Facts about Weight Loss

Facts about Weight Loss

·         Even though it might seem that very few calories are burned up during exercise, these can lead to a loss of weight over time.  Calories continue to be burned 3-14 hours after an intense anaerobic activity.

• When moderate exercises are performed, the intake of food either remains the same or decreases.  There is also a decrease in weight.  When exercise is performed over a longer period, the intake of food will increase according to the calories that are spent. 

• Fat will be removed from your body depending on your sex, genetic makeup, and level of hormones.  Much of this loss will occur in areas where fat build up is the most. As sufficient weight loss takes place, your muscles will be defined.  This would occur in the waist, hip, and the thigh region.  When you burn calories through exercise, your lean body weight remains unchanged while losing fat at the same time.  Growth of muscle mass would not lead to a loss in body fat.  If this growth in muscle mass takes place quicker than the loss of body fat, your waist measure may appear increased.

·         To lose weight, it is essential to preserve your muscle mass.  Muscles play a role in determining the metabolic rate.  The more muscles you have, the faster the calories will burn up, even at rest.  If you are losing more than 2 pounds (0.9 kg) of weight per week, you are probably losing weight in the form of muscle mass.

• Weight cannot be lost through sauna and steam baths, because the fluid lost would soon be replaced and you will gain weight again. It may be dangerous to dehydrate oneself with sauna in an attempt to lose weight.

     

• Passive exercise machines that are powered electronically do not reduce weight or fat.

• You do not have to stop eating the foods you enjoy, to lose weight.  Depriving yourself sometimes leads to dejection, leading you to abandon the weight loss program.

• Eating fat does not necessarily make you fat.  Some fat is essentially required by the body to function properly.  At least 2-5 per cent of calories should be derived from fat for energy, for proper absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K, and for the healthy functioning of the liver and skin.  Taking monounsaturated fats like olive oil and canola oil can prevent heart diseases while polyunsaturated fats like corn oil and other vegetable oils reduce the levels of cholesterol in the blood.  You should avoid hydrogenated and saturated fats as these might lead to blockage of the arteries and various heart diseases.  All you need to do is balance your intake of fats to match your intake of carbohydrates and proteins.

• ‘Fat free’ food might not always lead to loss in weight, because these foods are sometimes calorie dense.  Always check the label on foodstuffs while shopping. 

• Foods high in starch content like potatoes, rice, corn, wheat and sugar do not lead to obesity when eaten in moderate amounts, as these are not producers of fat but that of energy.  Only excessive intake of these foods and saturated fats contributes to obesity.

• Skipping meals and semi-starvation leads to reduction of weight, but this loss is due to the loss of water and muscle and not because of the loss of fat.

• Instead of cutting down on calories, cut down on the intake of fat.  Carbohydrates and proteins contain 4 calories per gram while fat contains 9 calories per gram.  In addition to this, fat consumed in diet is converted to body fat quicker than either carbohydrates or proteins.  This means you can eat twice as many carbohydrates and proteins without adding as many calories, as when fat is consumed.  If you consume a high carbohydrate and protein diet and substitute high-fat products for their low-fat variants you can lose weight more readily.  Your metabolism too will, in all likelihood, speed up because carbohydrates and proteins are oxidized faster than fat.

• There is no such thing as spot reduction.  You need to cultivate healthy eating habits and perform aerobic exercises in addition to crunches if you want a flat stomach.     

• Vegetarianism can help to cut down high fat animal products, but it would not help you to lose weight if you feed on nuts, chocolates, chips and cheese.  In addition to using low fat butter and oils, try experimenting with your food. Try to consume minerals and vitamins needed for the maintenance of your body.  You must perform aerobic exercises to tone up your body and to lose weight.