Principles of Weight Control – Part One

Exercise and Weight Loss: Important Considerations

The success for any weight loss programs depends on a person’s ability to make two main lifestyle modifications. Improve their eating habits, and participate in an appropriate amount of regular physical exercise.

Unfortunately, many people are not successful at losing wight because they make major changes to their diet without changing their activity patterns. Researchers estimate that 87 percent of people who try to lose weight by following a fasting-type program of calorie restriction (less than 1200 calories per day) without including an exercise program will gain the weight back within two years. Furthermore, the weight that is regained after the diet is stopped is often fat, not muscle.

Sure, low calorie diets seem to work miracles in the beginning, as weight is lost quickly. Studies have proven, however, that during low calorie diets the wrong kind of weight is being lost: muscle tissue (especially the water stored in muscle), not fat weight. When a person loses muscle mass, their metabolism slows down, so they burn less calories every day. In addition, research has shown that dieting can have a negative effect on a person’s weight control mechanism, and can also disrupt the function of the liver, kidneys and the gall bladder.

For these reasons, it is clear that trying to lower body fat by dieting alone can lead to many serious health complications. Consequently, the only safe and effective way to reduce body fat and keep it off is to combine healthy eating habits with a moderately intense, personalized exercise program.