Obesity – Perspectives & Testimonials
Perspectives
Why Is Exercise Important For Weight Loss?
Regular physical activity is important for good health, and it’s especially important if you’re trying to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight.
- When losing weight, more physical activity increases the number of calories your body uses for energy or “burns off.” The burning of calories through physical activity, combined with reducing the number of calories you eat, creates a “calorie deficit” that results in weight loss.
- Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake. However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity.
- Most importantly, physical activity reduces risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes beyond that produced by weight reduction alone.
Physical activity also helps to–
- Maintain weight.
- Reduce high blood pressure.
- Reduce risk for type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and several forms of cancer.
- Reduce arthritis pain and associated disability.
- Reduce risk for osteoporosis and falls.
- Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
How much physical activity do I need?
When it comes to weight management, people vary greatly in how much physical activity they need. Here are some guidelines to follow:
To maintain your weight: Work your way up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each week. Strong scientific evidence shows that physical activity can help you maintain your weight over time. However, the exact amount of physical activity needed to do this is not clear since it varies greatly from person to person. It’s possible that you may need to do more than the equivalent of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to maintain your weight.
To lose weight and keep it off: You will need a high amount of physical activity unless you also adjust your diet and reduce the amount of calories you’re eating and drinking. Getting to and staying at a healthy weight requires both regular physical activity and a healthy eating plan.
What do moderate- and vigorous-intensity mean?
Moderate: While performing the physical activity, if your breathing and heart rate is noticeably faster but you can still carry on a conversation — it’s probably moderately intense. Examples include—
- Walking briskly (a 15-minute mile).
- Light yard work (raking/bagging leaves or using a lawn mower).
- Light snow shoveling.
- Actively playing with children.
- Biking at a casual pace.
Vigorous: Your heart rate is increased substantially and you are breathing too hard and fast to have a conversation, it’s probably vigorously intense. Examples include—
- Jogging/running.
- Swimming laps.
- Rollerblading/inline skating at a brisk pace.
- Cross-country skiing.
- Most competitive sports (football, basketball, or soccer).
- Jumping rope.
How many calories are used in typical activities?
The following table shows calories used in common physical activities at both moderate and vigorous levels.
| Calories Used per Hour in Common Physical Activities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moderate Physical Activity | Approximate Calories/30 Minutes for a 154 lb Person1 | Approximate Calories/Hr for a 154 lb Person1 |
| Hiking | 185 | 370 |
| Light gardening/yard work | 165 | 330 |
| Dancing | 165 | 330 |
| Golf (walking and carrying clubs) | 165 | 330 |
| Bicycling (<10 mph) | 145 | 290 |
| Walking (3.5 mph) | 140 | 280 |
| Weight lifting (general light workout) | 110 | 220 |
| Stretching | 90 | 180 |
| Vigorous Physical Activity | Approximate Calories/30 Minutes for a 154 lb Person1 | Approximate Calories/Hr for a 154 lb Person1 |
| Running/jogging (5 mph) | 295 | 590 |
| Bicycling (>10 mph) | 295 | 590 |
| Swimming (slow freestyle laps) | 255 | 510 |
| Aerobics | 240 | 480 |
| Walking (4.5 mph) | 230 | 460 |
| Heavy yard work (chopping wood) | 220 | 440 |
| Weight lifting (vigorous effort) | 440 | |
| Basketball (vigorous) | 220 | 440 |
| 1 Calories burned per hour will be higher for persons who weigh more than 154 lbs (70 kg) and lower for persons who weigh less | ||
Can a Mediterranean Diet Help Me Lose Weight?
The Mediterranean diet is one example of a plant-based eating plan that can help with weight loss. Interest in plant-based diets has increased in recent years because of the benefits to health and the environment. The Mediterranean diet for weight loss is a balanced regimen abundant with produce, nuts, legumes, and olive oil, along with fish and smaller amounts of poultry and dairy. Other approaches are: vegan (free of all animal products, including dairy and eggs), vegetarian (one who eschews meat, poultry, and fish, but not dairy or eggs), flexitarian (a person who eats meat, poultry, or fish infrequently), and pescetarian (a vegetarian whose diet includes fish, but no other animal products).
Vegans and vegetarians—particularly those who focus on whole foods like produce, nuts, and beans—may be at a lower risk for obesity than non-vegetarians, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. And when overweight adults were assigned to a standard reduced-calorie weight loss diet or a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, they lost roughly the same amount of weight over the 18 months researchers from the University of Pittsburgh tracked them, according to a 2008 study published in the International Journal of Obesity.
The Mediterranean diet has been shown in studies to produce greater weight loss than low-fat diets. It also may reduce the accumulation of belly fat specifically. Fat stored in the abdomen is more harmful to health than fat stored in the hips or thighs, raising the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
A plant-based diet, however, is still subject to many of the same pitfalls of a meat-containing one. “Vegetarian food includes french fries and potato chips and lots of other high-calorie food,” says Lawrence Cheskin, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore.
The Upside
It can be easier to lose weight on a plant-based diet because it allows you to eat a higher volume of food for fewer calories, Cheskin notes. It’s important to eat less processed foods and more whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruit.
Overall, the Mediterranean diet offers more of the foods your body needs, such as vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, and less of what it doesn’t, including red meat, refined carbohydrates, and sugary fare, says Nicole M. Bereolos, PhD, MPH, a certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES) in Dallas.
Check out our collection of Mediterranean diet recipes here and start actively taking steps towards better health.
Can A Keto Diet Help Me Lose Weight?
Ketogenic diets are effective for losing weight and lowering risk factors for certain diseases. While low-fat diets are traditionally recommended for those looking to shed pounds, research shows that keto is, in fact, a superior approach to weight loss.
Unlike many diets, keto will not leave you feeling hungry after eating a pre-set number of calories for the day. Keto is a satisfying and filling method of dieting. In fact, you can lose weight without tracking calories—something that deters many people from adhering to other diets.
There are several reasons why keto is more efficient than a low-fat diet, including increased protein intake. Higher protein intake is advantageous for weight reduction and metabolic health.
Quick Keto Facts
- Ketosis occurs when the body is denied access to glucose, its main fuel source.
- In ketosis, stored fat is broken down for energy, producing ketones.
- Some people use a ketogenic diet to lose weight by forcing their body to burn surplus fat stores.
- The ketogenic diet was originally developed in the 1920’s to treat epilepsy but was inadvertently discovered to offer many other health benefits.
- There are multiple variations of the ketogenic diet.
Other Health Benefits of Keto
The ketogenic diet was originally created to treat neurological diseases like epilepsy. Over the last century, countless studies have been performed to examine the other health benefits of ketogenic diets. Keto has been shown to offer benefits for a myriad of health conditions:
- Heart disease: The ketogenic diet can improve cholesterol levels and reduce body fat and blood sugar—all risk factors for heart disease.
- Cancer: Keto is currently being used to treat cancers and slow the growth of tumors.
- Alzheimer’s disease: Keto may reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or slow its advancement. Research is ongoing.
- Epilepsy: Research has indicated that the ketogenic diet can cause a sizeable reduction in the number of seizures experienced by epileptic children.
- Parkinson’s disease: One study produced evidence that the diet helped improve Parkinson’s disease symptoms, though more research is needed.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome: Keto can lower insulin levels, which may play a role in treating polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Brain injuries: One study conducted on animals found that keto can aid in concussion recovery and post-brain injury recovery.
- Acne: Eating less sugar and processed foods (lower insulin levels) helps improve acne and reduce the frequency of breakouts.
- Diabetes: Keto can increase insulin sensitivity and fat loss, which are significant benefits for people with type 2 diabetes (or prediabetes).
Keto can help you lose weight and make some positive changes to your life. The high-fat, low-carb diet has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, creating an entire community of keto-praising eaters.
Check out our collection of Keto diet recipes here and start actively taking steps towards better health. For a more in-depth plan, take a quick look at the custom keto diet plan which works together with your schedule and needs to create a tailor made solution for you.
Do Dietary Supplements Really Work?
Weight loss can be difficult for some people. After many gym sessions or diet therapies, they get no results to show for their efforts. Working harder in gyms or starving yourself does not give fast weight loss. Some shelves in drugstores have various weight loss formulas made into pills, shakes, smoothies, and every possible product. When looking at them, one question that may cross your mind is: do all these work as they claim? Understanding the chemistry of how fat gets stored in the body is very important if you want to hit your weight loss goals.
Dietary supplements like Exipure work by tweaking the fat cells in your body to help you shed extra weight faster. This way, you can remove lots of stubborn belly fat without having to starve yourself. Staying fit has become an important topic today for several reasons. Firstly, having the right body mass-to-height ratio ensures good health. So, you’ll steer clear of several problems that take advantage of extra weight. People who stay fit also have more energy and vitality for the day. You get self-confidence and a feeling of aura that helps you stand apart from the crowd. Also, you’ll spend less time thinking about your weight loss goals, which makes you super productive at work.
Exipure has a unique method that interacts with the tissues that store fat – the body’s fatty tissue. Exipure is a natural product designed to help people to lose weight. The primary ingredients here are herbs and spices used by people for weight loss over the years. This brand sourced them in their most natural and healthy states.
