Lose Weight
Helpful facts and tips on how and why to lose weight prepared by Dr Bob, a physician trained in both Internal Medicine and Psychiatry

Weight loss: not all pounds are created equal!!

People who weigh the exact same weight often have very different bodies. For example two people both weighing 180 lbs on a 5'9 frame:

	Person A: 5'9 180 lbs	Person B: 5'9 180 lbs
water	108 lbs	108 lbs
lean mass	27 lbs	54 lbs
fat mass	45 lbs	18 lbs

Person B is quite lean but person A carries a lot of body fat. The point here is that a loss of weight does not impact only the fat mass. The more lean mass one has the higher your metabolic rate, the more energy you will have and the stronger your bones and muscles will be. Fat is lost by spending more energy ( calories) than what you take in and Lean mass is increased by exercise, especially weight bearing exercises.

Make your goal to have a more healthy body, and do not focus on weight too much. Weight loss that causes dehydration and less lean mass is not desireable and is unhealthy. Aim to reduce fat mass and increase lean mass...you will see the difference that the scale does not show!!

Not all Calories are created equal!!

One pound of body fat correlates to 3500 KCalories. In other words, to lose a pound of fat one has to spend or burn 3500 Kcal more than what one consumes. Calories come in 3 flavors: carbohydrates or sugars, proteins made of amino acids, and fat.

1 gram of sugar provides 4 Kcal of energy.
1 gram of protein provides 4 Kcal of energy.
1 gram of fat provides 9 Kcal of energy.

Protein however is less efficiently digested and absorbed and a "handling" cost related to the energy the body has to spend to absorb the protein results in 1 gram of protein providing 20% less energy to the body than sugar. This is why most weight loss programs recommend reducing fat in the diet and replacing it with protein, such as tuna in water or chicken breast.

If you under eat by 350 Kcal per day you will lose a pound of fat every 10 days, 3 pounds a month.

The inverse is true as well, on the average overeating by 350 Kcal per day will cause a weight gain of about 3 lbs a month.

Not all diets are created equal!!

Eating is a pleasurable experience for most of us, and we cringe at the idea of being on a diet. Diets can be effective to help you lose weight but sooner or later you will want to please your palate and will return to the things you like to eat, and in most cases will overdo it and regain the weight you worked so hard to lose.

Keeping weight off is the real challenge and this can ONLY happen with a change in lifestyle. Portion control is one key change needed while eating the foods you really like the most!

Budgeting is another important principle to master...like the way you budget your money, overspending here means cutting back there. If you overeat by 2000 Kcal, you will perhaps need to cut back by 200 Kcal a day for 10 days to make up for it.

There are no miracle drugs or shortcuts, save your money for other things. Follow a well balanced diet rich in protein and complex carbohydrates.

Sugars: simple versus complex

Simple sugars are easily absorbed by the body and hit the bloodstream quickly. Insulin is secreted to allow the body to store the energy resulting in a mild hypoglycemia. This in turn causes a brief but intense craving for food. Most of us usually look for a snack then which we really do not need.
Examples of simple sugars :
table sugar, fruit juice, candy, anything containing sucrose

Complex carbs are slow to reach the bloodstream and do not cause hypoglycemia, which is why they are preferred.

Hypoglycemia is not at all a dangerous condition unless you are diabetic. Your liver will automatically release stored glucose when it senses that the blood sugar goes down, but it may cause a food craving while it is doing its job!!
Examples of complex carbs are starches, breads, pasta...

Lean Mass

Lean mass is made of muscle, bone and tendons. Most weight loss programs lead to a global loss of muscle and bone mass along with fat loss. To maintain and increase lean mass, weight bearing exercise is essential. This may be pumping iron, walking, swimming or other sports. The idea is to move your body.

Strengthening your bones help combat osteoporosis and muscle strength will serve you well as the years go by and increases your metabolism.

Where are the results?

Results take time...a pound at first will hardly be noticeable....a thickness the width of a piece of paper is lost from your body but as the pounds add up and as lean mass increases your body will change shape!!

There are no exceptions barring rare medical illnesses... Studies show that people who fail to lose weight both underestimate by 50% what they eat and overestimate by 50% why energy they expend. Try keeping a diary of everything that enters your mouth...grazing can add a lot of calories over time. Small repeated expenditures of energy can be helpful also...waste energy by sitting up straight, standing tall, tightening muscle groups while at work, look for opportunites to waste a few extra calories!!

The emotional connection

Stress management is important here...many of us tend to eat when sad, angry or bored. Avoid eating in front of a book or TV, concentrate on your food. Savor it to get pleasure from each chew. Put your eating utensil down between bites, and chew slowly. Eat as slowly as you can... Relaxation and other ways to cope with stress may reduce your desire to overeat. Focusing on success and having fun are very important ingredients to any self change program.

Finding other people to support you can be a wonderful way to work on your goals.

In Summary

Don't diet, change your lifestyle: portion size control + budgeting

Start weight bearing exercises 3-4 times per week, 20-40 minute workouts

Do not drastically undereat: cut back by 300-500 Kcal a day

Be nutrition conscious, eliminate useless calorie excesses

Eat slowly enjoying your food