Lose Weight

I seem to be constantly struggling to change how the majority of the population views body weight. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something along the lines of “I’ve dropped two pant sizes but I haven’t lost any weight.” In reality, if you aren’t considered obese, what does it really matter what the scale reads if your circumference measurements and body fat are decreasing? That is how I came up with the “metal analogy”. Weight is like metal; the weight of a particular volume of muscle is greater than that of the same volume of fat, just as a 1″ x 1″ block of iron weighs more than a 1″ x 1″ block of aluminum. Muscle weighs more than fat, and a scale doesn’t take this into consideration.

Muscle is much denser than body fat and therefore weighs more. If you look great, fit into the clothes you aimed to fit into, and feel great, you shouldn’t care that the scale isn’t showing exactly what you expected to see. However, if you fall into the obese category, that is another story. In that case, you should see changes occur on the scale. However, if you don’t fall into the obese category, then it pays to know what you should be looking for:

Looser fitting clothes

Body fat decrease

Change in circumference measurements

I highly recommend that you have your body fat and circumference measurements taken. Measure your chest, waist, hips, thighs, calves, and arms so that you have some way to gauge your progress. Have a reassessment done after three months and you should see noticeable changes. In the mean time, assuming your goal is to lose weight, you should see changes in the way your clothes fit you.

It’s also important to point out that it’s impossible to spot reduce fat. Fat burning should be viewed as an entire body process. How your body chooses to let go of fat is specific to each person. One person may first lose weight in the abdominal region, while another may lose from the facial region. That is another reason why it is important to do measurements in order to track your progress. Fat is usually dropped first in the last area that it was put on.

If you are following a balanced exercise program and doing some type of resistance training, like weight lifting, you are probably adding muscle at the same time that you are losing fat. The scale may very well read the exact same weight that you started out at because you dropped 5 pounds of fat while adding 5 pounds of muscle. And muscle is a good thingthe more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn at rest, thus resulting in a higher metabolism. So the next time someone expresses feeling down because she has been working really hard to lose weight but hasn’t seen a change on the scale, remind her that her hard work is most likely paying off by changing her body composition, rather than her body weight.

©Melissa Allen is a certified personal trainer, Blackbelt & fitness consultant, as well as the owner of Optimum Condition personal fitness training and kickboxing instruction. She is a self-syndicated columnist and a member of the San Diego Press Club and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. She welcomes input from her readers, so please contact her with any questions or comments that you may have by calling (619) 252-4993, email her at Opticondit@aol.com, or visit her website at http://www.optimumcondition.com

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When losing weight, most of us don’t have the time to drastically change our lifestyles. We need a practical and convenient way to integrate effective habits into our daily lives. The following steps are easy and practical ways to get you on the track to loosing weight and feeling better.

1. Drink Water! Water doesn’t just help quench your thirst. All metabolic processes within the body utilize H2O and drinking plenty of it helps your body function optimally. It also helps you feel your best—many of the common daily headaches and fatigues we experience can result from a lack of water intake.

2. Eat Breakfast! Many Americans fail to realize the true value of a morning meal. It not only boosts energy for the long day ahead, but keeps your metabolism regulated. Skipping a meal can put the body into “survival mode” which means that it actually begins storing and saving fat as opposed to burning it.

3. Exercise! There is no easy way around it: successful and sustained weight loss requires a commitment to physical activity. The best way to be loyal to physical activity is to work it into each day. Take a small part of each day to go for a walk, do aerobics, do yoga, or whatever other type of activity you enjoy. Mix it up so that you don’t get bored with it. Soon, you will not only get used to it, but you will feel better too!

4. Choose Variety! Don’t let popular dieting trends fool you: Carbs are good for you too! In fact, carbohydrates are what your brain run on and are very important for proper body functions. Following a high-protein diet over a long period of time can not only cause headaches, but also places considerable stress on the kidney. The important thing is to eat a variety of foods. This includes fruits, vegetables and even carbs. Just remember to be smart about the types of carbs you eat:: whole wheat instead of white.

5. Eat Slowly! We all get in a hurry from time to time, but it is important to take the time to listen to our bodies. Eating quickly doesn’t give our bodies time to tell our brains that we have eaten enough. Consequently, we continue eating and are left filling stuffed and bloated. Eating more slowly allows us to recognize when we actually have eaten enough and stopit also helps us savour and enjoy the food we do eat.

Essential to losing weight is giving our bodies what they need. This means drinking plenty of water, eating timely and proper meals, staying active, and giving our body the time to tell us when it is full. Our bodies will reward us for our attention.

Amie Gerlowski writes about weight loss products such as Hoodia. Learn more about Hoodia Gordonii at Hoodia-Dietpills.com.

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If you are overweight, you probably know it already and your doctor has probably warned you about its dangers.

However, muscle weighs more than fat, and some people have larger, heavier bones than others. You can be heavy and perfectly healthy if a large percentage of your weight is in bone and muscle. However, if a high percentage of your weight is fat, you are at increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, strokes, some types of cancer and other health problems.

If you’re not sure where you stand, use these three simple measures to see whether you should be concerned about excess weight.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Waist-Hip ratio - to determine whether you’re an “apple” or a “pear”
My “Inch of Pinch” test

The BMI (Body Mass Index) is a standard calculation used by doctors and nutritionists to see if your weight is appropriate for your height. You can find charts and the easy formula to calculate your BMI using a Google search. If your BMI is 30 or more, your statistical risk of death from any cause is increased by 50 to 150 percent. But you need to know more about your body composition. Read on.

Your WAIST/HIP RATIO is calculated by dividing your waist size by your hip size. Use a measuring tape to measure your hips at the widest part of your buttocks. Then measure your waist where it is smallest, usually just above the belly button. Then divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. Record your result on your “Before and After” Chart. Women should have a ratio of 0.8 or less; men should be no higher than 1.0. If your ratio is higher than these ideals, you are an “apple” with excess fat in stored your abdomen.

Finally, here’s my “INCH OF PINCH” Test. Ordinary scales tell you your total weight and can help you keep track of weight changes, but they tell you nothing about the composition of your body. If you are exercising and building muscle, you may gain weight in a healthy way. You can buy special scales that estimate your body fat percentage, but they are expensive and not completely reliable. Your doctor may use fat calipers, or send you for an accurate body composition test where you are immersed in water, but you can make a simple calculation yourself using my “Inch of Pinch” test.

Using your thumb and forefinger, grasp the skin 3″ to the right or left of your navel. Pinch firmly but not so hard that it hurts. Then slide your hand away without changing the distance between your thumb and forefinger, and see how far apart they are. Ideally you will have pinched about 1/2″ inch of flesh. An inch or more in your “pinch” means that your excess body weight is more fat than muscle.

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Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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