Steps to Weight Loss

Copyright David Blair 2009

1. Identify what you really want - Purpose/ Goals/ Commitment

2. Change the way you think - Thought Processes/ Set backs

3. Gain Support- Support/ Diary/ Monitor Progress/ Rewards

4. Identify what sabotages you - Saboteurs (you & others)/ Eating Triggers

5. Decrease Total Calories Consumed Eat Regularly - Eat Regularly (5-6 meals per day)

6. Decrease High-Fat Foods

7. Eat Low GI & High Fibre Carbohydrates

8. Increase your Protein Intake

9. Decrease your Alcohol consumption

10. Increase Aerobic Exercise

11. Do Weight Training

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1. Identify What you Really Want?

Your attitude towards weight loss is far more powerful than the plan you put in place. With the right education and no quick-fix, ineffective programs, this book will provide you with the tools and support to reach your weight loss targets. Your attitude, however, is the key!

The solution is to begin with the end in mind. What is it that you really want? Whatever your commitment, it needs to be sustainable for life.

Ask yourself, what is the real reason that you want to lose weight? If the answer is for your partner or another person, then you are not likely to succeed. It needs to be for you!

It might be for health reasons, to improve the quality of your life, to feel more comfortable with yourself or it might be for a special event. Note: If your purpose for weight loss is a special event, such as a wedding, ensure that you have a definite plan in place to maintain your results after that special event, as all too often, the event passes and the commitment is lost.

Whatever the reason, you need strong motive and purpose so that when times get tough you can use that strength of purpose to keep on going. Without a strong purpose it is very difficult to maintain your focus. Inconsistent outcomes are due to an inconsistent focus.

If you do not have a strong desire to succeed, maybe now is not the time to begin!

"Purpose - For the past two years, I hadn’t exercised or played any sport, was unfit, overweight and had been put on blood pressure medication. Although this still didn’t make me realize that I needed to make a change in my lifestyle, this came at the beginning of this year when I tipped the scales at 90kg. This made me realize that I needed to do something about my weight for my health.

Nearly five months on I have lost nearly 20kg, I have dropped a couple of sizes, and I'm feeling great about what I have achieved so far. My Body looks totally different, my fitness level has improved and is at the best it's ever been. Most of all I feel great and I have more confidence."

Natalie Sproule

"At first, losing weight was my ultimate goal. As I have continued through this journey I have come to the realisation that exercise is not just about fixating on weight loss but rather goal setting to achieve personal success. Personal success for me means losing weight, being a healthier individual and a happier person. Exercise is not only a means to an ultimate end for me now. I love being active and “get cranky” when I don’t exercise! ???"

Sarah Threadingham – Albany Creek

Not having a vision of what you want is like going on a trip without any consideration to where you are going or what you want to do or see. You will end up somewhere but probably not where you want and spend a lot of time getting there and wandering around aimlessly once you arrive. With a clear vision of where you are going, your trip will be more direct and have the desired outcome.

Goals

The mind is a ‘goal-seeking mechanism’. Whatever you desire, with sincere intention, will be delivered to you. Unfortunately, most people use this energetic power to their detriment, focusing on what they don’t want rather than what they do want.

An example of a positive goal is: On the 30 th June 20XX, I am at 18% body fat and I am a size 12; as opposed to I need to lose 12 kg of body fat/ weight by 30 th June 20XX.

If you link a goal to your purpose, there is a far greater chance of success. A goal without purpose is like a spur of the moment, ‘New Years Resolution’ with little chance of success.

Your goals must be SMART:

"My initial goals were to lose some weight and improve a physical problem, resulting from a knee injury. Within 4 months I had achieved my desired weight loss in time to feel good about myself and my image at my 50 th birthday party.

During the following period I set new goals to work on my upper body strength and continue to remedy my knee problem. My recent assessment was my best ever and the major changes I have experienced from this personal training include feeling physically and mentally stronger; being able to move more confidently and receiving lots of compliments about the new me."

Moira McDade – Kelvin Grove

"With the goal/ purpose of getting back into orienteering and making a permanent healthier lifestyle change, I decided on two personal training sessions a week. The first 14 months or so were fun but quite hard. Unaccustomed to the rigors of the sessions, parts of my body took to revolting and a couple of times I had to take short spells for recovery. 14 months later changes to my body shape, flexibility and strength are noticeably different. I feel great, sleep well, have tons of energy and no lower back pain. After a day of hard work in the garden my back may be sore, but the next day – nothing. It is so good. ???"

Margaret Moore

Goals are like sign posts on your journey. They allow you to keep ‘on track’ and moving in the direction toward what it is you want.

Commitment to Change

Change can be difficult but by creating a strong support base together with the education provided in this book and a strong reason (purpose), you can become a person who exercises regularly, eats well and loses weight successfully.

Be passionate and purposeful in your commitment to change. Stop procrastinating and talking about what you're going to do when the time is right. It’s time to change – now!

There are some things you can't change and other things that you can. The key is to focus on what you can change and forget the rest. Invest your physical and emotional energy where you will get the best return for your effort. When you have identified what you can change, create action and f inish what you start. Many people spend their life not finishing stuff. If that's you, that is the first thing to change. Do it now!

"Commitment Then it happened - I was getting dressed to go out and stood looking at myself in the mirror. I was so disgusted by what I saw that I realised it was now or never!"

Amanda Jones

"I felt that now in my late 20’s it was time to make a commitment to get my body into the shape I desired."

Dean Andreopoulos – North Sydney

Action Steps

• Decide what it is you really want (purpose)
• Set SMART goals in line with your purpose
• Make a commitment to the process and the necessary changes

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2. Change the Way You Think (Thought Processes)

Change your Thinking – Change You!

Your success is influenced by the communication you have with yourself. You become what you think about including your body weight and shape. Your weight is directly influenced by the way you think. The more that you can maintain a positive focus and remain motivated the more success you will experience.

Your thinking is largely influenced by your beliefs. Beliefs are not right or wrong, they are effective or not. If you have a belief that is not supportive of you, you need to change the belief.

Your thought processes are not only what you say to yourself (self-talk) but also include the pictures, sounds, smell, feelings and tastes that you experience. In order to create change, positive self-talk is not enough, all 6 components (taste and smell to a lesser extent) of focus must be positive. Consider what it will feel like to be like this. How will you move, play with the kids, what will your energy levels be like ……

Creating Change
The 4 steps to bring about a change are awareness, focus, support and action.

Awareness
Become aware of what it is you need to change. We are boxed in by our boundaries (conditions) of our thinking, e.g. environment, conditions, patterns, programming.

Focus
Change the way you do things by changing your neural pathway (habit) immediately. You need to be committed to the process of change. It’s not enough to consciously decide to make a change. Change happens at the unconscious level immediately. Everything prior to the change is just a lead up or a set-up.

Support
Gain the support of your Circle of Support (see page xxx)

Action
We create via our actions or not. ‘Fall in love’ with doing what is necessary to accomplish your goals, e.g. eating well, exercising.

All problems and solutions are created in your imagination. You can’t change a problem with the same thought process that created the problem.

" It is all in my mind really. It’s what I think that makes the difference."

David Laws - Leichhardt

Your thoughts are like energy with varying frequencies. This energy will attract other energy with a similar frequency. If your thoughts and actions are positive, you will attract positive support and outcomes.

Action Steps

• Become aware of your thinking
• Implement positive self-talk and thoughts
• Visualise the outcome

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3. Gain Support

Support

One of the keys to acquiring a new habit is to create an environment of support. It is important to do what you can to control your environment.

Form a circle of support around you. Ideal people to provide this support include family, friends, co-workers and/ or a coach. They are generally people that want to help but sometimes they may not know how.

Ask for help!

Identify what support you want and from whom you want that support. Give specific requests for assistance from your circle of support. This may be to: maintain a positive attitude; provide encouragement; comment on your progress (or lack of); ask about your progress; allow you to discuss openly your challenges at any particular time; keeping the living environment relaxed (stress-free); forgiving lapses; assisting with meal preparation; be an exercise partner.

Be aware that friends and partners can keep you in a negative ‘holding pattern’, sometimes without even knowing they are doing so. Be careful to surround yourself where possible with people who will support you in a positive way.

"With the support and encouragement of my family and friends and my great Personal Best trainer! – I’m determined to keep going to reach my goal weight and continue to be healthy and active!"

Dayna Andreussi

"I have more weight to lose and have set further fitness goals to achieve. I am currently training to complete a half marathon! I know I will do it because I believe in myself and have excellent support from my friends at Personal Best."

Sarah Threadingham

Imagine trying to start a business without the assistance or support of an accountant, lawyer, educators and other people who have already done what you want to do. It is possible but it is so much easier to surround yourself with people who can help and support you in your quest.

Participants that regularly attended counseling sessions lost more weight than those who didn’t. Dieters attended two-thirds of sessions over 2 years lost about 10 kg of weight as compared to the average weight loss of 4.1 kg. These findings suggest that continued contact with participants to help them achieve their goals may be more important than the macronutrient composition of their diets. F Sacks & et al. Diets that reduce calories. Harvard School of Public Health (2009)

Diary

A diary can support you in your efforts to reach your goals. It has been shown that people who keep food diaries lost twice as much weight than those who did not. The main reason being that people tend to eat less when they are recording what they eat and it helps uncover patterns and behaviours that may be counter-productive.

I recommend that you maintain a diary for 2 week periods at least every 6 weeks. This will: create an awareness of the amount and quality of food that you eat; uncover eating or food triggers; look for high risk situations that trigger eating; establish eating times and any other patterns that may be present; create an awareness of the level of activity and exercise.

Monitor your Progress

Measurements should be taken consistently to monitor your progress and keep you accountable. Select a set time and day that you can check your progress each week. Some indicators, for example, body composition measurements or items of clothing, may be checked less regularly.

Examples of means of measurement include:

• Items of clothing, e.g. jeans, belt, dress.
• Body measurements, e.g. Body mass Index, Waist-to-Hip ratio, Body Girths, Body Composition (Body Fat %), Body Weight.
• Photograph

Reward yourself – reward yourself along the way with each (& any) goal you reach. Congratulate yourself. Be nice to yourself. You deserve it. – you’ve earned it.

If at any time, whether during the weight loss phase or thereafter, you find you gain weight, respond immediately. Return to your plan that helped you gain the results in the first place. It may be necessary to monitor your eating and exercise/ activity regime for another 2 weeks to ascertain the reason for the weight gain.

Action Steps

• Create a circle of support
• Maintain a diary for at least 2 weeks out of every 6 weeks
• Monitor your progress
• Reward yourself for your achievements

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4. Identify What Sabotages You

Sabotage

Weight loss can be affected by factors in your emotions, attitudes and environment that sabotage your efforts. Once a sabotage factor has been identified, implement the change process outlined on page xxx.

Self-sabotage happens when the sub-conscious mind is not congruent with the conscious mind, e.g. you want to be ‘in shape’ but you have defiance because of societal expectations. You will have problems because your conscious and sub-conscious minds are not in rapport, e.g. If you imagine that the Captain of a ship is your conscious mind and the Crew of that ship are your sub-conscious mind, there will be mutiny if both parties do not work together.

Eating Triggers

90% of why we eat is behaviour-related. It is not because we are hungry. It’s because we are sad, angry, depressed or bored.

If everyone ate only when they were hungry, and only enough to satisfy their needs, then no-one would have a weight problem. One of the key skills for permanent weight loss is to establish what your triggers for eating are and to find a way to effectively deal with the trigger.

Normally, there will be a specific food associated with a particular trigger, e.g.

At the Movies – ice cream

In a Restaurant – bread as an entre

Drinking Alcohol – chips or other snacks

Drinking Coffee or Tea – biscuits

A sabotaging factor is like a boat with a leak. No matter how much water you empty from the boat, you are not going to fix the problem.

Action Steps

• Identify sabotage factors and eating triggers.
• Implement the necessary plan for creating change.

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5. Decrease Total Calories Consumed

If your energy intake is not used, the balance will be stored as fat.

You can assess how many calories your body requires by calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your BMR is the amount of energy (calorie) that your body needs to function and maintain itself. You can then use this information to ascertain how many calories you need to consume to lose weight or maintain a weight. For fat loss, the aim is to expend more calories than you consume. To achieve a weight loss of ½ kg per week the deficit needs to be 550 calories per day. The aim should generally be a deficit of 500 – 1000 calories per day. This will be in the higher range for someone needing to lose more weight. Minimum calorie intake should be 1200 for women and 1600 for men. This will be dependent upon your size.

Note : Calorie restriction (without exercise) may lead to greater fat storage. During moderate caloric restriction, exercise helps maintains your BMR.

You can use the formula below to calculate your BMR.

BMR Calculator
Consider your body to be a furnace. A small furnace is not going to require as much fuel as a large one. It is also important to place fuel into the furnace intermittently rather than all at once as the furnace cannot use the fuel all at once.

Reducing calories achieved weight loss regardless of which of the three macronutrients was emphasized. – F Sacks & et al. Diets that reduce calories. Harvard School of Public Health (2009)

Portions
Nutrition - The key to long term nutrition is balance. A balanced daily diet should include:

• 2 fruit and 5 vegetable servings
• 1 serving of meat (or a protein alternative)
• 2 servings of dairy
• 4 servings of breads, cereals, pasta, rice, etc.
• > 1.5 litres of water (depends on your body size)

Note : Your food intake should be distributed throughout the day with breakfast being your most substantial meal.

Desired foods in moderation

Consider what foods you can’t do without and factor them in (with moderation) to your eating plan.

Portion Size Examples
1 Serving of fruit = size of a tennis ball.
1 Serving of meat = size of the palm of your hand (including thickness)
1 Serving of salad = 1 cup
1 Serving of
1 Serving of

Eat Regularly (4-6 meals per day)
Consuming smaller, frequent meals can assist your appetite regulation. This will allow you to eat smaller meals at your main meals. For example, you could divide your lunch in half, eating half for lunch and the other half during the afternoon.

It is necessary to eat small regular meals, 5 – 6 per day for optimal metabolic function – feeding the body to provide enough energy to utilize stored fat for energy.

Meal/ Snack ideas

• Canned tuna/ salmon in spring water
• Protein bars
• Fruit
• BBQ chicken (without the skin)
• Sliced turkey
• Salad
• Vegetables sticks
• Vegetable soup
• Baked beans
• Low fat yoghurt

Action Steps

• Calculate your BMR
• Set a weight loss calorie intake target (consider your level of exercise)
• Create a menu plan
• Start the day with a substantial healthy breakfast
• Plan your day to allow food intake every 3 - 4 hours
• Have snacks prepared, ready and available.

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6. Decrease High-Fat Foods

Many people eat too much fat and this can lead to an increase in body fat (as well as health problems such as heart disease and diabetes).

The process of storing fat on the body from fat in food is very efficient and there is an unlimited storage capacity for fat in our fat cells. Only 3% of the energy ingested from fat is burned in the process of storing fat from fat. Also, fat has a greater calorie density.

Note : Carbohydrates are far less efficient at being stored as fat. 23% of the energy ingested from carbohydrate is burned in the process of storing fat from carbohydrate.

A certain amount of fat however, is required for good health as it provides fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E & K) and essential fatty acids.

The amount of fat consumed is not the only concern but also the type of fat consumed.

Saturated fat
e.g. Dairy products, fatty meats, egg yolks, coconut & palm oil, biscuits, cakes, pastries (due to the butter used in cooking). – leads to increase in cholesterol.

Note : If you read ‘vegetable fat’ on a food label, you can generally assume that it is palm oil and not a good choice.

Monounsaturated Fats
E.g. Found in olives and canola oils, avocado, macadamia nuts, almonds. These can help lower LDL Cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated fats
2 Types:

Omega 3, e.g. oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, trout & tuna, walnuts, linseeds.

Omega 6, e.g. Sunflower, safflower, soy bean.

Many people eat too much omega 6 and not enough omega 3 polyunsaturated fats.

Omega 6 can also help reduce LDL-cholesterol, but a high intake of omega 6 polyunsaturated fats can also lower HDL-cholesterol at the same time.

Omega 3 similarly helps reduce LDL-cholesterol, but does not lower HDL-cholesterol.

Trans Fatty Acids
Trans Fatty Acids (TFA) occur naturally in small amounts in animal fats, e.g. butter, meat & poultry. The large majority of TFA results from the processing of vegetable oils to increase their solidity at room temperature. They are also formed when vegetable oils are hydrogenated to produce margarine. TFA are often found in margarines, biscuits and cakes. TFA may have an adverse effect on your health. TFA behave like saturated fat in the body by increasing LDL cholesterol levels in the blood.

20 – 30% of daily requirements from fat. That equates to XXX grams for a ZZZZZ calorie daily eating plan. Note: Many Australians have over 40% of their energy intake from fat

… a 2% increase increment in energy intake from trans fats that were isocalorically substituted for either polyunsaturated fats or carbohydrates was significantly associated with a 0.77cm waist gain over 9 y. An increase of 12 grams of fibre per day was associated with a 0.65cm decrease in waist circumference.

Study of the associated changes in dietary intake – P.Koh-Banjeree et al.

You can compare the fat that you consume in your diet to the oil you put in your car engine. If there is too little, your car engine will not operate efficiently to the point the engine may cease and not work at all. If you have too much oil in your car engine, the engine compression will decrease causing inefficient operation of the engine and with even more oil, the excess will run into other areas of the engine causing very sluggish performance.

Action Steps

• Ascertain your daily requirement of fat (20 – 30%) from your BMR calculation.
• Increase Omega 3 intake (food or supplement)
• Delete (as much as possible) Trans Fatty Acids from your diet.

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7. Eat Low GI & High Fibre Carbohydrates

Importance of Carbohydrates

If you don’t include enough carbohydrate in your diet, you may experience:

- A lack of energy and therefore not be able to maintain your exercise regime

- Mental fatigue due to low blood glucose levels (This in turn can lead to a decrease in burning of body fat)-

- Inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals

Carbohydrates are found in:
Breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles
Fruit
Vegetables
Legumes (dried peas, beans)
Dairy

The GI and fibre content should be considered in deciding what options in each of the food categories above is the best option.

Carbohydrates for the brain is like a battery for your laptop computer. Without re-charging the battery, the laptop will eventually stop working. So it is with your brain, without a constant supply of carbohydrate, your brain will not operate efficiently.

The Glycaemic Index (GI)

Because low GI foods are more slowly digested and cause a slower rise in blood sugar than high GI foods, they help to prevent the spikes in blood sugar that can cause food cravings and weight gain. A lower glycaemic response also equates to a lower insulin demand, better long-term blood glucose control and a reduction in blood lipids.

On the other hand, high GI foods are more quickly digested and cause a faster rise in blood sugar. To adjust for the rapid rise, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into the bloodstream which then lowers the levels of blood glucose.

The problem is that insulin is essentially a storage hormone, evolved to put aside excess carbohydrate calories in the form of fat in case of future need. So the insulin that’s stimulated by excess carbohydrate aggressively promotes the accumulation of body fat.

Having more low GI foods in your diet can help you to feel more satisfied for longer and help avoid the ‘crashes’ that people experience during the mid to late afternoon. This will help efforts to lose weight.

GI values can be interpreted intuitively as percentages on an absolute scale and are commonly interpreted as follows:

Choose low GI foods within a food category for the best choice for everyday consumption.

Using low-glycaemic index (GI) foods are capable of inducing modest weight loss without specific caloric restriction. One hundred and nine (91%) patients completed the study; after 24 weeks the average weight loss was 8.9 kg (98.6 vs. 89.7 kg; p≤0.0001). There was a significant 15% decrease in fat mass (42.5 vs. 36.4 kg; p≤0.0001) and a decrease in lean body mass of 5% (56.1 vs. 53.3 kg; p≤0.0001). Discussion: In this 6-month study, a low-fat, low-GI diet led to a significant reduction of fat mass; adherence to the diet was very good.

Title: Low-fat, high-carbohydrate (low-glycaemic index) diet induces weight loss and preserves lean body mass in obese healthy subjects: results of a 24-week study.
Authors: Bahadori, B., et al Department of Internal Medicine, State Hospital, Muerzzuschlag, Austria.

Fibre

Dietary fibre is the part of food that cannot be broken down by our digestive enzymes. It is only found in plant foods and primarily in the cell walls of plants. Fibre retains its structure during the passage through the digestive system. It is therefore not absorbed into the bloodstream and passes through our gastrointestinal tract. This slows down the emptying of food from the stomach, which helps to decrease hunger (increase satiety). It also helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels by inhibiting the liver from producing LDL cholesterol.

Tips for Increasing Fibre

Eat 2 + 5 each day

Eat the skins on fruits and vegetables, e.g. Potatoes in their jackets, the skins on apples, pears, and kiwi fruit

Add dried beans, dried peas, brown rice or lentils to soups and casseroles

Thicken soups and casseroles with bran or wholemeal flour

Choose wholegrain rolls and sandwiches or fresh salad or fruit when ordering take-away food.

Action Steps

• Ascertain your daily requirement of carbohydrate from your BMR calculation
• Select low GI options within a food group
• Include a minimum of 2 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables per day
• Ensure an intake of at least 30 grams of fibre per day

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8. Increase your Protein Intake

Why do we need Protein?

Protein is converted to amino acids which are used for cell growth and repair, or they may be oxidized to produce energy. There are no storage sites in the body for excess protein. Once all of the primary needs have been met, the remaining amino acids are converted to either glucose or triglycerides (fats).

Maintaining muscle mass is like repairing and maintaining your home. If you don’t repair and maintain your home as required, it becomes more costly and difficult at a later stage. So it is with protein. Without insufficient protein in your diet, the cell growth and repair that protein allows will not take place as required and you will start to suffer from the associated consequences of a decreased metabolism, i.e. gaining body fat, together with the development of postural problems.

Protein provides 3 important benefits in the weight loss process.

1. Protein helps boost energy expenditure

Dietary Induced Thermogenesis, i.e. the increase in heat production by the body after eating due to both the metabolic energy cost of digestion and the energy cost of forming tissue reserves of fat, glycogen, and protein. It can be up to 10-15% of the energy intake. Protein costs more to digest, absorb and store than carbohydrates & fat.

2. Protein Helps Build Muscle

Diets often cause a loss in muscle mass. Adequate protein from your diet can reduce the loss of muscle mass during calorie-restricted diets.

Maintaining or increasing metabolically active muscle tissue increases the amount of energy requirements to maintain that muscle in addition to the amount of extra energy required during exercise.

1kg of LBM burns 10 grams of fat per week (approximately ½ kg per year).

To maintain muscle mass, protein intake should be 1.05 grams / kg/ day. *1

Also, simply adding protein after initial weight loss may help prevent fat regain. In one study, slightly increasing protein from 15% to 18% of energy during weight maintenance resulted in a 50% lower body weight regain, which consisted entirely of lean body mass. *2

3. Protein helps Suppress Appetite (Increase Satiety)

Eating more protein can help you feel fuller for longer and therefore lower your energy consumption. Therefore, higher satiety, lower hunger levels on a higher protein diet.

Aim for 1.05 g of protein per 1kg of body weight.

*1 Krieger, J.W., et al., Effects of variation in protein and carbohydrate intake on body mass and composition during energy restriction: a mega-regression 1. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2006. 83(2): p. 260

*2 Westerterp-Plantenga, M.S., et al., High protein intake sustains weight maintenance after body weight loss in humans. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, 2004. 28(1): p. 57-64

Sources of Protein

Choose protein from a range of sources including lean red meat, poultry, fish and other non-meat protein foods such as dairy, , .

Protein is found in animal products such as red meat, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy products. It is also found in plant foods such as breads and cereals, soy, beans, lentils, legumes, nuts and seeds. Protein from animal sources is called ‘complete protein’ as it contains the eight essential amino acids in the appropriate amounts and proportions. Proteins from plant sources are present in smaller amounts and are called incomplete proteins, as they don’t contain the eight essential amino acids. To consume all essential amino acids on a vegetarian diet you need to eat a combination of incomplete proteins each day, preferably at the same meal.

Action Steps

• Calculate your daily protein requirements (Aim for 1.05 grams of protein per 1kg of body weight
• Select a variety of protein sources

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9. Decrease Your Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol contributes to daily calorie intake with no nutritional value (empty calories) and can lead to weight gain or negatively affect weight loss.

You Can’t Burn Fat when there is Alcohol in Your System! Alcohol consumption inhibits fat burning because it interferes with glycogen recovery. The liver which is responsible for metabolizing both alcohol and fat, cannot metabolise anything other than alcohol when alcohol is in the system. The liver can metabolize only a certain amount of alcohol per hour, regardless of the amount that has been consumed. The rate of alcohol metabolism depends in part, on the amount of metabolizing enzymes in the liver, which varies among individuals and appears to have genetic determinants. *1

The liver requires approximately 2 hours to metabolize each unit of alcohol consumed. *2

* 1 Bosron, WF & et al. Genetic Factors in alcohol metabolism and alcoholism. Seminars in Liver Disease 13 (2):126-135 (1993)

*2 Widmark EMP. Die Thoeoretischen Grundlagen und die praktische Verwendbarkeit der gerichtlich-medizinischen Alkoholbestimmung. Berlin (1932)

Alcohol has the same affect on fat burning as riding a bike with your legs tied together – it can’t do it!

Adding to the problem is the fact that alcohol is a depressant. This can ultimately have a negative effect on you, when you are trying to lose weight.

1 Standard Drink
30 ml nip of spirits
100 ml glass of wine
285 ml full strength beer
375 ml mid-strength beer

Hints for Limiting Alcohol
For those people unwilling to give up alcohol, the following hints can help you limit the affect of consuming alcohol.

1. • Make your first drink a glass of water
   • Avoid getting in a shout
   • Alternate alcoholic with non-alcoholic drinks
   • Drink slowly
   • Drink only at meals
   • Choose low-alcohol options
   • Plan ahead – social situations (trigger)
   • Use low-calorie mixers with spirits
   • Have a minimum of 2 alcohol-free days per week
   • Have no more than 2 standard drinks per day

Action Steps

• If you must drink alcohol, limit intake to 2 standard drinks per day (with at least 2 alcohol-free days per week).
• Plan ahead and include the alcohol consumed in your total calories plan.

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10. Increase Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise (also referred to as cardio-vascular exercise) is important in controlling your level of body fat and will help you increase the strength of your heart and lungs. It is recommended that you perform 270 minutes of aerobic activity per week to help weight loss. For body fat loss, consider what your calorie deficit requirement is (see page xxx) and use a combination of your eating and aerobic exercise plan to accomplish this.

To burn more calories you need to expend more oxygen. More energy is consumed during exercises involving greater muscle mass.

Aerobic exercise requires fuel (energy) and oxygen just like a fire. The bigger the fire and the longer the fire burns, the more fuel that is consumed.

Although we reaffirm that diet restriction is effective for reducing obesity, our findings also demonstrate that 12 weeks of approximately 60 minutes daily exercise without caloric restriction is associated with substantial reductions in body weight (7.6 kg).

R.Ross et al. Reduction in Obesity and Related Comorbid Conditions after Diet-Induced Weight Loss or Exercise-Induced Weight Loss in Men. (2000)

Exercise enhances long-term maintenance of weight loss. Kayman S. et al. Maintenance and relapse after weight loss in women. Am j Clin Nutr. 1990; 52: 800-7

Aerobic Exercise Prescription (FITT)

Hints for Exercise

• Create variety in the exercise that you do
• Do exercise that you enjoy
• Increased intensity is best for a longer effect.
• Gain support in your exercise endeavours – personal training, training with friends.
• Create a routine for your exercise workouts which will help with time management
• Cool down and stretch after exercise to allow your body to return to its resting state

Daily Activity

In order to measure your daily activity, it is helpful to measure your daily steps. This can be monitored by the use of a pedometer. A guide to your level of activity is:

Exercise Intensity & Fat Utilization

Although you will utilize a greater proportion of fat as energy with low-intensity exercise, the total fat burned is greater with a higher intensity of exercise, because of total energy output.

It is necessary to consider your fitness level in determining your intensity. An intensity of 70% of MVO2 for one person will be very different from another person.

As a general rule, when commencing a new training program, gradually increase the volume and intensity of your exercise, e.g. walk/jog – run.

Disclaimer

• Has your doctor ever said that you have a heart condition?
• Have you been mostly sedentary during the last 5 years?
• Do you feel pain in your chest when you exercise?
• Do you become dizzy when you exercise?
• Do you have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse with physical activity?
• Are you on prescribed medication for your blood pressure or heart condition?
• Is there any other reason why you should not do physical activity?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you should consult a doctor before commencing an exercise program.

I had never been a big runner, but decided I would train to complete a half marathon and at the same time reduce my body fat. I put together a training plan where I increased my cardio training from twice a week to 5 sessions a week and also included 2 days a week of resistance training, not only did I see a huge improvement in my aerobic capacity but I was also losing approximately 1% of body fat per month and my body shape was changing rapidly. I feel a lot more athletic and can actually see muscle definition now which have I never seen before. – Jodi Ince (Croydon)

Action Steps

• Aim to do 270 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. Create a routine.
• Vary the intensity (a heart rate monitor will help) and type of exercise that you perform.
• Utilise a pedometer to monitor your daily activity.
• Consider your BMR calculation and your daily calorie deficit target.

Note : If you perform less exercise on a particular day, less food should be consumed.

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11. Weight Training (Resistance Training)

How does Weight Training help Fat Loss

1. Resistance training will maintain or increase your metabolic rate which in turn helps you to maintain or decrease your body fat levels. Lift weights to lose fat: One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting an exercise and nutrition program is not including a weightlifting program with their cardiovascular exercise and eating regimen. This is unfortunate because when we cut calories without exercise, we can lose muscle as well as fat. And when you lose muscle, your body becomes a lot less efficient at burning fat. However, when you gain muscle, you can actually condition your body to burn more fat …… 24 hours a day!
2. Improve glucose metabolism. Researchers have reported a 23% increase in glucose uptake after 4 months of resistance training. Because poor glucose metabolism is associated with increasing body fat and adult onset diabetes, improved glucose metabolism is an important benefit of regular RT.

Resistance Training Exercise Prescription

Imagine that your body is an automobile. Your muscles release energy and produce movement (like an engine); absorb impact forces that otherwise could destroy your bones, connective tissue and joint structures (like shock absorbers); and provide the framework that enables you to function physically (like the chassis). Just as mechanics know that proper maintenance keeps your car in good shape, researchers are finding that strength training plays a vital role in keeping your muscles well tuned.

"I believe my success is also due to the varied and individual programs. I had previously done a bit of cardio work but never weight training. I think the combination of weight training and cardio work has helped me not only lose my excess weight quickly, but keep it off. It also helps me to get stronger and leaner without the bulking up many associate with weight training".

Kasey Drayton

Action Steps

• Train each body part (chest, back and legs) twice per week. Note: All body parts may be trained in a single session.
• Change the intensity and the exercises of your resistance training program (ideally every 3 – 4 weeks).

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Maintenance

Once you get to the maintenance phase (when you have reached your desired level of body-composition), then those eating, exercise and lifestyle habits which got you there, should be maintained - they should happen naturally and automatically.

Although you may be in a maintenance phase with your food, you should always be in some type of adaptation phase with your training because you'll always be making changes to your exercise program.

The vast majority of people who lose weight regain it, and most people who get fit, get unfit. Holding on to what you've achieved ALL comes from your mindset. If in the past you have not maintained the results that you have achieved, you need to discover why you have self-sabotaged in the past - and only you know that. Referring back to your food diary or observing your eating triggers may help you identify the reasons.

It is imperative that you identify these factors so that you can effectively maintain lasting physical change.

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