Your Health
DR GITA MATHAI
“I want to lose my paunch,” announced the young woman, “It looks ugly when I wear jeans.”
A common complaint and certainly not a new one. A number of people want a miracle cure for their arms, thighs, belly, double chin — the list of problem areas is endless. Some catchy names have been made up for excess fat that can accumulate in the most inconvenient places. A paunch that spills over a tight salwar or jeans is called muffin top while a substantial round paunch that dictates where you wear your trousers is called a beer belly and the rolls of fat around your torso are called love handles. There’s of course nothing to love about any of these cutely named body parts and all of us would love to get rid of them, but without much effort.
There are advertisements galore pushing machines, diets and “body wraps” that claim to offer a miracle cure for problem areas but it would be a miracle if any of them actually work. It is just not possible to reduce fat from one particular spot, without overall weight reduction. To get rid of that paunch or those baggy upper arms, you’ll have to reach your ideal body weight first.
Whether you look fat or thin depends on height, weight and body habitus, that is, whether you are an endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph. Being “fat” is not in the eye of the beholder. It is a measurable entity and anyone whose weight is 10 per cent more than it should be is categorised as fat.
How do you find out your ideal body weight? On life insurance charts, for one. If you are an athlete, your height cubed in inches divided by 1906 will give your ideal body weight. If your body mass index (BMI) is 23, then your body weight is ideal. You can find your BMI by dividing your weight in kg by your height in metres squared. The value should be 23; less than that is bad, but more is worse. If maths isn’t your strong point, measure your waist. You have nothing to worry about if your waist is less than 37 inches if you are a man and 32 inches if you are a woman.
But if your waist measures more than that you have a paunch, which means you have fat deposits around the organs in the abdomen and in the liver. This tends to occur with inactivity, is commoner in men and with increasing age. Abdominal fat increases the risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer.
The first step towards a washboard abdomen is achieving ideal body weight. Food eaten (calories consumed) minus exercise (calories expended) determines eventual weight gain or loss. To lose weight, you need to eat 20 calories /kg / day, to maintain your present weight 30 calories / kg/ day and to increase your weight you need 40 calories / kg / day. Pregnant and breast feeding women need 30-35 calories / kg / day.
A reduction of 1,600 calories a day results in the loss of 1kg. A sustainable weight-reducing diet provides about 1,200 calories a day. A diet containing 800 calories a day (or fasting) may ensure initial rapid weight loss but cannot be maintained long term.
Exercise is of two kinds. Aerobic exercise, which includes swimming, dancing, cycling, jogging, running, stair climbing and skipping, uses between 200 and 400 calories an hour, depending on the intensity and the distance. Anaerobic exercise consists of weight or resistance training and yoga.
An hour of aerobic exercise a day results in significant loss of abdominal fat. The liver is able to work more efficiently. Insulin resistance drops and blood sugar levels improve. Many young people, however, prefer to do only weight training at the gym, concentrating on the muscles that they want to improve — like the abdomen or biceps — under the guidance of a “trainer”. Such people increase their lean muscle mass and also lose a little subcutaneous fat. Their body becomes more efficient at burning calories, but their stamina and resistance power do not improve.
Also, an hour of aerobic activity burns 70 per cent more calories than weight training. Also, the chemicals released by the muscles elevate mood and reduce stress. The heart becomes conditioned and fit. Immunity improves. Best of all, aerobic activity has proven to reduce the risk of developing lung, colon, breast, prostate and endometrial cancer.
So, whatever your age, start exercising. For best results, combine an hour of aerobic exercise with a half-hour of anaerobic activity. And say goodbye to all that extra fat.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
DR GITA MATHAI
“I want to lose my paunch,” announced the young woman, “It looks ugly when I wear jeans.”
A common complaint and certainly not a new one. A number of people want a miracle cure for their arms, thighs, belly, double chin — the list of problem areas is endless. Some catchy names have been made up for excess fat that can accumulate in the most inconvenient places. A paunch that spills over a tight salwar or jeans is called muffin top while a substantial round paunch that dictates where you wear your trousers is called a beer belly and the rolls of fat around your torso are called love handles. There’s of course nothing to love about any of these cutely named body parts and all of us would love to get rid of them, but without much effort.
There are advertisements galore pushing machines, diets and “body wraps” that claim to offer a miracle cure for problem areas but it would be a miracle if any of them actually work. It is just not possible to reduce fat from one particular spot, without overall weight reduction. To get rid of that paunch or those baggy upper arms, you’ll have to reach your ideal body weight first.
Whether you look fat or thin depends on height, weight and body habitus, that is, whether you are an endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph. Being “fat” is not in the eye of the beholder. It is a measurable entity and anyone whose weight is 10 per cent more than it should be is categorised as fat.
How do you find out your ideal body weight? On life insurance charts, for one. If you are an athlete, your height cubed in inches divided by 1906 will give your ideal body weight. If your body mass index (BMI) is 23, then your body weight is ideal. You can find your BMI by dividing your weight in kg by your height in metres squared. The value should be 23; less than that is bad, but more is worse. If maths isn’t your strong point, measure your waist. You have nothing to worry about if your waist is less than 37 inches if you are a man and 32 inches if you are a woman.
But if your waist measures more than that you have a paunch, which means you have fat deposits around the organs in the abdomen and in the liver. This tends to occur with inactivity, is commoner in men and with increasing age. Abdominal fat increases the risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer.
The first step towards a washboard abdomen is achieving ideal body weight. Food eaten (calories consumed) minus exercise (calories expended) determines eventual weight gain or loss. To lose weight, you need to eat 20 calories /kg / day, to maintain your present weight 30 calories / kg/ day and to increase your weight you need 40 calories / kg / day. Pregnant and breast feeding women need 30-35 calories / kg / day.
A reduction of 1,600 calories a day results in the loss of 1kg. A sustainable weight-reducing diet provides about 1,200 calories a day. A diet containing 800 calories a day (or fasting) may ensure initial rapid weight loss but cannot be maintained long term.
Exercise is of two kinds. Aerobic exercise, which includes swimming, dancing, cycling, jogging, running, stair climbing and skipping, uses between 200 and 400 calories an hour, depending on the intensity and the distance. Anaerobic exercise consists of weight or resistance training and yoga.
An hour of aerobic exercise a day results in significant loss of abdominal fat. The liver is able to work more efficiently. Insulin resistance drops and blood sugar levels improve. Many young people, however, prefer to do only weight training at the gym, concentrating on the muscles that they want to improve — like the abdomen or biceps — under the guidance of a “trainer”. Such people increase their lean muscle mass and also lose a little subcutaneous fat. Their body becomes more efficient at burning calories, but their stamina and resistance power do not improve.
Also, an hour of aerobic activity burns 70 per cent more calories than weight training. Also, the chemicals released by the muscles elevate mood and reduce stress. The heart becomes conditioned and fit. Immunity improves. Best of all, aerobic activity has proven to reduce the risk of developing lung, colon, breast, prostate and endometrial cancer.
So, whatever your age, start exercising. For best results, combine an hour of aerobic exercise with a half-hour of anaerobic activity. And say goodbye to all that extra fat.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
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