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Dear Doctor: I’m trying to
lose weight and just can’t seem to do it.
Do you have any tips? Signed
L.K.
Dear L.K.:
As many of us are aware,
obesity is a serious health threat facing the United States. Obesity has several health ramifications,
such as an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, gout and
self-esteem issues. Therefore,
maintaining a healthy weight is important for overall health and wellness.
For weight loss to occur,
a basic premise is at work: Eat less
food than your body requires to maintain your current
weight, or use more energy (therefore burn more calories) through
activity than you currently are.
Putting this into an equation; Current weight = dietary intake –
(basic metabolic rate + activity).
In order to change your current weight, a change in one of the
variables needs to occur in this equation.
Methods of impacting each of the variables will be discussed further
below. Of course, before embarking upon any new diet or exercise program,
please consult with your physician regarding your particular
circumstance.
How to start:
·
First, identify what your weight goal
is. Many different formulas can be
used to calculate your ideal body weight.
One internet website that allows you to use your own information to
calculate your ideal body weight is at http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm . When discussing weight loss to reach that
ideal body weight, a healthy weight loss goal should be between one and two
pounds per week.
The Variables:
Basic Metabolic Rate:
·
Referring to the above equation, your basic
metabolic rate, (which is the number of calories you need to keep your
body’s systems operating each day) can be influenced by many factors,
including thyroid function. If your
thyroid gland is not functioning optimally, it may be more difficult for
you to lose or gain weight. Thyroid
function can be evaluated through a simple blood test by your
physician.
Dietary Intake:
·
Keep a diet diary of what type and how much
food and liquid you consume for three days.
Then identify the number of calories you consumed for each serving
using either a calorie counting book, or visiting a site such as www.lifeclinic.com which
allows you to input what you’ve consumed and track the total calories. Broadly speaking, one pound of weight
change equals 3500 calories.
Therefore, a decrease of 500 calories per day of consumption, can
lead to a weight loss of a pound per week.
In reviewing their diet diary, many people find that by giving up
one or two high calorie items per day can make their weight goal
attainable.
·
Another option: Calculate how many calories you need to
eat each day. One internet website; http://www.wvda.org/calcs/ allows you to input your personal data
and calculate how many calories you need to eat daily to maintain your
weight. By then decreasing your
caloric intake by 500 calories per day, a weight loss of a pound a week may
be possible. To track you caloric
intake, again, you can utilize the tracking methods listed above.
·
Check your eating habits:
o
Do you eat on the run, grabbing whatever is
handy and portable? Or do you get
home at night and elect to eat something that is fast and convenient (and
usually high in fat and calories?)
Instead, take the time when you have a few minutes to plan and shop
for healthy meal and snack items for the next week.
o
A diet that sacrifices nutrition for
calories is not in your best health interest. Aim for a whole foods diet with plenty of
fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and sufficient quality protein each
day.
o
Eliminate the intake of refined sugar,
refined carbohydrates, alcohol and processed foods.
o
Determine ahead of time what healthy foods
or habits you are going to substitute for those you are giving up. Instead of reaching for the potato chips,
sweets or a latte, perhaps taking a brisk walk, or eating a piece of fruit
instead may help keep you on track with your goal.
o
Need healthy meal ideas? There are many cookbooks available in
bookstores or online that contain great healthy, nutritious, fast and easy
recipes.
- Get plenty of sleep. Studies have shown that chronic
sleep deficit decreases the
levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses
appetite, while ghrelin, another hormone
that stimulates appetite is
increased. One study showed
that participants with self-reported sleep durations of less than 7
hours per night were more likely to be obese than those who slept more
than 7 hours per night.
- Enlist support from friends. Report in to someone weekly, if
accountability helps you. Get a
buddy (or family member) to diet with you. Consider joining a weight loss club
for support and education.
Activity:
(Before
starting any new exercise program, please consult with your physician).
Exercise goals should be to exercise for at least 30-60 minutes daily,
5 days per week, using a combination of cardio, strength and balance
training.
·
One easy way to get exercise is to take
several brisk walks daily. Walk with
your co-workers, your family…or your dog!
·
Join a gym and enlist the help of a personal
trainer to set up an appropriate program for you.
·
Find a physical activity that you like to
do, and do it!
In Addition:
All of these approaches are ways in which you can empower yourself to
address your weight management goals.
For those needing additional support with their weight, we have
found that the use of an indirect calorimeter, along with an individualized
dietary program has been successful in giving that extra level of guidance
and support to people, when it is needed.
An indirect calorimeter is a machine that calculates the basic
metabolic rate (BMR), (also known as a resting energy rate) for a
person. The test is painless, easy
to use, and involves breathing into the mouthpiece on the machine for 8-10
minutes. The indirect calorimeter
measures the oxygen uptake from the breath, and from that, calculates the
calories used per day, for that
person while they are at rest.
Then, by taking this caloric need into consideration, along with a
person’s particular activity level, sleep pattern and weight goal, a daily
calorie intake recommendation can be made that is very specific to that
person and their particular needs.
Part of the process of weight maintenance I have found during nutritional
consulting, is
to also help assist people to identify, problem-solve, and address any
dietary issues and constraints that may exist. Is education/information/resources needed
for choosing healthy meals? Or on
how to cook healthy food? Are lack of funds an issue? Is time limited for healthy
meals preparation? I find that
people frequently want to eat healthy, they just
don’t know how to go about doing it.
Providing extra resources through individualized nutritional
consulting can assist people to find solutions to their weight management
issues.
A final reminder-maintaining a healthy weight will go far towards
being a healthier you.
Yellowstone Naturopathic
Clinic
720 N. 30th St.
Billings, MT 59101
PHONE 406·259·5096/FAX 406·248·5655
ync@180com.net
Dispensary
406·254·9682
dispensary@yncnaturally.com
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