Back to the Basics: 3 Steps to Lasting Weight Loss
Jan 2010
If your holiday indulgences are now appearing on the scale, or if years of gradual weight gain have finally caught up with you, then perhaps it’s time to get back to the basics.
Weight loss is simple: burn more calories than you eat. Yes, I know that’s easy for me to say; but, if you can stay focused and follow this three-part plan, you’ll find that lasting weight loss is not so difficult to achieve.
The three basic principles of weight loss are cardiovascular exercise, strength/resistance training and a healthy diet/lifestyle. Combine that formula with motivation and commitment, and soon you’ll be laughing your way to the scale.
Part I Cardio:
If you’re trying to lose weight, cardio exercise is key because it burns calories. The best activity is the one you’ll do on a regular basis. So, finding a physical activity you like is critical to reaching your weight-loss goals. That said, different activities have different intensity levels. For example, a person weighing 150 pounds would burn a different amount of calories depending on the exercise.
30 miuntes:
Walking at 4 mph: 170 calories
Mowing the lawn with a push mower: 200 calories
Stationary bike: 238 calories
Spinning (at moderate intensity): 239 calories
Running at 5 mph: 270 calories
Swimming: 270 calories
FYI: 1 pound of body fat = 3,500 calories
Q: How Much Cardio Do I Need?
A: The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association each recommend about 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity exercise on most days. If you’re a beginner, start with 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio three to four days a week and work up to 45 to 60 minutes, five to six days a week. Bottom line? Cardio will help you lose weight, but it is most effective when combined with strength training and a healthy, low-calorie diet.
Part II Resistance/strength training:
Resistance/strength training is often the missing link in a weight-loss program, but without it, you won’t see lasting results. The more lean body mass (muscle) you have, the more calories you burn at rest. If you allow your muscles to atrophy (either through inactivity or by not challenging your muscles), your metabolism will decrease, which will cause weight gain.
Cardiovascular workouts are effective and necessary but only raise your metabolism temporarily. For example, after an hour of running your metabolism will return to normal within the following hour. On the other hand, resistance training will permanently raise your metabolism because it requires first breaking down muscle tissue and then rebuilding it—only stronger, firmer and with more tone. This process takes time and energy (i.e., calories).
Muscles need energy, so the more muscle tone you have, the higher your metabolism will consistently be. In addition, research shows that those who follow a strength-training program for two months burn, on average, about 200 calories more per workout than those whose exercise regimen does not include strength training.
FYI: 1 pound of muscle burns about 50 calories a day, while 1 pound of fat burns about 4 calories a day.
Q: How Much Resistance Training Should You Do?
A: Lift two or three days a week, performing three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions with weights heavy enough to fatigue your muscles by the end of each set.
Part III DIET:
Technically, there is no magic number of calories to eat to lose weight. While some people can lose weight by eating around 1,500 calories a day, with a little math you can assess your own personal caloric needs:
To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3,500 calories over and above what you already burn through normal daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories, and you certainly wouldn’t want to try to burn 3,500 calories in one day. However, you can determine what it would take to burn or cut enough calories to result in healthy weight-loss. Here’s how :
1:Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day just to survive. To find out your BMR, go to this Web site: http://exercise.about.com/cs/fitnesstools/g/BMR.htm. (Keep in mind that no calculator will be fully accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you go along.)
2: Calculate how many calories you burn through exercise. For example, try http://exercise.about.com/cs/fitnesstools/l/blcalorieburn.htm. Or, even better, you could wear a heart rate monitor during your workout to calculate the number of calories burned.
3:Calculate your average daily caloric intake. You may need to keep a food journal to help with this. (Try the online food journal at www.thecaloriecounter.com.)
4:Now, use the following formula to figure out how many calories you need to burn daily: Take your BMR, add your activity calories and then subtract your food calories from that total. If you’re eating more than you’re burning (i.e., your BMR + activity burn is 2,000, and you’re eating 2,400 calories a day), you’ll gain weight. If you’re burning more than you eat, you’ll lose weight.
TIP: Think of weight loss as a lifestyle change: rather than looking for instant results, settle in for the long run.