Seven Crucial Steps for Long Term Weight Loss – Part 2

4. Don’t Skip Meals

Ever heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the
day? Well it’s true. The one meal you should never skip is
breakfast. It is the meal that sets the tone for your
metabolism. When you miss breakfast your metabolism responds by
slowing down. Your body receives signals of famine from the
brain and switches to energy conservation mode. This means
rather than burning calories the body gets stingier with them.

The other thing that happens, when missing breakfast is, by the
time lunch time comes around you feel starved and you almost
always end up overeating. And as a result of this added pressure
on your digestive system, most of your energy gets used up as
your body works hard to digest and absorb all that food. Needles
to say, you won’t feel very productive when you return to work,
a feeling which may last for the next few hours.

Another important benefit of not skipping meals is that your
blood sugar level is more stable, which keeps insulin in check -
reducing unnecessary fat storage and ensuring that you have
adequate energy levels required to perform your daily tasks with
less physical and psychological stress.

5. Water

It was thought that drinking plenty of water throughout the day
was a crucial part of a good weight loss strategy; the theory
was that an adequate amount of water – 8 eight-ounce glasses per
day – gives you a feeling of fullness which reduces periods of
hunger; and the less you feel hungry the less you are going to
snack – which translates to fewer calories. Recent studies have
suggested, however, that choosing foods with high water content
like fruits and vegetables and blending water into meals like
soup has a greater effect on satiety, than simply just drinking
water. And that it may result in a reduction of total daily
calories.

In other words, including water rich foods like watermelon and
other fruits and vegetables, fruit juice, and soups in your
diet, is more effective with respect to satiety than relying on
just drinking water. As a result, you wouldn’t need to drink 8
glasses of water a day, if you were getting an adequate supply
from your diet. In fact, drinking 8 glasses of water per day is
a misconception. This number was originally reported by the
National Academy of Sciences of the United States Food and
Nutrition Board. They also mentioned, however, in the same
report, that the majority of water people need comes from food.
(4)

The recommendation for a healthy individual is to drink one cup
of water or juice with every meal. (ibid)

It’s also important to keep in mind that the human body is made
up of 60-70% water. All our organs consist of a lot of water.
Blood is mainly composed of water. So it makes sense to ensure
that you’re always getting an adequate supply. Here are some
functions of water:

- regulates your body temperature - transports nutrients to your
organs - transports vital oxygen to your cells - removes waste
from your body - protects all your organs and joints

6. Exercise

As you know, exercise participation is an important factor in
weight loss and weight loss maintenance. In addition to weight
reduction here are 20 important health benefits of physical
activity.

1. Increases thermogenesis (increase in body temperature to burn
calories). 2. Raises basal metabolic rate increasing calorie
expenditure even during periods of rest or sleep. 3. Releases
natural stimulants in the body helping to improve overall
psychological condition. In other words it may alter your mood
to a more positive state. (5) 4. Relieves stress and reduces the
risk of stress related chronic diseases. (ibid) 5. Improves sex
function 6. Lowers High Blood pressure levels. 7. May increase
levels of good cholesterol (HDL) 8. Lowers elevated blood
cholesterol levels. 9. Improves blood circulation. 10. Increases
the level of oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and improves endurance. Vo2
max varies directly with the level of physical fitness. 11.
Increases lean body mass (muscle) while reducing body fat -
improving body composition and therefore improving physical
appearance. 12. Improves self esteem. 13. Causes a natural
tendency to be more conscious about eating healthier and
therefore may improve a person’s diet. 14. Strengthens the
musculoskeletal system protecting the body from unexpected
physical shock. 15. Strengthens the body’s immune system and
therefore slows down the aging process. 16. Strengthens bones
and fights against osteoporosis – especially important for post
- menopausal women. (6) 17. Strengthens the body’s immune system
and therefore slows down the aging process. 18. Helps to fight
against chronic diseases including many forms of cancers and
heart disease. (7) (8) 19. When combined with stretching it may
help to reduce lower back pain. 20. Improves physical condition
in pregnant women making it easier to cope with the trials of
childbirth: It increases energy levels; helps to reduce back
pain; improves circulation and reduces swelling and development
of varicose veins; tones muscles making it easier for the body
to return to pre-pregnancy condition. You should check with your
doctor, however, before you begin exercising during pregnancy.
(9)

How Much exercise is Necessary for Weight Loss?

It depends on your goals and your body condition. Here are some
questions you should ask yourself:

- How much weight do you want to lose? - What’s Your Age - How
much do you weigh? - What is your physical condition? - What is
your daily caloric intake? - Will you combine exercise with
caloric restriction?

If you’re overweight, by more than 20 pounds, you need to
participate in a program that includes diet restriction (reduce
total daily calories by 500 cal.) and regular exercise (6-7 days
a week). You should exercise for at least 30 continuous minutes
- for best results increase the duration (up to 60 minutes).
Your target intensity should be between 65-75% of your maximum
heart rate – in other words, a comfortably vigorous level of
intensity. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends
that a good weight loss program should consist of daily caloric
expenditure of 300-500 calories from exercise. (10)

How do you calculate your heart rate? An easy formula for
figuring out your maximum heart rate works by simply subtracting
your age from 220. If you’re 40 years old, for example, your
maximum heart rate is 180 beats per minute (220-40). To train at
70% of your maximum heart rate, simply multiply 180 by 70 and
divide by 100, which equals 126 beats per minute. Therefore in
order to train at an intensity level of 70% of maximum heart
rate your training heart rate should be 126 beats per minute.
How do you calculate your heart rate during exercise? Simply
take your pulse by counting the number of beats over a 10 second
period. Multiply that figure by 6 and you have the number of
beats for a 1 minute period – that’s your training heart rate.
Before you begin exercising, however, get clearance from your
doctor, especially if you’re a beginner.

7. Exercise for Weight Loss Maintenance

Once you reach a desirable body weight, you can switch your
exercise routine to weight loss maintenance mode. That means you
can reduce the frequency of your workouts to 3-4 times a week.
The duration and the intensity should remain the same – 60
minutes at a comfortably vigorous level. You will notice as you
reach higher levels of fitness, exercise intensity must be
turned up a notch to keep the workout challenging and also to
burn more calories.

What types of activities should you participate in? There are
many forms of exercise that are efficient in producing adequate
weight loss and fitness. Some of them include aerobics, step or
boxing aerobics, cycling, spinning, step-climbing, training on
elliptical machines, cross country skiing (real or machine
version), in line skating, ice skating, swimming, jogging, skate
boarding, and sports like basketball, hockey, and soccer. There
are many more. The important thing is to choose one that you’ll
really enjoy. This way, your chances of sticking with it in the
long run will be much higher.

Have fun, get in shape, lose those extra pounds and keep them
off!

References:

1. http://www.sciencedaily.com, “Healthy diets need fat,
according to new study”, retrieved 22 June 2005 from

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/04/980424031929.htm

2. http://www.ajcn.org, “Cereals, legumes, and chronic disease
risk reduction: evidence from epidemiologic studies”, retrieved
15 August 2005 from

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/70/3/451S

3. http://www.jacn.org, “Contribution of Meals and Snacks to
Nutrient Intake of Male and Female Elite Figure Skaters During
Peak Competitive Season”, retrieved 19 May 2004 from

http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/21/2/114

4. http://www.drmirkin.com, “HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU NEED?”,
retrieved 30 August 2005 from

http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/9942.html

5. http://www.issponline.org/documents/physactstatement.pdf,
“Physical Activity and Psychological Benefits – an ISSP Position
Stand”, retrieved 22 August 2005 from

http://www.issponline.org/documents/physactstatement.pdf

6. http://www.osteoporosis.ca, “Physical Activity: An Important
Factor in Preventing Osteoporosis”, retrieved 22 August 2005
from

http://www.osteoporosis.ca/english/About%20Osteoporosis/Physical%

20Activity/default.asp?s=1

7. http://www.americanheart.org, “Physical Activity”, retrieved
25 August 2005 from

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4563

8. http://www.cancer.gov, “Questions and Answers: Physical
Activity and Cancer”, retrieved 25 August 2005 from

http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/PhysicalActivity

9. http://health.discovery.com, “The Benefits of Pregnancy
Exercise”, retrieved 26 August 2005 from

http://health.discovery.com/centers/pregnancy/americanbaby/exerci

sebenefits.html

10. http://www.findarticles.com, “Exercise, the cornerstone to
weight loss – Tech Brief”, retrieved 27 August 2005 from

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0675/is_5_20/ai_928402

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