Six Things You Should Know About Weight Loss And Exercise

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Six Things You Should Know About Weight Loss And Exercise

We all know that being overweight comes with significant health risks and can lead to conditions including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. We also know that losing weight can feel like an impossible challenge.

Let’s face it: most of us have succumbed to a quick-fix diet at some stage in our lives. Effective diets that see quick results often include very low-calorie intake, which can get results, fast; however, they are rarely long-term, and the weight can pile back on as quickly as you lost it.

Losing weight isn’t just about quick results and looking better; it is about implementing lifestyle changes that will enable you to improve your overall health and wellbeing and reduce the risk of developing weight-related illnesses in a way that is sustainable long-term. There is no doubt that calorie counting will enable you to lose weight, but increasing your exercise at the same time can make your efforts twice as effective. Here are six things you should know about exercise and diet:

1. Weight loss (and gain) is a simple equation:  in order to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit, which means that the energy that you consume should be less than the energy that you need. By exercising, you burn off more calories, which means that your calorie deficit will be bigger, aiding weight loss.
2. Cardiovascular exercise, such as swimming, walking, jogging, or cycling, is a great way of upping the energy that you spend. Try increasing your step count by a few thousand steps each day to raise your calorie output with very little effort. This is a simple way to improve your health and help you to burn fat.
3. One of the biggest pitfalls of exercising is that we feel as though, if we work hard, we deserve a “treat”. It can take 20 minutes to burn 200 calories on a run; you can eat (or drink) those calories and more in two minutes! Don’t fall into the habit of thinking that, because you have been for a run, you can have that extra slice of cake; try to get into the mindset that you have earned a bigger calorie deficit, rather than the chance for a treat!
4. Have you noticed that, as you drop weight, it is harder to lose weight? This is because, as you get lighter, your body needs less energy to function as your metabolic rate (the rate at which you burn calories) reduces. Basically, when you get thinner, you need fewer calories, so you need to cut calories even more to keep losing weight. A weight loss plateau can be incredibly disheartening, and although it is perfectly normal, it is often the thing that sends quick-fix dieters off the rails; they have been starving for days, weeks or months and seen great results, but once those results slow down, the bad habits sneak in again.  Exercising regularly can help to give your diet a boost; instead of dropping your calories to unsustainable levels, you can up your exercise a little.
5. Weight training and resistance training can help to address the reduced metabolism too, because muscle burns more calories than fat. If you lose weight without exercising at all, you will lose muscle and fat; cardio can help to maintain muscle, but weight training is the biggest lifestyle change that you can make as it will build calorie-burning muscle. With effective weight training, either in the gym or at home, you are not only losing fat, you are gaining muscle, toning up, and boosting your metabolism.  
6. Exercise isn’t just good for your body, it is good for your mind, too. It is proven to improve mental wellbeing; it can reduce mild depression, alleviate stress, improve self-esteem and give you a greater sense of control over yourself and your life. Many people who are overweight or obese have a poor relationship with some food or drinks; they may be prone to bingeing or comfort eating in response to heightened emotions. Exercising can help to remove the cycle of comfort eating by replacing a negative reaction (eating) with one that is positive (exercise).

Today’s society has turned our obsession with weight and weight loss into an industry. However, the fact is, much as we would all love a magic solution, there is no quick fix. If you have a BMI of over 30, or your BMI is between 28 and 30 and you suffer from risk factors such as diabetes or high blood pressure, weight loss pills can help to boost your weight loss, but only if you change your lifestyle, too. By reducing your calories, upping your step count and adding some weight training or resistance training to your routine, you will see long term changes. You will lose weight, develop muscle, feel better about yourself and reduce health risks considerably.

If you would like to know more about whether weight loss pills could help you on your journey to a fitter, healthier you, get in touch.  

Authored on 31 December 2021

Stuart Gale - BSc (hons) MRPharmS

Superintendent Pharmacist and Owner

GPhC Number: 2039889

Reviewed on 31 December 2021

Robert Bradshaw - MRPharms BSc(Hons) Pharmacy

Pharmacist Manager & Lead Clinical Pharmacist

GPhC Number: 2036118