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KEEPING FIT; Losing Weight Too Quickly Means Losing Muscle; More Info

Posted on: Thursday, 24 March 2005, 18:00 CST

Wayne Westcott

Most of us gain a few pounds during the winter months, mostly due to less physical activity during the cold weather and shorter days. The typical approach to reducing our bodyweight is a calorie- restricted diet, which by itself, is definitely the wrong thing to do. Let's say that you added six pounds of body fat over the past six months. In this case, you burned about 100 fewer calories per day than you consumed. If your activity level did not change, then you ate about 100 more calories than you needed on a daily basis. If your eating behavior did not change, then you did about one mile less walking around on a daily basis. Whatever the cause, you are presently storing an extra 21,000 fat calories. If you cut your food intake by 1,000 calories per day (not recommended), you will lose more than six pounds of bodyweight in 21 days.

Unfortunately, only about four pounds of your weight loss will be fat ... about two pounds will be muscle. Your body can only lose about 11/2 pounds of fat per week. If you are losing more weight than that, the remainder represents muscle loss. In addition to making you less fit and attractive, muscle loss results in a reduced metabolism which means you use fewer calories every day to maintain your normal life functions. With less muscle and a lower metabolic rate, it becomes very difficult to sustain your weight loss. That is why 95 percent of dieters regain all the weight they lost. If dieting (by itself) doesn't work for permanent weight loss, what does? In general, exercise is preferable to low-calorie diets. In particular, strength training is the best means for attaining and maintaining a desirable bodyweight and body composition.

Research reveals that 25 minutes of standard strength training (12 Nautilus machine exercises) burns about 200 calories (equivalent to 30 minutes of fast walking). Doing this two or three times a week will replace approximately three pounds of muscle tissue after just 10 weeks of training. More muscle makes you look better, feel better and function better. In addition, three pounds of new muscle tissue is associated with a 7 percent increase in resting metabolic rate. This means that you will burn approximately 100 more calories every day, at rest. The 3,000 plus men and women who have completed our Keeping Fit program averaged 3 pounds more muscle and 5 pounds less fat after 10 weeks of training. This 8-pound improvement in body composition and personal appearance resulted from 25 minutes of sensible strength exercise (12 Nautilus machines) and 20 minutes of aerobic activity (treadmill walking and stationary cycling) two or three days each week. While this exercise program is effective by itself, even better results are attained by participants who follow a well-designed nutrition plan (e.g., Weight Watchers, YMCA Menu Planner, etc.) On average, they lose about twice as much body fat (almost 10 pounds) over the 10-week training period. Just as important, a healthy approach to weight loss offers a variety of benefits, including reduced resting blood pressure, improved blood cholesterol levels, increased blood glucose utilization, improved gastro-intestinal function, increased bone mineral density, enhanced cardiovascular function, and increased musculoskeletal strength. Taken together, these desirable physiological adaptations reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, colon-cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis and low back pain, as well as physical frailty, falls and depression. For more information, attend my free one-hour presentation at 6 p.m. Thursday at the South Shore YMCA, 79 Coddington St., Quincy. For reservations, call Jamie at 617-479- 8500, ext. 132.

For more information on weight loss, attend Wayne Westcott's free one-hour presentation at 6 p.m. Thursday at the South Shore YMCA, 79 Coddington St., Quincy. For reservations, call Jamie at 617-479- 8500, Ext. 132. Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., is fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, and author of several books including "Building Strength and Stamina" and "Strength Training Past 50."

Source: Patriot Ledger, The; Quincy, Mass.

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