8 doctor’s tips for safe and effective weight loss

Losing just 5% of your body weight can give you significant health benefits (Thinkstock photo).

By losing 5 per cent of their body weight, those at moderate or high risk of obesity-related diseases can start to experience significant health benefits. The recommended weight loss is 0.5 to 1kg a week, through diet and exercise. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume.

“Moderation is key to weight loss and excessive or fad dieting can harm your health. For instance, a high-protein diet can raise your blood level of uric acid and cause kidney stones. Crash dieting can cause nausea, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, menstrual irregularities, and even osteoporosis in the long term,” says Dr Tham Kwang Wei, Senior Consultant and Director of the Obesity Metabolic Unit, LIFE Centre, Singapore General Hospital.

Related article: Shed excess weight with 5 simple tips

According to the Health Promotion Board of Singapore Calorie Calculator, a 75kg-man aged 30 to 49 with a light activity level should consume 2,200 calories a day. A 60kg woman of a similar age and activity level should consume only about 1,800 calories a day.

If you consume 500 calories less than your daily recommended amount, or burn 500 calories more than you eat every day for a week, you are likely to lose about 0.5 kg of weight in that period. To lose more, you would need to eat less and burn more calories. However, consuming less than 1,000-1,200 per day may be counterproductive.

That’s because it will cause you to lose a greater proportion of muscle along with fat, unless you ensure adequate protein intake and exercise concurrently. Very low calorie diets (800 calories and less) may slow down your metabolism and affect your ability to exercise.

Related article: Exercises to suit any fitness level

8 tips to lower your calorie consumption in a healthy way

• Reduce portion size
• Limit your intake of high-calorie foods, such as fatty and sugary foods and alcohol, to an occasional treat, no more than twice a week
• Get tempting foods out of your home
• Stay busy so you don’t eat because you're bored
• Drink more water so you don’t mistake thirst for hunger
• Always eat from a plate, while seated at a table. Avoid nibbling at the fridge, or while watching TV
• Don't skip meals
• Keep a food journal and write down everything you eat, so you can control your calorie consumption

Ref:  http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/fit-to-post-health/8-doctor-tips-safe-effective-weight-loss-010847739.html

Benefits of Walking

Benefits of Walking The human body is made to walk.   Walking 30 minutes a day cuts the rate of people becoming diabetic by more than half and it cuts the risk of people over 60 becoming diabetic by almost 70 percent. Walking cuts the risk of stroke by more than 25 percent. Walking reduces hypertension. The body has over 100,000 miles of blood vessels. Those blood vessels are more supple and healthier when we walk. Walking cuts the risk of cancer as well as diabetes and stroke. Women who walk have a 20 percent lower likelihood of getting breast cancer and a 31 percent lower risk of getting colon cancer. Women with breast cancer who walk regularly can reduce their recurrence rate and their mortality rate by over 50 percent. The human body works better when we walk. The body resists diseases better when we walk, and the body heals faster when we walk. We don't have to walk a lot. Thirty minutes a day has a huge impact on our health. Men who walk thirty minutes a day have a significantly lower level of prostate cancer. Men who walk regularly have a 60 percent lower risk of colon cancer. For men with prostate cancer, studies have shown that walkers have a 46 percent lower mortality rate. Walking also helps prevent depression, and people who walk regularly are more likely to see improvements in their depression. In one study, people who walked and took medication scored twice as well in 30 days as the women who only took the medication. Another study showed that depressed people who walked regularly had a significantly higher level of not being depressed in a year compared to depressed people who did not walk. The body generates endorphins when we walk. Endorphins help us feel good. Walking strengthens the heart. Walking strengthens bones. Walking improves the circulatory system. Walking generates positive neurochemicals. Healthy eating is important but dieting can trigger negative neurochemicals and can be hard to do. Walking generates positive neurochemicals. People look forward to walking and enjoy walking. And research shows that fit beats fat for many people. Walking half an hour a day has health benefits that exceed the benefits of losing 20 pounds. When we walk every day, our bodies are healthier and stronger. A single 30 minute walk can reduce blood pressure by five points for over 20 hours. Walking reduces the risk of blood clots in your legs. People who walk regularly have much lower risk of deep vein thrombosis. People who walk are less likely to catch colds, and when people get colds, walkers have a 46 percent shorter symptom time from their colds. Walking improves the health of our blood, as well. Walking is a good boost of high density cholesterol and people with high levels of HDL are less likely to have heart attacks and stroke. Walking significantly diminishes the risk of hip fracture and the need for gallstone surgery is 20 to 31 percent lower for walkers. Walking is the right thing to do. The best news is that the 30 minutes doesn't have to be done in one lump of time. Two 15 minute walks achieve the same goals. Three 10 minute walks achieve most of those goals. We can walk 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night and achieve our walking goals. Walking feels good. It helps the body heal. It keeps the body healthy. It improves our biological health, our physical health, our psychosocial health, and helps with our emotional health. Walking can literally add years entire years to your life. Its good to walk. Be good to yourself. Be good to your body. ALL ACCUPRESSURE POINTS ARE IN THE SOLE OF YOUR FEET ...... JUST LIKE YOUR HANDS !! ============================== Information in this message is confidential. It is intended solely for the person or the entity to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are not to disseminate, distribute or copy this communication. Please notify the sender and delete the message and any other record of it from your system immediately. ==============================     ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This message may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the addressee or authorized to receive this for the addressee, you must not use, copy, disclose, distribute or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advice the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.