Weight loss - health gain
Written by Michael Lord
Weight loss – health gain
BEING OVERWEIGHT or obese can cause serious health problems and is associated with several diseases, including cardiovascular disease; type 2 diabetes; high blood pressure; raised cholesterol levels; osteoarthritis; gallstones; breathing problems and some cancers.
To determine whether your weight is healthy, calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) by dividing your weight in kilos by your height squared in metres:
BMI WEIGHT (KG)
Height (m) x Height (m)
Below 18.5 Underweight
18.5 - 24.9 NORMAL WEIGHT
25 - 29.9 Overweight
30 -34.9 Obese (Class I)
35 -39.9 Severely obese (Class II)
Above 40 Morbidly obese (Class III)
BMI can give an indication of whether your weight is healthy, but it is not foolproof. Some people with a normal BMI can still have an unhealthy weight if their body fat is distributed predominantly around their middle. Weight loss is desirable if waist measurements in men are 102cm (40in) or more and 88cm (35in) in women or more (a dress size of 18 is equivalent to a waist measurement of 89cm). Conversely, some athletes and sportsmen can have BMI's well in excess of 30, but are completely healthy; the high figure is a result of low body fat and more muscle.
If your BMI or waist measurement is above healthy levels you should seriously consider losing weight. Not only will this reduce your risks of developing disease, you will also have more energy and feel great!
Once you are motivated to lose excess weight, aim to shed ½ to 1 kilo per week, over a 2 - 3 month period. Crash diets do not generally work; they often put the body into ‘starvation’ mode, making weight loss difficult and uncomfortable. A reduced calorie diet is imperative, making changes to your diet to:
• Cut down on fat and sugar, replacing them with fruit, vegetables and starchy carbohydrates
• Reduce portion sizes and DON'T snack
• Reduce alcohol (alcohol = 7 calories per gram, compared to 9 calories per gram for fat)
• Beware of hidden sugars and fats in soft drinks and processed foods
Try to find new, ‘healthy’ recipes that you can use during your diet AND afterwards. Aim to change your lifestyle and diet permanently. That way you'll remain at your chosen weight when the diet ends. To maintain your new weight, you must reduce calorie intake by 30cal PER kilo lost PER day, or maintain an exercise regime to burn off this amount of calories.
General health advice recommends exercise is taken for at least 30 minutes, five times each week and during weight loss this should be doubled at least. Try using the stairs instead of lifts, walk or cycle to the shops, take up swimming or another sport you enjoy.
Remember, most health benefits come from losing the first 5-10% of body weight, generally between 5 & 10kgs.
Need help to lose weight? There are a number of products available to help with weight loss, the common ones are:
Orlistat (Xenical®): Reduces the absorption of dietary fat from the gut, is effective, but can produce side effects such as bloating, fatty stools, faecal urgency especially with high fat meals. It can interact with other drugs. Now available from pharmacies as Alli®
Zotrim Herbal: Contains extracts of three South American plants and has a dual mode of action: Satiety booster helps to increase the feeling of fullness and an energy booster helps users to be more active and to burn off more calories than usual. Zotrim Herbal was recently ranked as the best weight loss product available over the counter, achieving 5% body weight loss in 6 weeks.
Adios Herbal: Contains a natural product called fucus which is claimed to speed up the metabolism: in essence it burns fat. It is available in standard and MAX strength.
Valupak weight loss programme: Contains L-Carnitine which is involved in the metabolism (break down) of fat.
Sibutramine (Reductil®): This drug has now been withdrawn in Europe due to increased risks of heart attack and stroke in users.
Zotrim, Adios & Valupak are now available at Health & Beauty Abroad, Playa Flamenca.
