Healthy weight loss

Nearly 30% of Canadians, aged 20 to 64, face possible health risks and premature death because they are overweight. If you’re concerned about your weight, here are some facts you should know.

Back to basics
Your body accumulates excess fat when you consume more calories than you burn as energy. Many of the calories you absorb through food are used to power the normal functions of your body, such as breathing, heart and brain function, and digestion.

The number of calories your body burns while at rest is referred to as your basal metabolic rate. Your basal metabolic rate increases with the amount of muscle tissue you have and decreases as you age.

If you’re interested in losing weight, you have two options:

1. reduce the energy ‘in’ by lowering your calorie consumption

2. increase the energy ‘out’ by burning more calories than you consume (increasing your metabolic rate)

Revving your metabolic engine
Physical activity is one of the most successful ways to burn energy and use up calories – it can increase your metabolic rate by up to 10%. This increase can last for up to 48 hours after you have completed your activity (so you can go home and watch TV after your exercise session and still burn extra calories!).

The number of calories used in any type of exercise depends on your body weight and on the type and intensity of the activity. For example, jogging for 20 minutes burns more calories than a leisurely 20 minute stroll around the block – surprise, surprise!

Not only will physical activity burn more calories, it will also reduce your appetite, so you’ll be less tempted to indulge in junk food and goodies.

Physical activity and calorie reduction – a dynamic duo!
The most effective way to lose weight is to combine physical activity with a calorie-reduced diet.

Research shows that weight loss is more effective through dieting alone than through exercise alone. However, when you rely solely on dieting to lose weight, the weight you lose will be 75% body fat and 25% lean muscle mass.

If you combine dieting with physical activity, you will retain your lean muscle mass and the weight you lose will be almost 98% body fat. Exercise also helps you build muscle, so you can actually burn calories while you’re resting! Once you’ve lost the weight you want, physical activity has been shown to be the most effective means of keeping that weight off.

The benefits of dieting and physical activity are rapidly reversed if you return to your old eating habits or stop your exercise sessions. So, a lifestyle change toward healthy eating habits and regular physical activity is essential for maintaining the proper energy in - energy out balance.

Learn more about getting fit for life.

Learn more about good nutrition and healthy eating.

To make weight loss more effective:

•	Take it slow – aim for a weight loss of one or two pounds a week. Remember to focus on a long-term weight loss goal, rather than a quick fix. Successful weight loss comes from changing your eating and exercise habits for a lifetime.
•	Keep a food diary – write down what you’re eating every day and how much. Include your hunger levels and any emotional responses that may have triggered your need to eat – you’ll be surprised at how much you learn about yourself from your food diary.
•	Strive for a healthy diet – don’t eliminate specific food groups from your meal planning (a high-protein, low carb diet is just not healthy over the long term!).
•	Eat small meals regularly throughout the day – skipping meals just drives you to eat more later.
•	Eat slowly – it can take your brain up to 20 minutes to register feelings of fullness.
•	Treat yourself to your favorite foods once a week and don’t feel guilty – have that bowl of ice cream or a piece of grandma’s fried chicken – you can’t expect to give up treats forever, so learn to eat them in moderation.
•	To make sure that physical activity becomes a part of your lifestyle, choose an activity that you enjoy – you’ll be much more likely to stick with it.
•	Choose a physical activity that lets you put large muscles to work (e.g. arms and legs).
•	If you choose a less demanding, more comfortable activity, increase the time you spend at it – do one hour of moderate walking instead of a half hour of brisk walking.
•	If you can't do a full hour of activity at once, break down your exercise into shorter chunks of time - what counts is the total "energy out."

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