept it off successfully for a minimum of one year. Of these people, 89 percent use a combination of diet and exercise, although 10 percent have had success using diet alone and 1 percent used exercise alone. However, research shows that the combination of exercise and diet is more effective than diet alone. Furthermore, while diet alone helps you lose weight, it is exercise that improves your physical fitness.
Getting Started
Combining diet and exercise can be tricky when you’re trying to cut calories. It is important to make sure that you eat enough so that you have energy to get through your workout, but not so much that you tilt your energy balance back to the weight-gain side.
While guidelines suggest 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss a week, you should set a goal that is both realistic and manageable for your lifestyle and fitness level. Overly aggressive goals often lead to attrition and failure.
Your diet should consist of low-fat food choices and a modest reduction in the total number of calories. Without overwhelming yourself with odd foods and food labels, try simply reduce your food portions by about 10 to 15 percent. Try to be consistent across the week, instead of dieting more strictly on certain days of the week.
With exercise and activity, people who successfully maintained weight loss exercised an average of an hour or more per day. Longer-duration exercise is usually needed to lose weight and prevent weight re-gain. However, this may be too much for you to begin with, so start small and gradually progress the duration of your activity by 10 percent each week. For example, increase the duration of your walks from 20 minutes during week one to 22 minutes the following week.
Staying Motivated
Changing your diet and exercise habits involves lifestyle modifications, but maintaining these lifestyle changes can be the real challenge. Many people can lose weight, but only a few can maintain that weight loss. Much of this is due to the fact that the lifestyle modifications made to lose weight need to be permanent. It is normal to regain a few pounds after your initial weight loss. The key is to not get discouraged and stay motivated. The smaller the amount of weight that you regain, the easier it is to lose again, permanently. So frequent monitoring of your weight is necessary to catch yourself when you start to regain weight. Keep in mind that the longer you keep weight off, the easier it becomes. For weight loss to be sustainable, it must be a slow process of 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss per week. Stay focused and goal-oriented and know that successful weight loss is possible!
DID YOU KNOW?
Your skin is the largest organ of your body. It earns that distinction in terms of both weight (between 6 and 9 pounds) and surface area (about 2 square yards). Among other functions, it protects us from infection and ultra-violet light, regulates our body temperature and provides us with our sense of touch and feel. To keep your skin looking and feeling its best you should eat a well-balanced diet high in the following nutrients:
Antioxidant-rich foods with strong concentrations of vitamins C & E, which help reduce the free-radical damage that contributes to aging skin. In the former category are red bell peppers (with a whopping 280mg a serving, almost six times as much as oranges), broccoli, citrus fruits, mango, strawberries and raspberries. Foods high in vitamin E include peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds and hazelnuts.
Foods containing the B vitamin biotin, which forms the foundation of our skin, hair and nails. They include liver, oats, turkey, Brazil nuts, potatoes, avocados, bananas, legumes and kefir (a yogurt drink).
Vitamin A helps to maintain and repair skin tissue, so hit the carrots, sweet potatoes, mangos, spinach, cantaloupe, dried apricots, milk, egg yolks and mozzarella cheese.
Foods rich in lean protein seem to provide a benefit to the skin. Low-fat yogurt and cheese, turkey and chicken breast, lean beef, pork tenderloin and sardines will do the trick.
Jennifer's Gems
Kefir: This cultured, enzyme-rich food is filled with friendly micro-organisms that help balance your "inner ecosystem." More nutritious and therapeutic than yogurt, it supplies complete protein, essential minerals, and valuable B vitamins.
Papaya: Papayas offer not only the luscious taste and sunlit color of the tropics, but are rich sources of antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium and magnesium; and fiber. Together, these nutrients promote the health of the cardiovascular system and also provide protection against colon cancer. In addition, papaya contains the digestive enzyme, papain, which is used like bromelain, a similar enzyme found in pineapple, to treat sports injuries, other causes of trauma, and allergies.
Sunflower Seeds: Sunflower seeds are power-packed with healthy fats, proteins, fibers, minerals, vitamin E, and phytochemicals - all important to the nutritional quality of the diet and of fundamental importance to human health. They can be eaten raw or roasted and are available both hulled and unhulled.
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Fitness Q & A
Q:
Hey Jennifer! I was wondering what it means when someone says they got their "second wind?" I need to work on getting my second wind more often!!
A:
No matter how fit you are, the first few minutes into vigorous exercise you'll feel somewhat out of breath, and your muscles may ache. Your body isn't able to transport oxygen to the active muscles quickly enough. As a result, your muscles burn carbohydrates anaerobically, causing an increase in lactic acid production. Gradually, your body makes the transition to aerobic metabolism and begins to burn nutrients (carbohydrates and fats) aerobically. This shift over to aerobic metabolism coincides with your getting ''back in stride'' (a.k.a. the ''second wind''). The more you train and the more fit you become, the sooner you will get your ''breath'' back and reach an aerobic steady state that you can maintain for a relatively extended duration.
Recipe of the Month
Avocado-Corn Salsa
A fresh salsa of avocado and corn is great with simple sautéed fish or just about anything Mexican-inspired—huevos rancheros, a quick quesadilla or atop rice and beans.
1 medium avocado, diced
3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup quartered grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Step 1 Toss avocado, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a medium bowl.
Serves: 4
NUTRITION INFO Per serving
Calories: 101 Carbohydrates: 11 g Fat: 7 g Protein: 2 g Dietary Fiber: 4 g Saturated Fat: 1 g Sodium: 75 mg
Upcoming Events
Fredericksburg Fitness Personal Training Studio is NOW OPEN FOR TRAINING!
Come stop by and check out the new Fredericksburg Fitness studio! We anticipate the Grand Opening to take place sometime next month. We plan to have the Fitness Challenge take place on the same day as the Grand Opening so come dressed in athletic wear and ready to compete for a free boot camp! Be looking for an announcement in the next few weeks.
