Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Weight Management Essentials

A fellow forumer asked about my weight loss program and even though we have gone over this in our previous blog, here is a run down of how I did it. Remember, no two people are the same but the principle is the same and you will obtain various degrees of weight loss.

Here was my answer:

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply. How are you? Are you planning to reduce your weight?

I'll tell you how I did it after many years of failed attempts.
The plan is actually quite simple but you have to stick to it no matter what.
First measure your weight in Kg, then your height in meters. Calculate your Body Mass Index by dividing your weight (kg) by the square of your height (m2): weight(kg)/heightXheight (m). Your BMI should be less then 25. BMI of 25 to 30 is overweight and 30 to 35 is obese. You can then calculate your ideal weight by substituting the numbers in the formula to get a BMI of 25.

OK, next measure your waist at the navel. Males should be less or equals to34, females less or equals to 28. Any more than this puts you at a greater risk for heart disease.

So now you have an idea of what you should aim for. Personally, I think the waist measurement is much more important. The BMI may be in the overweight area but may be normal especially if you have lost fat and gained more muscle (fat is lighter than muscle).

Next....get a blood test. You can do this through your GP or from some labs. The basic should include a full blood count, kidney/renal function, liver funtion, Cholesterol profile, fasting blood sugar, Urine analysis.
Hormone imbalances are the commonest cause of weight gain, inability to lose weight or weight loss plateau, and regaining the weight lost.

A thyroid profile is also important to know as inadequate thyroid function may cause weight gain. Get a TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 tested and morning serum cortisol.

BTW, if you are a woman, hormones play a major role in weight gain and loss especially a lack of progesterone. This is indicated by irregular menses, severe PMS symptoms, breast tenderness during menstruation, polycystic ovaries etc. In this case you should check your serum progesterone level on day 21 of your menstrual cycle. Men are also affected by hormone especially if a person is more than 35. There can be a reduction of growth hormone and testosterone which leads to obesity.

OK, got the results back. You can send me the results if you want me to have a look. Some results may seem normal but not optimal and will require correction.

Assuming all your results are normal, we can begin.... If not hormone deficiencies may have to be corrected.

Weight management is about life style change. If you don't change what you're doing it either won't go away or it will come back to haunt you.
The basic diet I follow now is zero or minimal simple carbs like sugar, sweets, chocolates. read labels..if the sugar is an ingredient don't buy it. potatoes are also high in simple carbs.
High complex or low glycemic carbs from fruits (epals, pears, guava-without asamboi, apricots, kiwi), vegetable, whole grain and nuts.
High Protein from fish and poultry, occasionally beef.

So, this is how I lost weight.....pay attention..

2 Weeks Intensive Phase:

Breakfast: Mee Hoon Soup with extra chicken and fish ball, less noodle-1bowl
Only drink plain or better still mineral or RO water.
Lunch: Meal replacement drink (make sure it is a complete meal: carbs,protein, fat, vitamins)- mix with water. (about 250 cal)
Dinner: Meal replacement drink

I drank lots of water for 2 reasons, 1) I thought I was hungry but in actual fact, I was thirsty. This was crucial to learn. After drinking water, I realized I was no longer hungry. 2) It keeps me well hydrated and flushes out all the toxins in my body.

I also took a good multivitamin, which is high in chromium, selenium, zinc and vitamin E. Important factors for optimal bodily enzyme funtions.

You see, most people who tried to do it my way failed within the first week. That's because they were not determined enough and they think it can't be that simple. I'm amazed that people seem to prefer complex solutions. It is this simple. Stick to this and you will be amazed at your own body. Some people argue that a low calorie diet is not good. studies show that reducing calories extends your lifespan. For people who are obese, this is the only way to overhaul that engine and start you metabolism working for you...optimally burning fat and building muscle.

You can change the food you take for breakfast to something else if you want but this is the best.

What next:
After the 2 weeks you will feel a new level of energy and determination as you see your weight reduce. So time for step 2.

Yahooo!! Now you can eat 2 nutritious meals...breakfast and lunch. again no simple sugar, high in protein . As Malaysians you may miss the rice. My advise to you is take a quarter of what you used to take. replace the rest with vegetable and fish or poultry. You may take low glycemic fruits 1 per meal e.g. 1 apple. Also, Remove the skin from the chicken.

Take the meal replacement for dinner so that your stomach does not have to work hard, digesting the food while you sleep. Also remember the vitamins.

At this stage start to exercise to build up muscle. I have the exercise recommendations at my blog. do both cardio and strength. Swimming is a good option as it is weightless, and it is both cardio and strength. Remember, you will be losing both fat and some muscle during the first phase and its time to replace the muscle. You do not want to have flabby skin hanging out do you. I did not exercise during the first stage. There were too many biologic changes to adjust to and you will feel weak the first week as the body detoxifies. All this will go away after 1 week.

Do the second stage till you are happy with your weight. This may take 4-6 months but you wouldn't want to lose any faster. You need time to build your muscle to avoid flab.Even by losing 5 kg, you would have added 5-8 years to a healthy life.

after 3-4 weeks of stage 2, and as your physical activity increases, add a snack of low glycemic fruit at 11am and 4 pm to stabilze your blood sugar and your hormones.

Occasinally you will need to add Liquid L-Carnitine to boost your fat buring if there is a plateau.

I promise you, you will feel so good about yourself. Imagine fitting into clothes when you were in secondary school!! You'll be digging your closet for these!hehehe. So time to go shopping. I did my shopping a bit to early...I lost more weight and had to go shopping again.

People you've not seen for a while will start commenting on how good you look and this is the ultimate self esteem boost I've had for a long time since I've always been known to be fat.

Once your desired weight is achieved, stick to you meal plan. Have the occasional cake or chocolate and see that the occasional treat will not touch your weight as your metabolism can now handle it.

I really hope this will inspire you and wish you all the best in achieving your goal. Contact me at any time and I'll try to help.

Best regards,

Mahathir Mohamed, M.D.
General Physician and Anti-aging Medicine Practitioner.

* Additionally, several substances have come into the spotlight recently, such as the addition of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), co-enzyme Q10, Alpha Lipoic Acid which some patients will need to boost their fat burning. Amino acids such as L-Glutamine and L-arginine has its role in patients who are deficient in Growth Hormone.

1 comment:

secrets2health said...

Thank you for the encouraging comment Ruth. We hope it will help people out there who are seeking ways of maintaining their health.

Mahathir & Lina