Weight Loss 101 January 2011

January 13, 2011 by admin
Filed under Health

Please read these four sections:

ASSESS
ASCERTAIN
AIM
ADOPTED ACTION

This month I am going to share with you the basics of weight loss, what you must assess before you start, how to ascertain why you are where you are and what areas to focus on changing, how to aim for realistic goals in realistic time-frames. Lastly, I will show you how to adopt your plan and put it into action so that it becomes a lifestyle change.

Now this is going to be a lot of information to digest; but it does not contain any calories, so chew and chew until you’ve got it in your system. ***Note: this type of consultation usually comes with a price tag of an $150.00 consultation fee; but because I Love the body of New Zionists’, I am providing it to you with hopes that it will arm you with the tools you need to achieve your health and fitness goals!

Step One: ASSESS – your body type.
There are three body types. To determine which one is most like you please click ASSESS below:

ASSESS

ECTOMORPH

Definitive “Hard Gainer”
Delicate Built Body
Flat Chest
Fragile
Lean
Lightly Muscled
Small Shouldered
Takes Longer to Gain Muscle
Thin

MESOMORPH

Athletic
Hard Body
Hourglass Shaped (Female)
Rectangular Shaped (Male)
Mature Muscle Mass
Muscular Body
Excellent Posture
Gains Muscle Easily
Gains Fat More Easily Than Ectomorphs’
Thick Skin

ENDOMORPH

Soft Body
Underdeveloped Muscles
Round Physique
Weight Loss is Difficult
Gains Muscle Easily Like the Mesomorph
Thin

Now assess your current activity level to determine if you have a Sedentary/Slightly active/Moderately active/or highly active lifestyle.

Do you ever go for a walk at lunchtime?
- Always
- Sometimes
- Never
How many organized sport activities do you participate in?
- 3 or more
- 2
- 1
- 0
How many days per week would you exercise vigorously (which results in heavier breathing) for a minimum of 20 minutes (such as jogging, team sport, walk 2 miles or more, treadmill, digging in the garden etc)?
- Every day
- Almost every day
- 2-3 days per week
- Once a week
- Rarely or never
How many days per week would you do moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes? (Moderate exercise means energetic activity that does not leave you out of breath such as walking, housecleaning, gardening, playing with your child)
- Every day
- Almost every day
- 2-3 days per week
- Once a week
- Rarely or never
How many days per week would you do strength (resistance) exercises e.g. using small weights to build your arm muscles, leg muscles etc or other activities like digging, carrying heavy objects?
- Every day
- Almost every day
- 2-3 days per week
- Once a week
- Rarely or never
How would you describe the activity levels in your daily occupation?
- Highly active (I am walking most of the day)
- Moderately active (I am on my feet most of the day)
- Slightly active (I am on my feet some of the day)
- Sedentary (I am seated most of the day)
How would you describe the activity levels in your overall lifestyle?
- Highly active
- Moderately active
- Slightly active
- Sedentary
If you had a spare afternoon, would you most likely (tick one response only);
- play a high intensity sport (e.g.: tennis, squash, aerobics, running, cycling)
- play a moderate intensity sport (e.g.: golf, bowling, lawn bowls)
- go for a walk
- do housework/domestic chores
- gardening
- read a book
- sit and relax
- sleep

So now that you have assessed what your body type is and where your physical activity level is, you should take a moment to uncover the why. Pray about it, be honest with yourself. Think about these common causes. . .

1st meal eaten late in the day
Only one meal eaten each day
Sodium/ Processed food intake to high
Breads and Pasta’s
Sweets/ Deserts/ Candy
Fried foods/ fast food
Nuts
Soda’s and Coffee, late night juice drinker
Emotional eating

Stress
Lack of adequate sleep
Work
Family status changes
Time
Financial Changes
Prior injuries
Prior surgeries
Health related illnesses

Acknowledge that it did not happen overnight, rather overtime. So do not expect it to go away overnight, rather over time. We will refer back to this in the AIM and realistic goal setting section. It is important to recognizes all three (where, why and what) so that you can utilize these thoughts to keep you motivated during what I will continuously refer to as a lifestyle change.

Now that you have completed the assessment! And we have identified the culprits, we can now move to . . .

Step Two: ASCERTAIN – identify what you must do differently, incorporate, decrease, or do more of . . . for the business minded folks this will be the body of your “action plan” with realistic timetables and incremental change. I have created two handy reference charts to help you get started with your health and fitness needs for 2011.

Choose a diet that fits your lifestyle

You are unique, both in your personality and your body type. That’s why diets fail when they aren’t the right diet for you. To lose weight and keep it off, you need to find a weight loss plan that suits your unique personality and body type.

Maybe you just can’t eat enough meat and fat to stick to a low carb diet. Perhaps you aren’t able to exercise much, due to some disability. Will the diet you are looking into give you enough pleasure at mealtime? Look at many weight loss programs, ideas and diets, and when you find one that is suited to you, incorporate it.

To determine which diet is best for you please click ASCERTAIN below:

ASCERTAIN

Name	Founder/ Origin	Premise	Pro’s	Con’s
Atkins Diet	Dr. Robert C. Atkins	the first to come up with the concept of a high protein / low carbohydrate diet which are incredibly popular to this day, and growing in popularity all the time.	The Atkins diet works! The diet is not particularly restrictive. Although carbohydrates are restricted, they are not eliminated, and you can still eat plenty of fat and protein. This diet which allows you to keep your sanity and lose some weight at the same time!	If you do not stay committed to the diet, the possibility of regaining the weight you lose is present, its high in cholesterol, low in vitimins and minerials
Cabbage Soup Diet		based on the claim that cabbage has special fat burning abilities. This has not been scientifically proven, however, and so, many other vegetables will do if you do not like cabbage	you will lose weight and you can also eat as much cabbage soup as you want throughout the diet. If you like cabbage, this will likely prevent you from cheating on the diet. The diet is also short – only seven days!	you may feel low energy levels throughout the diet. The diet is ineffective over the long term and is lacks in vitamins & minerals that are necessary to preserve a healthy body and mind. Only works for short term weight loss
Weight Watchers	Jean Nidetch	is based on the concept that each food item is given a set number of points, and during the day, an individual is allowed to consume a set number of points. The points are assigned based on fat, fibre and calorie content. The points each individual can reach during the day are different for every person, and the type of food allowed to eat to reach that total is not restricted.	helpful support groups, the diet allows you to eat any foods you want, so it is not restrictive, and has proven to be a success not just for those looking to lose weight, but for people looking to acquire good eating habits in general! one of the best.	The weight you will lose off a program such as this one occurs slowly
South Beach Diet	Dr. Agatston	it was intended to help patients avoid the onset or fight heart disease, the diet also promotes weight loss,does not eliminate carbohydrates altogether. Carbohydrates are divided into “good carbohydrate” and “bad carbohydrate” categories	the South Beach Diet has had positive feedback from the scientific community. The diet is said to improve cholesterol and insulin levels. The diet is relatively easy to follow and is nutritionally balanced.	this diet may be restrictive for you, The diet requires a lot of time spent preparing the meals, which may be difficult to do depending on your schedule
Blood Type Diet	Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo	is based on the idea that each of the four main blood types will react differently to different food groups. The reason for this is because each of the different blood types evolved differently and therefore need different nutrition. Despite claims, there is no scientific evidence to support this diet.	Like every other diet which restricts overall caloric intake, you will lose weight in the short term	Aside from not being scientifically proven, the diet is not easy to follow and especially difficult if you wanted to take part in this diet with your loved one or some friends, as each blood type has different

411 on Calories and Food categories

BMR – Your body mass ratio or the speed at which you’re resting body burns calories to provide for its basic survival needs. You can elevate your BMR and more easily achieve lean body mass through consistent exercise, and particularly through aerobic workouts.

Calories: The amount of energy necessary to raise one liter or water one degree Celsius. Caloric deficit is referred to loosing body fat. Caloric surplus refers to gaining muscle mass. The calorie content of most foods is listed on the back of the packaging.

Carbohydrate: A molecule composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. It serves as the body’s primary short – term fuel source.

Good Carbohydrates:

High Fiber Cereals
Wheat Breads
Most Fruits and Vegetables

Bad Carbohydrates:

Cookies
Pasta

Fat – A high energy molecule which provides the body with long – term fuel reserves. Fat also serves as a precursor for many hormones and offers the body varying degrees of insulation and cushioning.

Protein – General term used to describe molecules composed of specific sequences of amino acids. Protein is the body’s primary building material and while small amounts can be manufactured, most must be consumed in the diet.

Muscle tissue feeds off of 25% protein and 75% water.

3,500 calories = 1 pound of weight gain. Anytime you eat more calories than you body burns it is going to be stored for later in the form of fat. So for example, let’s say you eat a piece of cheesecake on a “special” day. That’s an extra 600 calories for that one day alone. Now let’s say that in the same week you go out for fast food. A typical fast food burger is about 500 calories. Now this is a very conservative person. Only 2 cheat foods the whole week! That’s also 1,100 calories over their regular diet. Say this person regularly cheats only on 2 foods a week (many people cheat more than this). This still means that they are going to gain 1lb. every 3 weeks. Which means over a year equates to 15 pounds. Moral of the story is that cheating once in awhile is not okay.

Choose the exercise forms that fits your lifestyle

Benefits of exercise are:

Help raise your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn all day long.
Strengthen bones, especially important for women
Make you stronger and increase muscular endurance
Help you avoid injuries
Increase your confidence and self-esteem

To determine which exercises are best for you please click EXERCISE below:

EXERCISE

Exercise

Name	Premise
P90X	P90x- cheap, no gym membership needed basic – The human body has a way of adapting to what is done to it. That’s why diet and exercise programs always reach plateaus. If a person keeps repeating the same workout, the body adapts, and progress slows. That’s why the P90X workout stands out. The workouts change throughout the program. There is no boredom, and no plateau
Circuit/Interval Training	is a form of high-intensity aerobics and resistance training designed to be easy to follow and target fat loss, muscle building and heart fitness. An exercise “circuit” is one completion of all prescribed exercises in the program. When one circuit is complete, one begins the first exercise again for another circuit. Traditionally, the time between exercises in circuit training is short, often with rapid movement to the next exercise
Kickboxing	Currently, one popular form of kickboxing is known as aerobic or cardiovascular (cardio) kickboxing, which combines elements of boxing, martial arts, and aerobics to provide overall physical conditioning and toning. Unlike other types of kickboxing, cardio kickboxing does not involve physical contact between competitors — it’s a cardiovascular workout that’s done because of its many benefits to the body.
Rumba	Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means “party” or “spree This movement turned into a carovasular workout is fun and a free formed way to workout.
Weight Training	If you want to lose fat or change your body, one of the most important things you can do is lift weights. Diet and cardio are equally important, but when it comes to changing how your body looks, weight training wins hands down. If you’ve hesitated to start a strength training program, it may motivate you to know that lifting weights can:
	· Help raise your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn all day long.
	· Strengthen bones, especially important for women
	· Make you stronger and increase muscular endurance
	· Help you avoid injuries
	· Increase your confidence and self-esteem

Step Three: AIM

Set a realistic goal one that can be continuously altered. Usually I will tell people to set a very low/easily obtainable goal, if you achieve it great! If you over achieve it, that even better. This concept is so that you do not get defeated when you have a week when you do not execute on your plan. Here is where a lot of people get frustrated and quit. It is important to note that usually during the first two weeks you will not see any results. That’s right; it takes your body approximately 10 days to start reacting to any fitness or weight loss action plan. So do not get discourage. I also refer to this time as your lifestyle adaptation period.

Let’s recap for a moment.
Permanent Weight loss takes Diet changes and exercise. Incorporate what you like based on where you are, your body type, your current physical activity state and where you want to be. Take into consideration your culprits. Make it a lifestyle change!

Step Four: ADOPTED ACTION

First begin by journaling. Write it down, track your progress. Write down what you eat and the time of day you eat each meal. This helps to track what works and what doesn’t; it also helps to raise your awareness of your eating habits. Make it a routine. Purge your pantry and refrigerator of foods that you are going to eliminate. Start by reducing your intake at each meal. Tip: eat off of a saucer instead of a plate. It’s important to read food labels, sodium content and the number of calories in some foods will surprise you.

A few last little tips:

Drink a glass of water before each meal. This will assist you with portion control. Note your urine color should be clear with a very slight yellow color. If your urine color is a dark yellow, you need to drink a lot more water daily.
An apple per day really does keep the Doctor away and is a great source of natural fiber. If you don’t like apples, a bowl of oatmeal can do the trick too. You should have a minimum of two bowl movements each day; if you are not, your body could be sluggish and you should consider some sort of colon flushing.
Take a multivitamin daily
Weigh yourself only once per day and try to do it at the same time each day. (First thing in the morning is best)