Slim People in Progress

Which muscle - Permission or Resistance - are YOU Developing

I had an Army Sargent teach me a principle I have never forgotten. He told me, “It is easier to obtain forgiveness than permission.” Generally this is true, except when the person is on a diet and permission is granted to themselves by themselves. Then it usually is much easier to obtain permission.

When you decide to improve your health, and eat/exercise so that you will lose fat, interference is going to occur.

Online Calculators help You know your Vital Numbers

What things about your body should you know? 

I favor a person knowing their Body Mass Index - the ratio of weight to height.  Body Fat Percentage - an estimate to within 2-3 % if done by an experienced person - is helpful to know how to proceed with exercise. 
Your cardiac risk factor analysis and longevity prediction can be scary but is good to know.  Your PAR-Q is important before you begin to exercise if you have been sedentary for a while.

How Fast can You lose Body Fat

I am often asked by my patients to help them lose weight.  They often want to lose 15 or 20 pounds in the month before a cruise or important vacation.  When I tell them that permanent weight loss is about 10% of their body weight in 6 months or a maximum of one pound of fat per week, they are very disappointed.

Since this blog is Slim People in Progress, I assume many or most of you are familiar with diets that help you lose weight now only to have it find you later (regain the lost weight).  If you do not know, a pound of fat is 3,500 stored calories of  energy. You have to decrease your intake or increase your use of calories through activity so that your energy needs are 3500 calories more that your energy intake (the food you eat). Then you dip into energy reserves (stored fat) to make up the deficit.

How practical is it to think you can lose 20 pounds of fat in one month.  Three thousand five hundred calories times twenty pounds (3500 x 20 = ___) equals 70,000 calories.  If the average daily calorie intake need to maintain weight at complete rest is 1630 calories (RMR) and the person is at a sedentary activity level then the total calories needed to maintain weight while doing sedentary daily activities is 1793 calories per day.  (My hypothetical person is a 40 y/o woman, 200 lbs and 66" tall)

Do Foods Reduce Stress

Stress has been defined by the authors of the Harvard Medical School Health Report on Stress Management.

In their report they write, "stress itself is defined as an automatic response to any stimulus that requires you to adjust to change."

You might define stress as problems with your spouse, a sick parent that requires your help, bad traffic etc... These are called stress scenarios and stimulate the need to adjust to change. Stress is a physiologic response. It begins in our brain with the Hypothalamus stimulating the Pituitary which in turn stimulates the Adrenal glands.  It is good when it is just a part of daily living - it makes our brain cells stronger.

A different kind of point system

      I shop at a local Harris Teeter. I used to shop at a lower priced market until we had a hurricane here and my food store closed and did not reopen for over a week.

The Harris Teeter store here gave away perishables, brought in ice and water daily and gave them away. They brought customers into the store, escorted them through the darkened isles by an employee who hand calculated the order and took their money.

I became a loyal fan then and have remained one since. I don't think they are perfect but the company was a friend when everyone in my neighborhood was without power, water and basic necessities for a week.

Why am I blogging about this?