Weight loss is a popular topic of conversation in gym lockers and kitty parties alike. Losing extra weight and getting in shape seems almost an universal obsession. If you are a night owl and happen to surf the television channels, you must have come across the teleshopping ads, which sells ridiculous weight loss pills and gyan; if you believe them, drinking a particular kind of tea is going to literally cut your excess fat and give you a bikini body; Aah! If only wishes were horses, beggars would ride. The craze to lose weight easily has fulled the growth of these pretentious industries; the catch here is easily. Losing weight is not easy; a casual glance, at the world around you is proof enough.
In the quest to lose weight fast, people take up all sort of fad diets; some researchers have revolutionised the weight loss industry by devising the miracle diet-the panacea for your weight problems. Volumetrics, Atkins, Zone and what not; every diet promising to better the rest.
Weight Loss, in principle, is very simple. If output is greater than input, you lose weight. In other words, if you expend more calories than you eat, you will lose weight over a period of time. So the most simple method of weight loss would be starvation. But in reality it does not hold true; you may lose a few kilos if you give up food for a few days, but it cannot be a method to lose weight; first because it is not practical and second it is not healthy. And it does not work.
Most people on a diet, lose the first few pounds quite easily; the difficulty is in sustaning the weight loss and preventing the lost weight from coming back. As you start eating less, the body's metabolism slows down; it is an evolutionary trait developed to sustain life in times of food scarcity; the life saving trait is also a heart wrenching one for overweight and obese persons. The secret to lose weight is eating lesser calories and maintaining a high BMR. The best way to do it is by incorporating an exercise program. Aerobic and cardiovascular training is the traditional method of losing fat; long, steady state cardio of low to moderate intensity. It works, but sometimes it does become a tad monotonous. HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is the new age mantra of weight loss training. It basically involves alternating between high intensity and low intensity training; it saves time and works. The added advantage of HIIT is that it increases the BMR; you tend to burn more calories post your exercise session.
Resistance training, though traditionally not advocated for weight loss, is a great way to lose weight; you burn a lot of calories during the workout and after it. Besides the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you expend. A person with higher proportion of muscle will burn more calories, because muscle requires more calories to sustain. So its a classic win-win situation.
So, if I summarise it would seem that a healthy diet coupled with regular weight training and cardio is the key to losing weight. Well in theory yes; it is the practical part which is difficult.
In the quest to lose weight fast, people take up all sort of fad diets; some researchers have revolutionised the weight loss industry by devising the miracle diet-the panacea for your weight problems. Volumetrics, Atkins, Zone and what not; every diet promising to better the rest.
Weight Loss, in principle, is very simple. If output is greater than input, you lose weight. In other words, if you expend more calories than you eat, you will lose weight over a period of time. So the most simple method of weight loss would be starvation. But in reality it does not hold true; you may lose a few kilos if you give up food for a few days, but it cannot be a method to lose weight; first because it is not practical and second it is not healthy. And it does not work.
Most people on a diet, lose the first few pounds quite easily; the difficulty is in sustaning the weight loss and preventing the lost weight from coming back. As you start eating less, the body's metabolism slows down; it is an evolutionary trait developed to sustain life in times of food scarcity; the life saving trait is also a heart wrenching one for overweight and obese persons. The secret to lose weight is eating lesser calories and maintaining a high BMR. The best way to do it is by incorporating an exercise program. Aerobic and cardiovascular training is the traditional method of losing fat; long, steady state cardio of low to moderate intensity. It works, but sometimes it does become a tad monotonous. HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is the new age mantra of weight loss training. It basically involves alternating between high intensity and low intensity training; it saves time and works. The added advantage of HIIT is that it increases the BMR; you tend to burn more calories post your exercise session.
Resistance training, though traditionally not advocated for weight loss, is a great way to lose weight; you burn a lot of calories during the workout and after it. Besides the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you expend. A person with higher proportion of muscle will burn more calories, because muscle requires more calories to sustain. So its a classic win-win situation.
So, if I summarise it would seem that a healthy diet coupled with regular weight training and cardio is the key to losing weight. Well in theory yes; it is the practical part which is difficult.
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