Weight Loss Q&A

Q(1) The only place I feel I have too much fat is on my abdomen. Is it possible to lose fat just there? No one can dictate where body fat will accumulate or from where it will be removed. Exercising a specific body area does not burn fat SOLELY in that area. Fat stores from throughout the body are mobilised during exercise. Thus your abdomen will lose fat only after a combined program of total-body aerobic exercise and calorie management. However, it is possible to "spot tone" in a particular area, for example, curl-up exercise can create very strong abdominals.

Q(2) I found a lot of weight loss pills in the drugstores. Are any of these effective? Over-the-counter weight loss pills are promoted to do everything from curbing the appetite to magically melting away the fat. These pills often affect our metabolic rate and hence have side effects. These side effects (nervousness, sleeplessness, irritability) make such pills questionable for life-time weight control strategies. Some have even caused severe, fatal reactions to the patient. Some physicians do write prescriptions for weight loss pills for the obese patients. These drugs suppress the appetite and reduce cravings. But these only for morbidly obese people, and used for a limited time period. In fact, weight loss medications provide only a short-term solution to a long-term problem and so should be used with extreme caution.

Q(3) I saw a lot of advertisements from health clubs promoting effortless exercise machines for weight loss. Do these work? Because many people do not understand the basic principles of fat metabolism, they fall prey to the appeal of these ads. These machines have no value in reducing fat because of the lack of effort on the part of the participants. Fat loss is a result of burning more calories than you consume. Since these machines are doing the work, few calories are burned.

Q(4) I want to lose weight. Is it better to exercise for a longer period of time at low intensity or a shorter period of time at high intensity? If your main goal is weight control, the most important factor is to be consistent about working aerobic exercise - of any length and intensity - into your daily schedule. It is the total calorie expended that is more important than the intensity of the activity. Nevertheless, it is recommended to exercise in low to moderate intensity because in this way you can accumulate more total work, thus expending more calories and it is less likely to result in discomfort or injury, thereby maximizing the burning of fat.

Q(5) I'd like to lose weight. Will hypnosis alone be enough? How about dieting? Or do I really have to exercise too? Hypnosis helps you to change your eating disorders as well as removing any belief that prevents you from losing the weight. Regarding dieting, if you diet without exercising, your metabolism may actually slow down as your body tries to conserve all the fat it can from the few calories it is getting. Thus dieting alone may cause you to lose muscle tissue. In fact, a diet with too low in calories and nutrients may make you tired and lethargic. To lose weight effectively, you need to decrease your calorie intake as well as to speed up your metabolism to burn more calories. The former can be helped with hypnosis and dieting while the latter can be effected through exercising. A good workout is both energizing and relaxing. And you are much less likely to eat out of boredom or nervous tension after exercising.

Q(6) Is skipping meals an effective way to lose weight? What about grazing, or eating a number of small meals throughout the day? The only way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you use up in activity. Although skipping meals may reduce food intake, you may end up getting the missed calories at other times if you do not control the total calorie intake. Moreover, skipping meals may slow your metabolism. Your body reacts to what it perceives as a starving state by lowering the rate at which to burn calories, making it more difficult to lose weight. Thus the common assumption that skipping meals kept the kilos off was misguided. Regarding grazing (ie. eating small meals throughtout the day), a recent study found that the rate at which people burned calories was the same whether they consumed equal amounts of food in two large daily meals or in several small ones. Grazing may not be a good weight control strategy for people who tend to overeat without thinking limiting to smaller portion for each meal. And so you end up eating more total food.

Q(7) My office is a snack-food paradise. How can I lose weight? Office food is a major complaint of women in many jobs. You may bring in your own snacks - apples, oranges, or carrots that you can stow in the office refrigerator, handy for times when the whole crowd is celebrating with high-fat treats. This way, you feel like you are part of the social side of eating and get the emotional satisfaction of the social situation but still you can get natural sugar from the fruit without eating high-fat, high-calorie foods.

Q(8) I'm a Foodie. How can I give up high-fat foods? In fact, healthy eating can be delicious and satisfying. You can discover new delights, not grim restrictions, on a low-fat eating plan. Foodies who experiment with new toppings, fresh herbs, beautiful garnishes and simple, high-quality ingredients can find new creative challenges in cooking light and eating light.

Q(9) What are the characteristics of weight loss programs that can help maintenance of weight loss? The programs should have the following characteristics: (1) Offer long-term approach to changes in diet and physical activity. (2) Employ reduced-calorie, nutritionally adequate diets, having balanced foods from all groups in the food pyramid, and not excluding certain foods. (3) Employ small changes in weight at one time (not more than 2 kg in one week)so as not to affect health. (4) Do not rely solely on drugs or medical treatments. Use drug only if necessary and only under the guidance of medical professional.

Q(10) Do high protein diets like diets with meats only help me lose weight? Yes. High protein, low carbohydrate diets can lead to weight loss by decreasing appetite. By depriving the body of carbohydrates, fats have to be used as the primary source of energy. This, however, leads to increased blood levels of by-products of fat utilization called ketone bodies and that decreases appetite. In addition, high protein diets increase water need because the nitrogen component of protein is excreted from the body in the form of urine as when the body has used up its stored glycogen, it turns to protein to make the needed glucose. As a result, it puts a burden on the kidneys. The water loss is primarily due to water excretion. Thus the diets are not recommended for people with liver or kidney problems. Any in any case, they may promote heart disease and prostate cancer, lead to glycogen stores empty and cause nausea, headache, decreased stamina and reduced ability to concentrate. In fact, what is achieving by this method is loss of lean tissue, glycogen, bone minerals and fluids - all are vital to healthy body functioning. And they don't work in the long run!