Heart Health Questions and Answers
Vital Health Zone is proud to announce Lisa Nelson, who is our resident heart health and weight loss expert and who is available to answer questions about heart health and weight loss.
Lisa has a private practice and is available for distance consultation, via telephone or email, as well as consultation at her practice.
Lisa answers all your heart health and weight loss questions below:
Q: I am 47 years old and I weigh 75 kg. For my age and height, I should be 55kg, but I cant seem to reach this weight.
For breakfast, I normally have oatmeal. For lunch, I usually have 3 chapattis, then dinner is 2 chapatti or cornflakes. For snacks, I usually have an apple, papaya and some biscuits.
I also go for a one hour brisk walk every morning and do half an hour of other exercises too. Despite my efforts, I have not lost any weight.
What should I do?
Advertisement
A: Here are a few points I recommend you think about to get yourself on track with losing the excess weight:
1. Too few calories
From the brief diet recall you shared it looks like your calorie intake could be on the low side. I do not recommend dropping your calories below 1200/day. A calorie intake that is too low interferes with your metabolism and will make your body weight loss resistant. If your calorie intake is less than 1200 I recommend gradually increasing.
2. Exercise intensity
Evaluate the level of your exercise intensity. Burst/interval training and cross training are very effective. Keep mixing up your routine to keep your body guessing and constantly adjusting to the workout. This will maximize your calorie expenditure to promote weight loss.
3. Muscle building
Be sure to include strength training in your fitness routine. You need to build muscle to keep your metabolic rate higher all day long, not just during a workout.
4. Sleep
Shoot for 7-9 hours of sleep every night. A lack of sleep interferes with hormone balance making weight loss difficult.
There are just a few of the factors that play a role in weight loss. A colleague of mine, JJ Virgin, just started another session of her program Fast Track to Fat Loss specifically geared towards helping individuals bust through weight loss plateaus. If you are interested in joining a program and receiving support to get over this hurdle I believe there is still time to enroll.
Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.
Advertisement
Enjoy better health!
