Diet and Weight Loss FAQ : www.Hateweight.com

Diet and Weight Loss FAQs

Your Body

1.	What's my ideal weight?
	Body Mass Index [BMI] is one way to determine your weight. It is based on your height and weight. This is more accurate than the traditional insurance company height weight charts. There are several other methods too. The 'gold standard' is under water weighing. Other methods include bod pod, which involves air displacement and skin fold measurements.
	You should understand that no formula could calculate your ideal body weight perfectly. This is due to variations in our bone structure or frame sizes.
	Today, BMI is the most popular method for calculating your weight. Reversing your BMI formula that is instead of using your height and weight to calculate your BMI index, use the height alone to estimate a weight range for the Normal Weight BMI category.
	The Hamwi Formula
	This formula of Dr.GJ Hamwi has become popular since it was published in the American Diabetes Association in 1964. The formulas are:
	For women: 100 lb for the first 5 ft; 5 lb for each inch over 5 ft
	For men: 100 lb for the first 5 ft; 6 lb for each inch over 5 ft
2.	How fast should I plan to lose weight?
	Crash dieting cannot help you in any phase of your life. The faster you lose weight, the easier it gets to win back all of it and even more. So never, go on a crash diet. A good diet will help you take care of yourself and your diet where as a crash diet will only set you up for failure.
	People who follow a crash diet lose weight fast but once they are out of it, they gain almost immediately. If you are looking out for a long-term health program, which would benefit you, opt for a good health plan where you don't have to sacrifice on healthy foods and regular exercises. Losing more than a pound in a week or two weeks is not good for your body. You will end up losing muscles too. And muscle burns more calories than fat. The more muscles you have, the more calories you can burn. If you are going on a crash diet, your body thinks that it's starving and slows down the metabolism to conserve energy. Crash diets can only be safe if it is taken under the instructions of a medical practitioner.
	So it is always better to resort to low calorie programs or go on a healthy diet, which emphasizes on taking more fiber, vitamins and minerals. Go in for a gradual weight loss plan as it will have longer effect and will do well to your body. Don't encourage a crash diet unless it becomes a necessity.
3.	Is exercise important for weight loss?
	The importance of exercise
	Our bodies run on blood sugar [glucose] and fat circulating in the blood. When we work out, the blood sugar level in the body decreases. Hormones are send out to instruct the fat cells to release fat in to our blood. The fat circulates in the muscles, which need it as its fuel. Finally, we end up losing fat in our bodies.
	Exercise is the best form of weight loss method, which has always been in fashion. There are no side effects, no diet plans, no cutting down on carbs or proteins but only good workouts and healthy food. Pamper your self with all kinds of food, but in limited quantities. Take to any form of physical exercise but be sure to stay away from injuries. Get the confidence back, which you had lost because of the weight loss problems.
	Merits of exercise
	Regular exercise influences your body to lose more weight. Apart from the physical benefits, it gives you mental strength, self-esteem and confidence. It influences your life patterns and helps you fight stress. Dieting can bring you depression, tiredness and anxiety. And exercise can get rid of this. Regular work out sessions will keep you away from diseases related to the heart, osteoporosis and diabetes.
	Various exercises for your health
	Walking is the best exercise to begin with. It is one of the safest and most effective exercises for your body. All you need to go for a walk is a pair of good shoes. If you are not familiar with brisk walking, go slow on it. Don't try to walk for one hour on the first day itself. Instead, begin with a good ten minutes. As days pass, increase your timing as well as your speed. Drink plenty of water before, at the time and after your walking session. This exercise is for all your body parts. Weight loss is gradual but effective. With proper food intake during regular intervals, you can expect wonderful results from walking.
	Running and jogging is another form of shedding those extra kilos. Though strenuous in the beginning, with practice you can tone your body to get a very healthy look. Since leg injuries are common in running and jogging, care should be taken when buying the shoes. Running and swimming improves your respiratory capacity and your circulatory system.
	Other forms of exercise include aerobics, exercises for your leg, calf, shoulder, abs etc. Try out all the workouts and see what suits your body. If you can get adjusted to walking, it is the perfect exercise to start with. And you could continue this exercise for long-term benefits.
4.	How can I raise my metabolism?
	The three simple ways to raise your metabolic rate are:
	Lean tissue burns more calories than body fat tissue. So increase the percentage of lean tissue in your body Be physically active. This burns calories and helps develop more lean tissues Eat nutritious foods. High sugar foods may decrease metabolism
	Another way to increase your metabolism is through exercise. Your energy requirements will be increased through exercise and the metabolism will increase. Your body will use the stored fat for energy and speed up weight loss. But if you eat, too much your body will store the excess energy in the form of fat. So it is important to restrict your calories too. But when people go on a diet, the metabolism actually slows down so that the body can conserve energy. This is the reason why weight loss slows down when dieting.
	It is important to be active. You will have a positive approach to life. You will sleep better, maintain a good body weight and above all reduce the risk of obesity and stroke. A high potency B-complex vitamin can help you give some extra energy to stay active.
	Don't take up any artificial drugs to increase your rate of metabolism. Natural ways give the best results. But if you do want to try out certain herbs or drugs, consult a doctor before you begin.
	Eat frequently
	Don't skip your meals. Try to have healthy snacks in between. You can get rid of hunger pangs and maintain metabolism efficiency by eating well. Usually when we skip meals, our bodies think they are starving and slow down the metabolism to conserve energy. So to stay healthy eat five to six times a day. Three meals and three snacks will keep you healthy. If we keep eating many times a day, it increases our metabolism. However, see to it that you snack only on healthy foods. And don't be tempted to overeat. When you have frequent meals, try to reduce the food quantity.
	It is noted that metabolism decreases with age. This is because of the decrease in muscle mass as people age.
5.	Could my weight problem be genetic?
	Genetics can affect the distribution of body fat and have genetic predisposition to being over weight or under weight. Obesity does run in families, signifying that it may have a genetic cause. But family members share genes as well as a common diet and lifestyle habits, which could add to obesity. And dividing these lifestyle factors and genetic ones is often difficult. Studies prove that genetic factors play a major role in determining obesity.
	You cannot always blame it on the genetic factors but also on the environmental factors, which contribute to it. This shows how our eating habits and exercise patterns play a role in weight gain. We cannot change the genetic make up but we can change what we eat and improve our activity levels. You could also:
	Choose nutritious meals which are low fat Recognize environmental cues that make you want to eat more and stay away from it Become physically more active
6.	How does body fat differ on men and women?
	Men have larger frames than women do. So it is believed that men can carry their weight. But being over weight is not acceptable. Studies show that body fat that is distributed around the waist is detrimental to your health.
	Women have the tendency to store fat around their hips, buttocks and thighs. It gives a pear like structure to their body. They also store fat closer to the skin surface, which increases their tendency to form cellulite. Cellulite is caused by fatty tissue pushing through an irregular pattern in the connective tissue beneath your skin.
	Men store fat around their waists. And they usually have an apple like shape to their bodies. Some times, fat surrounds the abdominal organs and this is considered more dangerous. It could lead to obesity related diseases. Women can also store fat around their waists and men on their thighs and hips.
7.	My waist! Hips! Thighs! Does spot reducing work?
	The weight always shows up in places we don't want. For men it is usually around the waist and for women it is near the buttocks, thighs and hips. We put on weight at specific places and genetics play a vital role in determining where the weight will be concentrated.
	When we are on a weight loss program, the first place where we lose weight is our face. Spot exercising, training particular areas of the body etc will not help reduce weight because exercise draws on fat stores through out the body. Don't rely on bust developers, vacuum pants and exercise belts. They are of no use in reducing fat. You get electric pads to wrap around the waist, arms or thighs. It causes fires and burns.
	Many women try to reduce fat in their thighs with creams. There is so far no evidence of these creams being effective. The immediate effect is due to constriction of blood vessels and fluid loss.
	Liposuction helps reduce fat in specific areas to a certain extend. Through the skin, specific instruments are inserted to remove the fat. The pain after the operation can be unbearable.
	You burn those calories and the fat will burn from all the places in your body. Just that the weight may shed only later from your thighs and hips.
	If you are a health conscious person, you should watch the fat in milk. Because, a gram of fat contains more than twice as many calories as a gram of protein or carbohydrate. Whole milk is high in fat. That's why people ask especially for milk low if fat.
8.	And what about cellulite?
	Cellulite's are bumps in the skin made by too many fat cells growing too large and stretching the natural fiber compartments which hold the skin to the underlying layers of tissue.
	Women have it more than men do. And it appears on the thighs or buttocks. There s nothing much you can do about it. You can have cellulites even if you are not obese. Though there are some exercises and creams to sooth the main effect on appearance, it does not solve the underlying problem.
	Liposuction helps reduce fat from specified areas. However, the pain after the surgery can be unbearable. But liposuction is not a treatment for the cellulite, as it does not alter the appearance of the skin. The little good news is that cellulite does not pose any health threat.
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