Weight Loss Basics
It’s time to get real, but you’re confused by the weight loss lingo? Let us demystify it for you.
Energy & Metabolism
Calories and kilojoules - are words used to describe units of energy in foods and energy expended during exercise. One calorie is equal to 4.184 kilojoules.
Metabolism - is the rate at which your body uses energy, or burns calories or kilojoules.
Body Composition
Lean Muscle - refers to the actual amount of muscle in your body (flex your arm like a body builder and you can feel them!) Lean muscle burns more energy than fat. Women do not end up looking like Arnie Schwarzenegger if they use weights unless they also use steroids! Our bodies are not designed to bulk up. What strength training does is enable you to burn off more energy – even when you are doing nothing.
Fat - can refer to the deposits of stored energy your body has not been able to use – which deposits itself on different areas of your body – bottom, thighs, hips, tummy, for example. It can also refer to the ‘Fat’ in the food we eat – which comes from both animal and vegetable sources and is needed daily for our body to function properly.
Health Indicators
BMI - Body Mass Index. This indicator uses your height and weight to determine healthy ranges for your body weight. The healthy range for BMI in adults is between 20-25. It’s calculated according to this formula: Your weight in kilos divided by your height in metres squared.
Waist measurement - the healthiest range for a women’s waistline is less than 80cm. How much fat you have around your tummy is an important indicator of increased health risks, from diabetes to cancer. Fat around your tummy is also a sign there is fat on the inside that may cause stress on your inner organs.
Overweight – usually refers to being over the ideal BMI of 25 (and between 25-30)
Obesity- usually refers to being in the next bracket of BMI (30 – 35). There are also classifications above this.
Diabetes – Diabetes Mellitus is a condition that occurs when there is too much glucose in the blood. There are two types of diabetes:
- Type 1 Diabetes- This type of diabetes used to be called Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus and people with type 1 diabetes require insulin injections to control their blood glucose levels.
- Type 2 Diabetes - This type of diabetes used to be called Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. Type 2 diabetes often responds to a healthy eating plan, appropriate exercise and weight reduction; but sometimes tablets, and then later, insulin, may be required.
The rate of type 2 diabetes is increasing dramatically and can be attributed to being overweight, poor diet and lack of exercise.
Exercise
Exercise is also known as physical activity and includes anything that gets you moving, such as walking, dancing, or working in the yard.
Carbs or Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. Those carbohydrates come from the plant-based foods that you eat. You can either use carbohydrates right away for your energy needs or your body can convert them into fat to use later if you consume too much. There are three types of carbohydrates - sugars, starches and fibre. Some food examples are breads, grains, pasta, potato, corn, cakes, biscuits, lollies and fruit.
GI – Glycemic Index is a way of classifying carbohydrate foods according to their effect on blood glucose. High GI foods are rapidly absorbed and cause a surge in energy followed by a slump. Foods that are low GI are more slowly absorbed and delay hunger.
Processed food – highly processed foods are foods that are far removed from their original state. Generally speaking, foods closest to their original form (unprocessed) are best for you. These include vegetables, fruit, whole grains, dairy and meat.
Fats
Low Fat – a food classified as low fat must contain less than 3% fat. Watch for the overall kilojoule content on these foods as sugar is often added to make them taste better.
Cholesterol – a soft, waxy substance found among the fats in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells. It's an important part of a healthy body because it's used to form cell membranes, some hormones and is needed for other functions. But a high level of cholesterol in the blood is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack.
Saturated fats – are found mostly in animal products and tend to increase blood cholesterol which is a risk factor in coronary heart disease.
Mono-unsaturated fats – found in olive oil, canola oil and avocados, they tend to lower blood cholesterol.
Polyunsaturated fats – Omega-6 are found in oils and nuts; Omega-3s are found in fish and plant sources. Both are beneficial, with Omega-6 reducing cholesterol and Omega-3s good for the heart and blood vessels. Trans fatty acids are considered to behave like saturated fats in the body because they raise bad cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Unlike saturated fats, they also tend to lower good cholesterol, so are potentially even more damaging.
Food Labels
What to look for:
- Fat – less than 10g per 100g (NB. Less than 2g/100g for dairy)
- Carbohydrate – a higher total with less coming from sugar
- Dietary Fibre – you need 30g/day
- Sodium – less than 120mg/100g
- Ingredients listed in descending order of weight or quantity i.e. First ingredient listed is present in the food in the largest amount
SOURCE: Nutrition Australia – www.nutritionaustralia.org