Sensible Fitness

at 10:18 AM

An article in the Saturday online edition of New York Times was jarring. The title was 'Bad Advice for the Overweight by the Spoonful'. We all know that in this country 2/3 of Americans are overweight. Let me first give you a synopsis of the article; weight control is not simply a matter of will power but genes play an important part in each person's 'set point' (OK, we had heard that). Dieting alone is rarely successful (what?!) Moderate exercise does not lead to substantive weight loss, which requires intensive exercise (wait a minute now!).
Now we do know from previous research that gene regulation is important in weight control and everyone has a range which according to experts spans about 30 pounds. Basically above this range the individual may not feel hungry and eating may be unappealing and falling below this range may result in the person feeling hungry all the time. However I have found that when my day to day eating involves more protein and good fats and no refined carbohydrates, I feel fuller longer. Regarding exercise, it is true that the 30 minute walk after dinner is wonderful for your spirit and even better for your gastrointestinal tract, it may not lead to measurable amounts of weight loss. You do need intense exercise (whether it's cardio or weight lifting) for long-term weight loss. Even if you never measure your heart rate while you are exercising, if you feel you are working hard, then you are working hard!
Start overestimating the amount of calories in foods that you eat and underestimating the number of calories consumed during your exercise. Because we all underestimate the calories we put in our mouths and definitely overestimate the calories we burn during exercise.