Tag: Diet

Health 101 – Weight Loss

Let’s get some weight off, shall we?  So how do I lose weight, how much should I eat, when should I eat it, and what about working out?

Well, aren’t you curious!  Fantastic questions!  Well, before I get into that, please let me make it crystal clear that there are many reasons why we gain weight and why we can’t lose it, so please don’t let me over simplify anything. I have specialized in weight loss for years, and there are a multitude of reasons.  I will make sure to address anything Agenda‘s readers (but only Agenda readers, no one else, of course) might want to know about in this new phenomenal health addition to Agenda.  So with that said, I will give some specifics as to how much someone should eat to lose weight with average circumstances given for now.

The trick to weight loss is simply to use up more energy than you take in (food and stored fat are energy). Now, you first have to make sure you don’t eat less than your body’s safety point, called your BMR. This is basically how many calories you would burn if you were to just sit for a 24-hour period. If you are not active at all, eating your BMR (basal metabolic rate) calories only is a good start until you get moving more. To find your BMR, simply multiply your body weight times 10, and that will give you a great estimate. If you are fairly active (1-3 workouts a week), add 2-300 calories on top of your BMR to keep everything working properly. If you are very active (4-5 workouts a week) add 4-500 calories so that your body can take the beating. Please note that when you’re very high in activity, your body needs a lot more. If you give it less than what it needs, it will simply rebel by slowing you down to conserve energy. So work with it and not against it. I would recommend getting some professional help to modify some things for you so that you get the best out of your workouts if things get hard. If you just want something to calculate your calories for you, go towww.caloriecontrol.org/calcalcs.html, and the work is done for you.

Remember to spread those calories you are supposed to have evenly throughout the day over at least 6 meals so that your body feels safe and gives you the best results. I must urge you all not to cut meals as it will make it longer and harder to lose weight. If you want more results just work out more often or harder, and your body will love you for it, rewarding your efforts with that engaging silhouette you are seeking. Your body doesn’t know you’re working out to look better or feel better, it simply reacts. If you go hard and don’t give your body enough fuel, it will simply rebel and slow your metabolic process to conserve precious energy. A car without enough gas will just stop, but your body will make you tired sooner, sleepier more often, and drain your good moods. This all can be avoided by giving it the right fuel. Hard work and eating frequently are weight-loss’s greatest weapons. If you eat once, twice, maybe three times on a good day, then food is typically scarce in the world of your body; so it holds onto the weight a lot more aggressively for self preservation. You see, one reason your body holds onto the body fat is because it thinks it needs it, like a camel storing water for hard times.  No hard times means no aggressive storage, means no muffin top. So eat, for goodness sake!

Now that we’ve got you eating, let us address activity a bit more and how hard you should push.  This is where many go wrong and have no clue what they are doing wrong. The human body responds best when it is pushed.  It’s marvelous! You see, your body is great at doing as little as possible (go figure).  Its primary purpose is to be as efficient as possible.

Why use 300 calories for that run if we can get it down to 100 calories? That’s what your body was designed to do, so the best way to approach activity is to challenge your body with one notch past comfortable. Problem is that in general we have a tendency not to push ourselves hard enough. You know that’s true, so don’t even start with me. We push as much as we can, and when we get to that comfort border, we stop and take a break until we get back down to the lower end of the comfort gauge. Problem here is that the best and quickest results are past that sweaty border. The best way to overcome this is to take a class at your gym, any class that you want, but stay for the whole class no matter how tired or out of place you feel. This isn’t about being perfect; it’s about progress. The idea is to get an idea of what that border is and learning to push past it, even if it takes getting yelled at for an hour to do it. This is almost always the best way to start. If that isn’t enough, take a boot camp course or get a trainer (article on picking the right trainer to come).

Now let’s get more specific on intensity. In general if you are in good health (please consult your physician before beginning a hard regimen), you should be getting your heart rate up between 70-80% of your heart rate for cardio workouts and try to keep it there for as long as you can for now. To find that out simply subtract your age from 220, and that will give you your 100%. Multiply that by 0.7 and 0.8 to give you that range (i.e. 220 – 35yrs = 185 max heart rate, then 185 x 0.7 and 0.8 = a target heart range of 130-148 for a kick-butt fat-shredding workout). Buy yourself a heart monitor if you don’t want to be held to a machine, or you can always use the one built into the machines if that is where you plan to be. Weight training in itself is a whole other article that we will approach later, but for now, find a great class, boot camp, or trainer that will do the trick.

Well, that’s it for now ladies. That is how to shred the body fat off your bodies in a nutshell. Fuel your bodies and push them hard, and they will reward you with heavenly curves to die for. Days of starvation and silly diets are numbered if I have anything to do about it (and I do). There is always more depth to all these subjects, so stay tuned and make sure to voice your opinions and questions in Agenda’s health blog. I promise to help as much as I can as our new health relationship develops. Until we meet again, I bid you all adieu, fair ladies.

* All Information from this article is taken from Fitness: The Complete Guide, Frederick C. Hatfield, PhD – Edition 8.6.6, 735pgs,  International Sports Science Association.

By Anthony Heredia