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Police Health
Police Health
by Peter Shanahan, Police Health Chairman
CONFUSED ABOUT WEIGHT
LOSS?
With so many diets out there
promising the best weight loss
method, it can be confusing for those
trying to lose weight to figure out what
you should and should not be eating.
What’s important to note is that what
works for one person may not work
for another. This article will look at the
basic facts to get you started.
If you are thinking about losing weight
or starting a new exercise program,
it pays to see your doctor or health
professional first. Your doctor will
check if you have any underlying
health conditions that may affect your
weight loss attempts or approach to
weight loss.
THE FACTS AND FIGURES
Purely as a guide, one kilogram of
body fat contains about 7,700 calories,
or about 32,000 kilojoules. This is the
amount of energy you will need to
burn or forego to lose one kilogram of
fat.
It’s presumably safe to burn 0.5kg to
1kg of fat per week. The easiest way
to accomplish this is to reduce calorie/
kilojoule intake, and increase exercise.
Rather than cutting out 1,100 calories
per day, it is easier to reduce your
daily food intake by 500 calories and
exercise (burning 600 calories). After
7 days you’ll reach the 7,700 calorie
reduction.
To work out energy (Cal/KJ) in food,
read labels, go online, or buy a
reference book. The Department
of Health and Ageing has created a
helpful site called the `Healthy Weight’
website: www.healthyactive.gov.au
There are also plenty of free apps
and other websites. You don’t need to
spend a fortune.
If you just try to dramatically reduce
your calories, your body might hinder
your weight loss efforts, because
it may think you are going into
starvation, and may try and hang onto
fat (energy stores). So why make it
harder for yourself?
Exercise is beneficial not just for
losing weight, but also for general
health, so eating well and exercising is
a win/win.
ARE ALL CALORIES THE SAME?
Dietician Australia recommends eating
a variety of fresh foods of all colours
to make sure you get all the vitamins
and minerals essential for a healthy
body. It is easier to keep weight off
and maintain a new eating plan if you
make real food choices rather than
substitutes.
The vitamins, minerals, and fibre
in nutritional whole foods play an
important part in both your energy
levels and how you feel. Fibre will help
fill you up and keep your body regular
in getting rid of waste products.
If you limit your variety of foods, you
are likely to miss out on important
vitamins and minerals, and no doubt
you will get bored with eating the
same thing over and over. This will
only make it harder to stick with your
diet.
You should aim to develop sensible
eating habits that are easy to relax
once you reach your goal weight,
without going back to old bad habits.
SET YOURSELF REALISTIC GOALS
Don’t be fooled into thinking it is
possible to lose the ten kilos a week
shown on reality TV shows. They don’t
show the contestants exercising for
five-seven hours a day with personal
trainers, while on extremely low
energy diets. They are also monitored
by doctors 24/7. This is not realistic for
us who have work and life to get on
with.
If you are losing more than a kilo a
week, it is also quite possible that it is
not pure fat but water weight (where
your body has been retaining water),
or even muscle wastage if you are not
fueling your body with the right food.
www.mydr.com.au has some handy
tools including a weight calculator for
what weight range is healthy for you.
WHEN YOU LOSE WEIGHT, WHERE
DOES THE LOST BODY FAT GO?
Fat is basically stored energy.
Your body converts fat to usable
energy for your muscles and other
tissues through a series of complex
metabolic processes. This causes
your fat cells to shrink.
These metabolic activities also
generate heat and waste products.
These waste products - water and
carbon dioxide - are excreted in your
urine, faecal matter, and sweat, as
well as being exhaled from your
lungs.
To help with the process of
eliminating waste products, make
sure you drink enough water,
particularly if you are exercising.
Drinking water will also help you
feel full when dieting, because
dehydration is often confused with
hunger.
In summary, balance your energy
intake with energy output. Choose
foods and eating patterns that
help reduce your calorie intake
and combine this with physical
activity that you find enjoyable and
sustainable. Take a long-term view,
70
Queensland Police Union Journal July 2012