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People often stigmatize being overweight and obese, and this can have adverse effects on one’s mental health and one’s ability to receive proper treatment from others.
What is Healthy or Ideal Weight?
First of all, how do you know you’re overweight? The BMI healthy weight calculator gives you a personal calorie guide to help you achieve a healthful weight safely. The BMI of overweight and obese individuals are as follows:
- Overweight: 25.0 to 29.9
- Obese: 30 to 39.9
- Overly obese: 40 or above
These calculations, however, may be slightly inaccurate for athletes whose body has a significant amount of muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat.
Why the Need to Lose Weight?
Obesity is prevalent in today’s society among children and adults. It is a chronic condition where there is an excessive or abnormal accumulation of fat due to an imbalance between your energy (calorie) intake and energy expenditure. So, if you eat more than you burn, your body will store the energy as fat.
Overweight individuals need to lose weight to avoid serious health complications such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, fatty liver, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, gallstone disease, high cholesterol, gout, and many types of cancer. If left unattended, obesity can further lead to increased disability and even the risk of premature death.
Benefits of Exercise and Select Diets
The motivation to lose weight is mainly for health reasons. Losing weight means taking in fewer calories than the amount your body metabolizes. Therefore, you need a combination of an exercise plan and a diet plan to decrease body weight. Studies show that a lifestyle with proper exercise and diet can remarkably influence body fitness and brain function. There is also evidence that shows the effects of exercise and nutrient-dense diets on the management of energy metabolism and synaptic plasticity.
Research suggests that weight loss induced by exercise plus diet has beneficial effects on our body’s Acylated Ghrelin (AG) concentration and Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), essential factors demonstrating the benefits of a weight-loss program. Another study proves that diligent exercise and proper food intake can lower the accumulation of kidney stones.
Exercise Plan to Lose Weight
We can easily spot an unhealthful weight. Belly fat and increased waistline circumference tell you you definitely need fat loss exercises, because regular exercise helps with balance, strength, and fitness. Research data show that caloric restriction plus a combination of exercise, both aerobic and resistance, is a requirement to lose weight and maintain weight loss.
An exercise plan should start with simple exercises to establish a routine and help motivate you to lose weight and maintain weight loss.
- Indoor exercises for beginners include :
Dancing – groove for about 15 to 30 minutes.
Bodyweight training – 10-15 minutes of 5 incline push-ups, 5 chair squats, and 5 lunges for 2 to 3 sets.
Online workouts for beginners.
Shadowboxing – if dancing is not your cup of tea, videos are available online. - Outdoor exercises – aqua jogging (in a pool), running, walking, swimming, and cycling are excellent exercises to lose weight, get your heart rate up, and enjoy a good dose of fresh air.
- Pilates – 30 minutes, three times a week of this exercise can improve body composition in overweight individuals.
- Yoga – an overall therapeutic program to promote weight loss by teaching mindfulness to resist unhealthful foods, understand your hunger signals, and control overeating.
After a few months of simple exercises, it’s now easier to move up to more physically demanding exercise plans.
- Weight lifting – a gym trainer can assist in prescribing the proper weights.
- Cardio exercises – start with fewer repetitions and gradually increase them.
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – an intensive exercise program that can burn more calories in a shorter period of time.
Diet Plan For Weight Loss
Interestingly, there are individuals who are overweight, yet they’re not the type who overeat. Why is this so? This is because of endocrine changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary hormones. A diet plan composed of nutritionally balanced foods and the best diet for weight loss can help such individuals to lose weight.
A diet plan for weight loss is also helpful in supporting physiological functions to avoid sickness.
- Low-carb/High-Protein diet – studies reveal that a low-carb diet can induce rapid weight loss for the first 6 to 12 months because a low-carb diet can help reduce appetite. Low carbohydrate load is defined as <26% carbohydrates, or less than < 130 gm/day. Diets higher in protein improve body composition and metabolic health during weight loss. Read more here how to use carb blockers for dieting.
- Bean-based High-fiber diet – Beans can delay the return of hunger since it makes you feel full. It contains more fiber than other fiber sources.
- Intermittent Fasting – you can eat what you like within a certain time window. Some popular methods of IF are: the 16:8 method, the 5:2 diet, the Warrior diet, Eat Stop Eat, and the alternate-day fasting (ADF).
- DASH diet – this is especially for those with high blood pressure. This diet plan provides daily and weekly nutritional goals.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – This can help people with type 2 diabetes.
- Dietary supplements – Find your best weight loss supplements.
Shed that fat slowly but surely by embarking on healthful ways to lose weight with a sustainable exercise plan and diet plan.