The Senior Walking Fitness Blog

Hello Everybody,

 

 

 

 

Many of us want to lose weight, but there is a question to be answered first.  ‘How much weight should I lose?’ It will, of course, depend on why you want to lose it. If you are obese it is for your health and you should try to lose a lot. If you have put on a few pounds over a holiday you may just want to get back to the weight you were before, but was that really the best weight for you?

 

The most popular way of assessing healthy weight is by checking your Body Mass Index (BMI). To find BMI just search online for ‘BMI Calculator’ and you will find many sites. Most have a box into which you type your height and weight and it will give you your BMI number. From this you can see where you are on a simple scale:

Underweight is less than 18.5

Normal weight is 18.5 to 24.9

Obesity is 30 and above.

This is for adults. Children have different charts where age is taken into consideration. BMI is a good guide and is good enough for most people, but there are problems with it. BMI can give inaccurate results when it compares people with high muscle mass with people with high fat levels and can indicate that the athlete is less fit than the couch potato.

 

There is another method, the Waist-hip ratio (WHR) which some people prefer. This takes into consideration the differences between men and women and calculates their risks of cardiovascular problems. You measure the smallest circumference of your waist and divide this by the circumference of your hips at their widest.  The figure you get is your WHR.

Risk of cardiovascular problems. Men:

Less than 0.9 low risk.

0.9 to 0.99 moderate risk.

1 and above high risk.

 

Risk of cardiovascular problems. Women:

Less than 0.8 low risk.

0.8 to 0.89 moderate risk.

0.9 and above high risk.

You will find that as your waist measurement reduces your WHR improves.

 

After checking BMI, WHR or both you will have an idea of your target weight. Even if you are within the BMI normal range try to avoid the upper or lower levels and keep somewhere around the middle. So having found where you should be you may want to diet to achieve it. A good long term diet that drops your weight not more than 2 pounds a week is the way to go. If you have only a few pounds to lose, or would like to start with a quick result, a fast weight loss diet lasting two or three weeks is unlikely to do you harm. Never yo-yo diet with a series of fast weight loss diets, or keep using one for a long period. That is a health risk and is unlikely to achieve the permanent results you want. Just check your BMI or WHR, find out how much weight you should lose, exercise and eat healthy food and you will achieve your goal.

 

 

See you soon,

 

Peter Stockwell

 

31 January 2012

 

Photo. Podiceps60 (Flickr)

 

 

Technorati Tags: body mass index, fast weight loss, healthy weight loss, waist hip ratio, what should I weigh

Hello Everybody,

 

  

 

 

Everybody wants the best weight loss program. But is the best weight loss program for women any different to one for men? Both want to lose weight and with the right diet and exercise they can do it. In the US and the UK there are a lot of overweight people.  Fewer women are overweight than men, but only about 10 percent fewer, which suggests that they both have the same life style. This is to be expected as most families live the same way and eat the same food. So why have a special weight loss program for women?

 

One reason is that there are differences in dietary needs between men and women. Women tend to need fewer calories each day than men who are taller and more muscular. Women should eat more iron and calcium, men more protein. There are behavioural differences as well. Women comfort eat, men comfort drink. The difference in body shape also has an effect on the dietary needs of men and women. Women naturally carry more fat on their bodies, so it is more difficult for them to lose weight. This is not the case with men who are able to lose weight faster.

 

So what is the best weight loss program for women? It need not be so different to one for men except for additional iron and calcium. For iron you can eat legumes, such as common beans or chickpeas, artichokes and grass fed beef (in moderation). For calcium eat gruyere cheese, yoghurt and non fat milk. Both iron and calcium is obtainable as off the shelf supplements. But I suggest you eat a balanced diet and avoid spending money on expensive supplements.

 

If you are looking for just a diet the Mediterranean diet is my favourite and is fine for both men and women. Many recipes will contain women’s iron and calcium requirements but just make sure you are including them on a daily basis. If you want help with your dieting the Weight Watchers program is for you. It is not only a good diet but can provide the type of support and social interaction women enjoy.

 

All weight loss programs are helped greatly by regular exercise. If a man wants to lose weight he thinks of the gym, maybe even before thinking about his diet. A woman probably thinks of a diet. Although some women do go to the gym most would prefer to walk or jog each day. A woman with a young child will get a lot of exercise just caring for the child anyway. She should get as much regular exercise as she can manage and if she can’t manage much make sure she keeps to her diet.

 

The best weight loss program for women depends on what they want but is probably Weight Watchers. For those with no time or interest in attending meetings it is still possible to follow a Weight Watchers diet. But if you like good food and even an occasional glass of wine the Mediterranean diet is a good choice. Both of these are long term lifestyle changing diets. Fast weight loss is another story. There are plenty of available diets, check them out and so long as you only use them for a short time they are unlikely to do you harm. But for long term safe weight loss Weight Watchers or the Mediterranean diet is the way to go.

 

See you soon,

 

Peter Stockwell

 

23 January 2012

 

Photo. Nohobot (Flickr)

Technorati Tags: best weight loss program, best womens diet, fitness for women, how women lose weight, weight loss for women, womens weight loss

Hello Everybody,

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas is over, 2012 is here and many of us have proved that being overweight is not the result of bad genes or big bones. It is the result of sitting around eating too much. An excellent New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, and as resolutions seldom last long, a fast weight loss program is a good way to begin. You will see results and be encouraged to make the lifestyle change which is the only way of maintaining your weight loss over time.

 

For a many years we have been told fast weight loss programs are often dangerous and do not work long term. This is true but research is now showing that if you use the right program for a short time it can help you start an effective long term weight loss diet. George Blackman, associate director of nutrition at Harvard Medical School says that most people who lose weight only maintain 5-15 percent of their loss. They do better if they get down to the weight they desire and then try to maintain it.

 

What is the best way of losing weight fast? There are many fast weight loss programs that work.  Have a look and see if there is one for you. Do avoid obvious fad diets with extravagant claims, and look very hard at the latest promoted celebrity diet before you try it and regret it. The sort of thing which is worth a try is the diet proposed by Blogger Tim Ferris.

 

This is a shortened version which you can follow for three or four weeks.

 

Avoid ‘white’ carbohydrates: That is white bread, rice, cereal, potatoes, pasta, fried food with breading or anything else white.

 

Repeat just a few different meals: Cook using one of the ingredients from each of the following groups in every meal.

 

Proteins.:

Egg whites with one whole egg for flavour.

Chicken breast or thigh.

Grass-fed organic beef.

Pork.

 

Legumes:

Lentils.

Black beans.

Pinto beans.

 

Vegetables:

Spinach.

Asparagus.

Peas.

Mixed vegetables.

 

Eat as much as you like of these food items. Just stick to three or four meals you like and repeat them in whatever order you prefer.

 

Drink Water and low calorie drinks: Drink a lot of water. You can also have iced tea, tea, diet sodas, black coffee. Do not drink milk, normal soft or fizzy drinks or fruit juice.

 

Take one day off a week:  Tim Ferris recommends that you take one day off a week and eat what you want. He has good reasons for this and in principal it is a good idea. I would suggest you don’t spend an afternoon working through a fast food menu. Eat what you like in moderation and you will be fine.

 

The Tim Ferris diet is one of the fast weight loss programs that work. It is sensible and can have dramatic results. But be aware that Tim also exercises – he exercises a lot. It is important that you too have as much exercise as you can manage. Try brisk walking or any other exercise you enjoy for one hour each day.  Spend half an hour morning and half an hour evening if it is easier for you. This can be a big commitment but remember to lose weight quickly you need only do it for three or four weeks.

 

So we are back to the findings of Harvard Medical School. Drop your weight fast with the Tim Ferris diet or another diet you enjoy. Then carry on with a safe long term lifestyle changing diet like Weight Watchers or the Mediterranean diet. These still need some exercise for best results, but half an hour a day should be enough. Then you will see results and best of all maintain them for as long as you want.

 

 

See you soon,

 

Peter Stockwell

 

6 January 2012

 

Photo. Hampshire Hippy (Flickr)

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: fast weight loss, healthy weight loss, lose weight, lose weight fast, low carb diets