Maximizing weight loss - Fitness

[DrWatkins 13]

All weight loss comes from calorie deficit (burning more than eating). It is very difficult to starve our way into a calorie deficit and the body is designed to fight this with a vengeance so a major secret to successful weight loss is to add calorie burning in any way we can. I see many frustrated patients who are "doing everything right and not losing weight" and we find that the culprit is little to no calorie burning. Often, simply adding a brisk 30-minute walk per day tips the balance into calorie deficit and this converts a very frustrated patient into a patient happily losing weight. Calorie burning doesn't have to be complicated or sophisticated it just has to consistently happen. A great tool for this is a pedometer which you can buy very inexpensively. You want to shoot for 10,000 steps per day. You want to look for any excuse to burn calories: park farther away, take the stairs, etc. ADL's (activities of daily living) burn far more calories in a given day than going to the gym. You may sweat for an hour on a treadmill and burn approximately 300 calories but you'll burn much more than that just walking around during the day going about your normal business. All that to say, if you add simple little things throughout the day like parking farther away, etc these burned calories will really add up and will increase your chance of acheiving a calorie deficit and you will lose weight without the frustration.

The majority of our "metabolism" (BMR - basal metabolic rate) comes from muscle mass. As we get more active and more fit, we actually increase our muscle mass which increases our metabolic rate which burns calories while we're sleeping. This allows us to lose weight more effectively and allows us to eat more and still lose weight. The cool thing is that if you go for a brisk 30 minute walk you not only increase your metabolic rate while you're doing it but this continues for a long time after you get done. The benefit goes way beyond that 30 minutes of your life. Guys lose weight faster because of higher testosterone and higher muscle mass. One of my research interests is looking at testosterone levels in men AND women. I've seen several men with low testosterone levels and we treat this and it helps them lose weight. Same thing in women. Obviously women have much lower testosterone levels, but I've seen several women with zero testosterone (or really low) and we replace it to normal female levels and it helps them lose weight.

The most common question I get is, "what is the BEST exercise?" The answer is, the one you will do. If joining and regularly using a gym is just not realistic, but walking 30-minutes per day with your pedometer is realistic then walking is your best exercise. I've had patients lose 250 pounds walking on a treadmill. I've had two patients lose over 100 pounds with a Wii Fit. Some patients like exercise videos and DVD's. Some patients like these exercise bands (big rubber bands with handles). Some patients start taking their dog for a walk. If you're burning calories then you're doing it right. Find something you enjoy and something that is realistic for you to sustain and you'll see the results. I have a patient who works in an office building on the first floor. Every time she needs to go to the bathroom she takes the stairs to the fifth floor. She acheived phenomenal weight loss success just by using the stairs to the fifth floor bathroom. It doesn't have to be sophisticated, it just has to be consistent.

Swimming pools are a great way to burn calories because you not only burn calories with the muscle activity, your body burns calories to keep your body warm. Our core body temperature is about 98.6 degrees and most pools are much cooler than that so our body burns calories to keep the core temperature up. Even walking around the pool is a great calorie burn and this is also a great way to keep weight off inflammed joints.

Find your favorite way to burn calories. Be consistent with it. Take a brisk 30-minute walk at least once per day. Watch the scale go down.

I hope this helps. I put this and much more on YouTube. Search Watkins Weight Loss Class.

Brad Watkins MD