Exercise alone without dieting has a limited effect on weight loss, and vice-versa. We have heard it all before. Obesity is on the rise and is considered a major health epidemic.
Being obese means there are risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, kidney disease and stroke, among others.
To manage obesity, the oft-heard advice from doctors and experts is to diet — by eating healthy food which means more fruits and vegetables — and engage in physical activities.
A sedentary lifestyle, after all, leads to obesity.
However, according to one expert, encouraging obese people to exercise is fine but there has not been enough guidance on how much exercise is needed.
Obesity problem specialist Dr Anthony Leeds says that while eating healthy food and diet have been the focus on reducing weight, most people tend to forget about exercising.
Diet alone will not work without adequate time for physical activity. Even if someone is on a low-fat diet, there is still a need to exercise.
“When talking about physical exercise as part of a weight-loss programme, experts have recommended exercises that go on for at least 30 minutes.
“In reality, this is not enough. The level of activity should be more than that,” said Leeds.
The US National Health and Examination Survey finds that people who engage in limited recreational activity are more likely to gain weight than more active people.
Other studies have shown that people who take up regular strenuous activity gain less weight than sedentary people.
The amount of calories burned depends on the type, duration and intensity of the activity. It also depends on the person’s weight. Exercise alone without diet will have a limited effect on weight loss as you need to exercise a lot to lose just one kilogramme.
The survey also indicates that another advantage of regular exercise as part of a weight-loss programme is a greater loss of body fat versus lean muscle compared to those who only dieted.
Dr Leeds was in Kuala Lumpur recently to deliver a talk on “Defusing the Obesity Time Bomb”. Now attached with the UK Cambridge Health and Weight Plan as medical director, he has been focusing on health risk of obesity and appropriate dietary strategies throughout his career.
He says the biggest challenge in fighting obesity is the conflict between what is needed to be done for the obese and society expectations.
Obesity is increasing as people are working long hours, do not eat healthily and lead sedentary lifestyles. This also applies to the young as child obesity is becoming an issue.
Less than two per cent of people are obese due to hormones, while larger numbers are facing this problem as the result of interaction of genetic factor, environment such as food supply and eating behaviour, and lack of physical activity, says Dr Leeds.
“When we are at work, we do not use that much energy. We work long hours with less activity. Children sit in front of the computer or television instead of going to the playground. The way we live and work is not ideal for people who are at risk of obesity.”
According to him, office workers are only productive within the first five hours of work — and don’t do much after that.
“It is a good idea to let them leave early so that they can go to the gym,” he suggests.
As for the children, reduce their time in front of the computer or television and encourage them to engage in physical activities in addition to watching what they eat.
“The steps to managing obesity are diet, exercise and behaviour therapy that includes a guide on how people should eat and what they can eat. People who turn to food when they are stressed, binge eat or have eating disorders need behaviour therapy.”
On diet, he says, probably the most effective is the low-calorie diet especially for those who are facing difficulty in losing weight.
Based on current lifestyle trends, researchers expect that by 2030, the number of overweight people will more than double to 2.16 billion with the number of obese adults increasing to 1.12 billion worldwide.
Being obese means there are risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, kidney disease and stroke, among others.
To manage obesity, the oft-heard advice from doctors and experts is to diet — by eating healthy food which means more fruits and vegetables — and engage in physical activities.
A sedentary lifestyle, after all, leads to obesity.
However, according to one expert, encouraging obese people to exercise is fine but there has not been enough guidance on how much exercise is needed.
Obesity problem specialist Dr Anthony Leeds says that while eating healthy food and diet have been the focus on reducing weight, most people tend to forget about exercising.
Diet alone will not work without adequate time for physical activity. Even if someone is on a low-fat diet, there is still a need to exercise.
“When talking about physical exercise as part of a weight-loss programme, experts have recommended exercises that go on for at least 30 minutes.
“In reality, this is not enough. The level of activity should be more than that,” said Leeds.
The US National Health and Examination Survey finds that people who engage in limited recreational activity are more likely to gain weight than more active people.
Other studies have shown that people who take up regular strenuous activity gain less weight than sedentary people.
The amount of calories burned depends on the type, duration and intensity of the activity. It also depends on the person’s weight. Exercise alone without diet will have a limited effect on weight loss as you need to exercise a lot to lose just one kilogramme.
The survey also indicates that another advantage of regular exercise as part of a weight-loss programme is a greater loss of body fat versus lean muscle compared to those who only dieted.
Dr Leeds was in Kuala Lumpur recently to deliver a talk on “Defusing the Obesity Time Bomb”. Now attached with the UK Cambridge Health and Weight Plan as medical director, he has been focusing on health risk of obesity and appropriate dietary strategies throughout his career.
He says the biggest challenge in fighting obesity is the conflict between what is needed to be done for the obese and society expectations.
Obesity is increasing as people are working long hours, do not eat healthily and lead sedentary lifestyles. This also applies to the young as child obesity is becoming an issue.
Less than two per cent of people are obese due to hormones, while larger numbers are facing this problem as the result of interaction of genetic factor, environment such as food supply and eating behaviour, and lack of physical activity, says Dr Leeds.
“When we are at work, we do not use that much energy. We work long hours with less activity. Children sit in front of the computer or television instead of going to the playground. The way we live and work is not ideal for people who are at risk of obesity.”
According to him, office workers are only productive within the first five hours of work — and don’t do much after that.
“It is a good idea to let them leave early so that they can go to the gym,” he suggests.
As for the children, reduce their time in front of the computer or television and encourage them to engage in physical activities in addition to watching what they eat.
“The steps to managing obesity are diet, exercise and behaviour therapy that includes a guide on how people should eat and what they can eat. People who turn to food when they are stressed, binge eat or have eating disorders need behaviour therapy.”
On diet, he says, probably the most effective is the low-calorie diet especially for those who are facing difficulty in losing weight.
Based on current lifestyle trends, researchers expect that by 2030, the number of overweight people will more than double to 2.16 billion with the number of obese adults increasing to 1.12 billion worldwide.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar