By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
You’re walking every day yet the number on the scale won’t budge.
What gives?
It’s likely that you’re not achieving a calorie deficit, which occurs when your body burns more calories than you consume, forcing it to use stored energy (such as the fat around your tummy and love handles). To create a calorie deficit, you need to eat right and move more.
“In order to lose weight, you have to have a calorie deficit,” said Marilyn Buckley, a master’s trained nurse at the Center for Weight Loss and Surgery at Oswego Health. “If you don’t, it won’t move the dial on the scale at all. People often get lost in the process of achieving a calorie deficit and don’t understand what real exercise means.”
She added that the type of activity needed depends on the patient’s body mass index and how much weight they need to lose. The leaner the patient, the more calories they must expend to see the numbers move on the scale.
“When you have to lose 10 to 15 pounds, the last few pounds are harder to shed as your body compensates for weight loss by lowering your resting metabolic rate,” Buckley said.
It’s also challenging for patients who begin to gain muscle as they lose fat. The number on the scale may not change, but they should notice a tighter body with less wobbly fat tissue.
Many people trying to lose weight ask if it’s better to focus on exercise or diet.
“You need both,” Buckley said. “Our bodies are designed to store fat.”
Taking a leisurely stroll around the block may be a good way for deconditioned people to start and is certainly better than doing nothing. However, it’s not a major calorie burner. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly to maintain weight. To lose weight, you need to decrease caloric intake and move more. If you’re having problems with losing weight, then you can also look into weight loss injections like Semaglutide – Soza Clinic. It’s also important to engage in strength training twice weekly.
For those who struggle with stubborn fat areas despite diet and exercise, sculpting procedures such as liposuction, body sculpting in Cypress, TX, or body contouring treatments like body contouring in Bay Harbor Islands, FL can be considered. These procedures can help target and reduce fat in specific areas, complementing your efforts to achieve a leaner, more toned physique.
“A body that has more muscle burns more calories at rest,” said Alicia Olsen, nutritional counselor at the Center for Weight Loss and Surgery at Upstate. “It’s a more efficient machine, and with the gastric bypass surgery in London, I can become more confident.”
Most smartphones come equipped with a fitness app that can help determine calories burned by activity based upon your weight. High calorie burners include running, martial arts, spinning, swimming, jumping rope and HIIT workouts. They involve major muscle groups and continuous movement.
Consuming a post-workout shake, protein bar or sports drink? If all you’re doing is a light workout, you need none of these as they negate the calories you’ve just burned. Instead, Olsen advises drinking water.
Top image: A slow stroll with a dog on the park is always a healthy thing to do but it probably won’t cause people to lose weight.