How are you doing on your New Year's resolutions to eat better  exercise - lose weight? Well, if it's not going like you thought it would, we would like to help.

In the previous three articles, we have discussed "The Problem", "Nutrition", and "Exercise". Now, in this article, we'll discuss "Putting It All Together".

Determine your ideal body weight

The first step to determining what your ideal bodyweight is to have a bodyfat assessment done. Although people commonly use weight charts to find their ideal body weight, these charts are usually a poor choice. Most weight charts are based on actuarial tables from insurance companies.

Actuarial tables establish the risk of death from all causes at any given age for different weights. Some of these tables now provide weight ranges based on whether one possesses a large, medium or small body frame and even though this is an improvement there is still a measure of uncertainty.

To categorize your build, the Sheldon somatotype classification system is preferred over "frame size." This system categorizes the human physique in three general categories:

The average American man is 5'10", weighs 175 pounds, and has 24 percent bodyfat. He has 133 pounds of lean body mass (LBM), which is the part that burns calories. He also has 42 pounds of fat.

Learn More about A Healthy Diet

An ideal bodyfat percentage for men is generally considered to be about 15 percent for non-athletes and 6 percent to 12 percent for athletes. The average American woman is 5'3 ", weighs 135 pounds, and has 33 percent bodyfat.

Many people who think they are overweight are actually over-fat and under-muscled due to inactivity.

Decide on a strategy

To decide on a strategy for a weight loss or weight control program, it's important to know that age, gender, size, somatotype, activity level, and dietary habits influence the relative amounts of fat, bone, and muscle

Learn More on how to Lose Weight

Although we'll be using men to show the dynamics of eating, exercise, weight, and body composition, the same principles apply to woman, but they have the added complexities of female hormones and the relationship between bodyfat, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. In addition, because women are generally smaller and have slower metabolisms, dieting is more likely to result in nutritional deficiencies.

Let's take a look at three average men (Al, Bob, and Cal) who are the same age, size, and body composition to see how their different strategies work for them.

All three men have decided on different weight control and exercise strategies, but will the results be the same? The answer is no. What happens is that although Al and Bob will lose weight initially, when they go back to their "normal" diet (their former maintenance calorie intake), they will, over time, regain the weight they lost.

Whereas Cal, now actually requires more calories to maintain his weight than before he started his program. He also is stronger, more flexible, has more endurance, and less vulnerability to injury and a lower risk of chronic disease. In addition, he actually measures smaller because muscle is denser than fat.

(One pound of muscle takes up a lot less space than one pound of fat.) Al and Bob are in the "yo-yo" dieting trap and will continue to become fatter and heavier, unless they change to use the same strategy as Cal  eating better foods and doing varying types of exercises.

What is your strategy?

The American Heart Association recommends against very-low calorie diets because research indicates that there is actually a higher risk of heart attack to people who "yo-yo" up and down in weight than to people who maintain their weight when obese. Very-low calorie diets cause loss of heart muscle, which can't be regained.

Weight loss and weight control are highly emotionally and culturally charged subjects. There have been many different ideals of beauty and health in history. By looking at the known facts about weight, body composition, and their relationship to health risks, you can develop achievable and healthy goals.

Be sure of your reasons for making the change and get an objective bodyfat analysis to be sure of your actual condition, since many people have a distorted body image.

It's also important to give yourself a reasonable time period to expect changes. Many people get in trouble when they try to lose weight very rapidly. The American Heart Association recommends a maximum weight loss of two pounds per week. This may also vary by the size of the dieter, and the amount of water weight they are carrying.

A common and dangerous practice often used by athletes is exercising wearing multiple layers of clothes or rubber suits, especially during hot or humid weather to "sweat" the weight off. People have also abused laxatives and diuretics for the same purpose.

Excessive loss of water (greater than two percent of body weight) causes dehydration, decreased endurance, and can lead to loss of electrolytes, heat stroke or heat exhaustion, brain damage, and death. Water is also important for fat burning and muscle growth. Electrolytes are minerals essential for proper nerve impulse conduction, heart rhythm, and pH balance in the blood.

In conclusion, there is no magic pill, powder or machine to lose fat and get fit.

The "no nonsense" guide to healthy living and to attain a healthly permanent change in body composition and shape is to "eat healthy and exercise" - eat a healthy, balanced diet that you will adhere to over your lifetime, and exercise regularly by doing aerobic, strength training, and stretching exercises.

 

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