Women's Weight Loss : Myths and Tips (Ladies! You probably need a course correction!)

 A weighing scale is second only to onions in bringing tears to the eyes of modern urban women!

Ladies, you might have probably tried all these methods for weight loss -

   Eating salad like a goat

   Intermittent fasting

   Low-carb, no-fat, high protein diet

   Hours of cardio 

   Gym workouts

   Walking 10000 steps every day

   Caloric deficit

   No sugar, no rice diet, and so on...

And, you are at a loss - why there is no weight loss!?

Exhausted and dejected, you have now started consoling yourself by blaming your genes, menopause...

Don't lose heart!

" Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood." Marie Curie

A.  Let's Understand the Basics of Weight Loss (read fat loss)

1. Your body weight consists of fat + lean body mass ( muscles, bones, water, etc.). You need to lose fat, not lean body mass.

2. Body Mass Index (BMI), despite its popularity and convenience, is not a valid method to assess  body fat because it does not discriminate between weight of fat and that of lean body mass. 

BMI is calculated by dividing total body weight in kg by height in meters squared.

By the formula of BMI, an active female athlete of 170 cm height weighing 70 kg  and a sedentary female clerk of the same height and weight will have the same BMI (24.2). 

However, here we overlook a very important fact, i.e., the athlete might be having 20% body fat and 80% lean body mass ( which is adorable) while the sedentary clerk might be having  40% of body fat and only 60% of lean body mass ( which is worrisome)!

3. There is nothing like 'spot fat reduction'. 

You cannot target and remove your belly fat by doing 1000 abdominal crunches every day.

By doing so, of course,  you will build strong abdominal muscles, yet those coveted six packs might still be enveloped in huge fatty layers, like in case of Sumo wrestlers.

4. Weight loss does not follow simple math's formula, i.e., Caloric Expenditure (say 3000 Kcal) -  Caloric Intake (say 2000 Kcal) = 1000 Kcal ( Fat Loss).

There are so many other variables which encourage or inhibit your fat loss, e.g., your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), medical conditions, genes, stress, amount of sleep, daily physical activity, etc.

5. Cardio exercises do burn calories but they alone cannot give you the best results.

6. Going for 'no-fat diet' is a big mistake.

Fats in our diet are necessary for  providing energy, protection of internal organs and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, viz.,  A, D, E and K. 

B. Tips for Fat Loss

I. Correct your focus

1. Gift your weighing scale to the person you hate most! You don't need that any more.

Focus  on your health and fitness, not on your weight . 

Work on your strength, endurance and flexibility. Can you lift more weight this week? Can you climb more stairs without losing your breath? Can you bring your palms closer to your ankles? 

Do you feel happier and lighter? If yes, congratulations, you are on the right path!

2. Your Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR) is a better indicator of your health than BMI. 

Measure your waist circumference at its smallest part (just above your navel) and divide it by your hip circumference measurement at its widest part. 

Your WHR should not be more than 0.8. (Corresponding reference for men is 0.9.)

For example, if your waist measurement is 32 inch and hip measurement is 40 inch, your WHR will be 32/40 = 0.8. 

Higher ratio can mean you have more than desirable abdominal fat . This is a major risk factor for heart disease or diabetes.

4. In our quest for fitness, we forget one very important vital element, viz., joy and happiness. 

As long as you do not enjoy exercising, eating healthy food, sleeping well, laughing with your friends, you cannot hope to gain maximum benefits from these.

5. Don't be obsessed with the desire of having an ideal body shape. There is no ideal body shape. 

The standards of beauty have been set differently in different times and different places, often based on the  whims  of a few idle men and women and enthusiastically followed by the remaining fools.

The ancient Chinese fetish for foot-binding which was so painful and crippling, use of tight corset in Victorian era which gave women an hourglass figure outside and gas inside, are just a few examples of this. 

Remember, anything that promises to give you good looks at the cost of your health and strength should be discarded without a second thought. 

Eat well, exercise well, laugh well  and let your body take its natural shape..! Look at the sportspersons at Olympics - each one of them has a different body shape, yet each of them  looks so beautiful!

6.  In the matters of health and fitness, use your common sense.

Look at healthy and fit people around you, study their exercise, diet and sleep patterns, their ways of stress management, then experiment with yourself and find out what works best for you. 

II. Exercise

1.  Build  more muscles through strength training. 

Focus especially on your larger muscle groups, viz., legs, chest and back muscles. 

The more muscles you have the more calories your body will burn even while you are at rest. 

Don't fear about getting muscular like men. If nature has not given you testosterone like men, your dumbbells cannot give you muscles like men!

2.  High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is more effective in fat burning than an aerobic activity performed at moderate pace (e.g., walking, jogging).

In case you are not able to perform high impact exercises on ground due to some medical condition, e.g., knee pain, heart problem, recent surgery, pregnancy, etc., your doctor can advise you regarding type, intensity and volume  of exercises you can do after assessment of your present medical status.

3.  Be active throughout the day.

 Avoid prolonged sitting. 

Walk, stretch, do push ups on table or wall, perform squats, rotate your joints, do anything you like...Look at the hill women or those engaged in manual labor. 

One of the habits of centenarians described in the  'Blue Zones ' by Dan Buettner is their active lifestyle.

 In fact, it does not matter how much you exercise; what matters is how much you are active. 

III. Diet

1. You should not approach your dining table like a scared soldier approaches a minefield.

If the sight of your 'healthy food' scares you and makes you sick, it is not going to help you much. 

Eating is also an emotional activity for us. Eat tasty food.  

A healthy food should not necessarily taste bland in the same way a religious man should  not necessarily look mournful!

2.  While planning your food, ensure that you take sufficient quantities of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats) and micronutrients ( vitamins and minerals). 

Crash diet may lead to starvation syndrome causing your body to lose muscles, bones, mental peace...

3.  Eat on time. If waiting for your husband makes your eyes wet, it's your hunger, not love.

 A wife with full stomach and cheerful eyes will be a more pleasing sight to a late-coming sensible husband than a wife with empty stomach and tearful eyes..!

4.  No food is good or bad; it is the lack of proportion of nutrients in it that makes it good or bad. 

5.  Try taking frequent meals in small doses. That will keep you energetic all through the day. This is a practice we need to learn from the children.

IV.  Stress management

1. Stress leads us to the habit of compulsive eating of 'comfort foods' which are high in fat, sugar, salt. We lose interest in exercise, sleep less. All these contribute to fat gain.

2.  Sleep well. Your body repairs and rejuvenates itself while you rest.

Lack of adequate sleep will impair your muscle growth and weaken your immunity. 

It may also prompt you to indiscriminate eating at odd hours.

3.  Adopt physical and mental techniques, e.g., exercise, hobby, being with friends, facing the challenges of day-to-day life with courage and confidence, etc., to manage your stress. 

Have some purpose in your life.

Nothing relieves stress as much as completion of a meaningful task.

4. Don't be embarrassed about anything that helps you to destress.

Take for example the age-old art of gossip. Gossip is one of the best anti-depressants ever invented by (wo-)mankind.  It works best if taken while climbing stairs...!

Medical disclaimer - The blog content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.

Shyam Fitness Fundamentals 

Website: www. fitness-fundamentals.com

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E-mail: shyamfitnessfundamentals@gmail.com