How many calories per day do I need?
Your body needs a certain number of calories per day just to keep you alive and to maintain your bodily functions (breathing, digestion, etc.); this figure is referred to as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). You can estimate your BMR by multiplying your current weight (in pounds) by 10 for women, 11 for men. For example, a woman who weighs 120 pounds would require about 1,200 calories per day just to maintain her bodily functions. You'll also need some percentage of calories above your BMR to provide energy for your daily activities (using your hands and arms, walking, exercising, etc.); the percentage will vary widely based on your metabolism and activity level. A moderately fit and active person might need 30-50% calories above her BMR to maintain her current weight; our hypothetical 120-pound woman would need approximately 1,680 calories per day (1,200 + (1,200 * .40) = 1,680) assuming that she is somewhat active. A person who is very fit and exercises frequently might burn as much as 100-200% more than his/her BMR. If your goal is to lose weight, you'll need to take in fewer calories than you use up, or burn off additional calories through exercise, or both. If you choose to decrease calories, aim for the amount needed daily to maintain your ideal (not current) weight. Most health care professionals recommend that women take in at least 1,200 calories per day (1,400 for adolescent girls, 1,600 for men); at lower calorie levels, you're likely to be cheating yourself of essential nutrients.
Can I lose weight faster by consuming fewer calories?
Sounds like good math, but your body doesn't work like that. If you make a habit of consuming fewer calories than your body requires, your body will automatically go into "starvation mode." In effect, your body says, "If (s)he ain't gonna feed me, then I'd better slow things down until (s)he decides to eat again."
There are some awfully compelling reasons to lose weight slowly. If you lose more than a pound or two per week, you're almost certainly losing muscle, not just fat tissue, and that's exactly what you don't want to do. (It's your muscles, after all, that work to burn off the calories you take in!) Also, weight lost quickly is far more likely to be regained than weight lost very gradually.
Is it really necessary to drink 8 glasses of water per day while dieting?
Many physicians, dietitians, diet plans, etc. recommend that you drink 6-8 glasses (8 oz./glass) of water per day, quoting one or more of the following reasons:
- Most people already drink far less fluids than they should, and dieters in particular should avoid the physical stress that dehydration can cause.
- You can be dehydrated without being thirsty; drinking this amount of water ensures adequate levels of hydration.
- Fluids temporarily distend your stomach, relieving the hunger pangs that some dieters experience.
Well, maybe. You should definitely drink whenever thirsty, and if you exercise regularly (as you certainly should), then it's an excellent idea to drink an extra glass of water both before and after you exercise. (Sipping cool water during exercise is also great, but may be impractical.) An easy way to tell if you're getting enough fluids is to check the color of your urine in the toilet bowl: if it's colorless or light yellow then you're adequately hydrated; if it's medium or dark yellow, you need to drink more.
There's also a lot of controversy about whether you must drink only water, or if other fluids (Gatorade, fruit juices, diet pop, etc.) are acceptable. Gatorade and other "exercise drinks" are expensive ways to get sugar and minerals that you probably don't need unless you exercise for long periods (at least 90 minutes at a time); the calories from fruit juices can add up quickly, especially when ingested in large amounts; some varieties of soda pop (and coffee and tea) contain caffeine that you really don't need, and the carbonation can cause cramping in some people. Your best (and cheapest!) bet is plain water.
Is skipping a meal a day an effective way to lose weight?
All else being equal, it would probably work better to have more meals, not fewer. A large meal causes your body to release a lot of insulin, which promotes the conversion of food into stored fat. If you haven't eaten in several hours, your metabolism decreases and you actually burn fewer calories than if you "graze" (eat 4-6 small meals throughout the day).
I'm afraid that I'll have to give up all my favorite foods in order to lose weight. Is this true?
There are no "bad" foods; it's just that most of us tend to eat too much of foods that are high in fat and low in other nutritive values. If you can teach yourself to eat and enjoy fatty/sugary foods only occasionally, there's no reason that you can't indulge yourself every once in a while. Be warned, though: once your stomach has gotten used to a low-fat diet, you may find that greasy foods produce unpleasant gastric effects (bloating, nausea, diarrhea). Interestingly, dieters have traditionally listed starchy foods, such as bread, pasta, and potatoes as foods that they most missed while on a diet. Of course, we know now that these foods (preferably whole-grain varieties and without fatty sauces and toppings) are an important part of a balanced diet, and should in fact make up the bulk (at least 60-65%) of your diet.
Can I lose weight without dieting?
If by "dieting" you mean a temporary regimen of eating measured portions of raw veggies and expensive, funny-tasting "dietetic" foods, then the answer is yes. Your goal should be to adopt healthy eating and exercise plans that you can live with for the rest of your life; these two factors can be enough to cause gradual weight loss in most overweight people, without the need for regimented diets. And these plans will serve you well after you've lost the weight, too--most of us who have successfully maintained our weight losses find that we can eat whatever amounts of low-fat, nutritious foods (whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, legumes, etc.) we need to satisfy our hunger, without regaining the weight. There's no need to deny real hunger pangs, so long as you satisfy them with healthy foods. Note that it is possible to lose weight (without changing your eating habits) by increasing your activity levels dramatically, although this approach won't necessarily make you healthier.
Are surgical procedures like liposuction or stomach stapling a good way to lose weight?
Liposuction (also known as lipolysis or suction lipectomy) is a surgical procedure in which localized deposits of fat tissue are suctioned out of the body through a long, thin metal tube known as a cannula in order to improve body proportions (e.g., to reduce "saddlebag thighs," oversized buttocks, or double chins). Liposuction is not appropriate as a weight loss method; because of the large amounts of blood and body fluids that are suctioned out along with the fat, only about 2-5 pounds of tissue can be removed during the procedure. Most reputable plastic surgeons recommend that liposuction be used only on patients who are already at or near their ideal body weights and whose unsightly bulges fail to respond to sensible diet and exercise plans. [Since liposuction is not a weight loss procedure, it will not be described in detail here.]
Surgical procedures that are used to treat obesity include gastric bypass and gastric reduction or partitioning (a.k.a. stomach stapling). These are both drastic measures that are normally used only when more conventional weight loss methods have failed and the patient's health is compromised by his/her weight. The gastric bypass procedure involves stitching or stapling across the entire width of the stomach, closing off the bottom portion of the stomach and leaving only a fraction of the upper part of the stomach open to receive food. A small opening is made in this remaining "pouch" of stomach; the jejunum (a part of the small intestine) is brought up and attached to this small opening. As a result, all food and fluids ingested by the patient must now pass through this small opening in the top of the stomach and then directly to the attached small intestine. The stomach stapling surgery also uses staples or stitches to close off part of the stomach, but in this procedure, the staples or stitches are not placed across the entire width of the stomach. A small opening, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch (.3-.7 cm) in diameter, is left through which food can pass into the lower portion of the stomach and then into the small intestine as usual. Both of these procedures reduce the size of the stomach so that only very small amounts of food can be stored in it at any given time; the patient feels full after eating tiny portions of food. Because the opening into the remainder of the digestive tract is also reduced in size, food must be chewed very thoroughly (or pureed) so that it will pass through the opening. Attempting to eat too much at one sitting, or failure to chew food slowly and thoroughly can result in upset stomach and vomiting. Weight loss following surgery is dramatic: 26-44 lb. (12-20 kg.) in the first month, with total weight losses of 50 lb. (23 kg.) or more being quite common. However, neither of these surgical procedures should be viewed as a quick or easy fix to a lifetime of obesity. Because the surgery drastically decreases the amount of food that the patient can eat, special care must be taken following the surgery to ensure that the patient consumes a nutritious diet which is low in fat and has adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The patient must also accept the necessity of eating small meals and chewing food completely to prevent regurgitation. Some patients find themselves unable to tolerate the discomfort created by gas-producing foods such as carbonated beverages.
Neither procedure is without risks. As in any major surgery, bleeding, infection, and anesthesia-related complications are possible. Increased occurrence of gallstones, vitamin deficiencies, and occasional stomach ulcers have also been reported, although patients who have undergone the stomach stapling procedure seem to be affected by these complications less often than are gastric bypass patients. Neither operation is foolproof, either - the size of the upper "pouch" of stomach can increase with time, as can the size of the opening left following stomach stapling. Either of these occurrences can allow the patient to eat more without feeling bloated or experiencing vomiting, and can result in gradual weight regain. It is also possible for patients to regain weight by consuming high-calorie foods such as milkshakes which will pass through the opening. The long-term success rate of these procedures is estimated to be around 70-80%.
How many pounds a week should I lose?
Although it's tempting (and motivating) to lose a lot of weight quickly, this really hurts you in the long run, since you'll be losing muscle mass along with the fat. A rough rule of thumb is that you should lose no more than 2 pounds per week, with 1/2 to 1 pound being better. A more precise rule is that you should lose no more than 1 percent of your current body weight per week, so if you weigh 250 lb. (113 kg.), you could safely lose 2.5 lb. (1.13 kg.) per week. Again, this is a maximum weekly rate; to be safer still, aim for .5 percent of your current weight. Study after study indicates that the slower you lose weight, the more likely you are to actually lose fat, rather than muscle tissue, and that the slower you lose weight, the more likely you are to keep that weight off permanently.
Why do men seem to lose weight faster/more easily than women?
Sorry, ladies, this is just one of life's inequities. Men tend to have more muscle tissue than women, and muscle tissue is what does the work that burns calories. Women also have a genetic tendency to retain fat more efficiently than men, since adequate stores of fat are vital during pregnancy. Women may take some comfort in the fact that men tend to accumulate their fat deposits around the belly, which puts them at higher risk of heart disease than women, who tend to put on fat below the waist (hips and thighs).
Not a thing! You've encountered a "plateau," a normal (and temporary) pause in weight loss. Your body has learned to adapt to your lowered caloric intake and has slowed down your metabolism in order to conserve energy. The solution to getting past a plateau is not to lower your caloric intake even further, but to continue with your current eating plan, and perhaps to increase your exercise somewhat. Reducing your food intake will only reinforce your body's perception that it is caught in a starvation situation. Plateaus seem to be more common in persons who have dieted repeatedly in the past; their bodies have learned all too well to hang onto the few calories that do come in.
Once I've lost the weight, how can I keep from regaining it?
Continue whatever you did to lose it. Phrasing it another way, don't do anything to lose it that you aren't willing to continue as long as you want to keep the weight off (e.g., forever). For the overwhelming majority of people, weight lost on fad or crash diets is regained within a matter of months or years, leading to yet another fad diet, weight loss, weight regain, etc. (a pattern commonly known as "yo-yo dieting"). There is anecdotal evidence that repeated weight loss / regain make it more difficult to lose weight each time - presumably because your body comes to believe that it is encountering famine situations and becomes more and more adept at hanging on to whatever calories are present--and that the stress of repeated dieting may have other adverse affects. A 1988 study of over 11,000 Harvard alumni found markedly higher death rates from cardiovascular disease among male alumni whose weights had changed significantly (up or down) between the early 60's and 1977.
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