Weight Loss

WHAT IS THE TRUTH

In my last posts I wrote about how so called diets don’t work and that a proper diet and exercise program is the only way to maintain a healthy toned body. In this post we are going to look at the truth about weight loss. Why some people find it hard to lose those pounds.

In most cases a male will tend to put weight on around the belly and a female will tend to put weight on around the hips and thighs first. The simple truth if you are putting on weight is that you are taking in more calories than you are burning. That is it plain and simple. So there you are now you know.

This is why when you start to eat a healthy diet along with a good exercise program your body will start to take on a different shape and you begin to see improvements in your mirror image. Lets take the belly as an example, if you are carrying excess weight in this area and you do 3 sets of 20 crunches or sit ups every day then yes you will strengthen your stomach muscles. But if you are still taking in more calories than you are burning then you won’t shift the fat that covers those muscles and you will never see that six pack.

Look at it like this the average male requires 2500 calories per day ( this is based on averages and may be different for many individuals). So say I am that average male and I am taking in 3000 calories per day, then I am taking in 500 calories per day more than I should do over a week that is 3500 more calories than my body needs to maintain its normal weight. Where do you think that excess 3500 calories every week is going, yes its being stored by my body which is why I would start to gain weight if I kept that diet up.

One thing to remember is never to drop your calorie intake to drastically in one go. Do this gradually. The best thing to do is visit your Doctor who can take your measurements and weight and work out your Body mass Index ( BMI ). From this your Doctor can work out how many calories you should intake a day. If you are way over this then you will gradually cut down until you reach your required calorie intake.

Example of  BMI

My height is 5ft 10 inches and I weigh 11 stone 7lbs this makes my BMI 23.2 which is normal weight.

BMI less than 20 = under weight

BMI 20 to 25        = normal weight

BMI 25 to 30        = over weight

BMI 30 to 40        = obese

BMI 40 +               = severly obese

Get your BMI checked and take it from there!