The balance of diet and physical activity

For effective healthy weight loss it is not always only controlling the diet which facilitates the weight loss. If you continue to diet without exercising you would lose both muscle and fat. Conversely if you exercise more without controlling the diet, you would tend to compensate by additional food and increasing caloric consumption. Healthy weight loss requires a balance of   moderate control of portion sizes and moderate intensity of physical activity. Key is to expend more than your daily caloric consumption.

Overweight and obesity are defined by the body mass index (BMI) .BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by his or her height in meters squared. Normal BMI falls in the range of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/ m 2. Obesity is linked to a multitude of diseases like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, some forms of cancer and many musculoskeletal problems. Management of body weight is determined by energy expenditure and energy intake. Lifestyle interventions which combine reduction of energy intake and increase in energy expenditure through physical activity are responsible for the initial 5-10 % of loss of total body weight. Despite the less impact on weight loss over the initial six month period it is important to note that regular exercise helps in preventing weigh regain and to sustain the weight loss.

To lose weight first and foremost a reasonable goal needs to be set, which is easily to target 10% of current body weight. The presence or absence of other co morbidities like hypertension, age, diabetes mellitus determine the requirement of screening tests prior to engaging in an exercise program. The minimum frequency of exercise in obese individuals will be 5 -6 days a week at a moderate intensity. Eventual exercise progression to vigorous intensity will maximize the endurance benefits. To begin with 150 min per week of exercise is recommended which gradually can be progressed to 300 minutes a week for long term control on weight. To summarise there is no replacement for regular exercise for a healthy life, in combination with healthy diet .Regular health check-ups are recommended for screening latent coronary artery diseases, and regular exercise for comprehensive reduction of risk factors.