Weight Loss
Obesity is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide and responsible for over one hundred thousand American deaths each year. The management of one’s weight is becoming more and more medically relevant as it seems our inability to do so is quietly killing off significant numbers of the population
The majority of weight control methods focus very heavily on calorie intake and expenditure, as the only logical and proven method of weight loss is a negative energy balance between the two. This negative energy balance can be manipulated in many ways, mainly through both diet and exercise.
Dieting
The overall goal of dieting is to decrease the total calorie intake of an individual relative to their current calorie intake. If a person weighs a static 100 kilograms, then that person must be consuming and burning approximately equal values of energy. If one reduces the calories taken in, the balance will result in more calories being removed each day and a gradual, healthy pattern of weight loss can ensue. This subtracts from the proverbial “positive side” of the energy balance.
Many people will argue that their “metabolism will slow down” when they diet to make up for the reduced calories; a completely logical conclusion based on our evolutionary requirement to survive on little food. However, physical activity can greatly aid in controlling one’s basal metabolic rate so as not to be caught up by your own body’s effort to save itself from its perceived starvation.
Exercise
Exercise refers to any physical activity that improves or maintains physical fitness and overall health. Exercise has been strongly correlated with reduced disease affluence, reduced occurrence of obesity and positive psychological well-being. In addition, physical activity can also help reduce the body’s levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that builds fat in the abdominal area. This increases the “negative side” of the energy balance, creating an even greater deficit, and thus loss of stored energy.
The two main categories of exercise are aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic exercise tends to be longer in duration and focused on cardiovascular endurance, whereas anaerobic exercise consists of short bouts of high intensity activity. It was once believed that aerobics were much more efficient in weight loss than anaerobic, but recent studies have shown anaerobic activity can produce very similar energy expenditures due to elevated post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). It is suggested that both aerobic and anaerobic activity should be preformed for the maximum benefits of exercise to be attained.
Whether you have a question or would like to setup a consultation, Dr. Trussler and his staff are here to help. Please fill out our contact form, call our office at 214-645-3118, or schedule in directly at 214-645-2353. Start your journey to not only looking, but feeling better today!
