Things you need to know about losing weight

“Many people think if it’s healthy, you can eat as much as you want, but it’s important to limit ‘recreational’ eating, no matter how healthy the snack.”

– Dr Fiola Sowemimo, internal and bariatric medicine

Check out these tips on how to keep your portions under control.

“When you eat is important for weight loss. Starving all day and eating a big meal at the end of the day is counterproductive. No matter how nutritious a meal is, if eaten too late in the day, one does not have the time to burn it off and use it for fuel for the day. It ends up being stored in a body fuel tank (the fat cells) you can’t readily access.”

– Dr Sowemimo

Here are some smart things healthy people do before 10 am.

“Some common medications prescribed for chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and depression are weight positive – as in, they make you gain weight or make it difficult for you to lose the excess weight you already have. If one needs to be on chronic medications, it’s best to be on weight neutral or weight negative alternatives. Talk to your doctor about your medications.”

– Dr Sowemimo

“It takes fewer kilojoules and more energy expenditure to maintain weight loss than it takes to initiate weight loss. The good news is that when you start losing weight, it becomes easier to do more things like spending extra time on the treadmill or doing more resistance training reps. The idea is to continuously challenge yourself.”

– Dr Sowemimo

“If you’re having a hard time losing weight, get a proper thyroid assessment. Most people need a test that goes above the standard medical thyroid profile. A standard thyroid test reads as ‘normal’ in 80% of overweight individuals, which is incorrect. A proper thyroid assessment includes checking 8 different parameters of thyroid function and comparing them to optimal, not normal, values. Evaluated this way, over 80% of overweight individuals will actually be properly identified as being hypothyroid. This is a key contributor to overweight.”

– Dr Kyrin Dunston

Worried about your thyroid? Here are 9 silent signs of a thyroid problem you may be ignoring.

“Alcohol is not only empty kilojoules but also has a huge effect on the weight loss process. It can interrupt and inhibit fat metabolism, making it harder to lose weight. Alcoholic drinks also contain a lot of added kilojoules and carbs that will make it harder to lose weight even when you’re reducing your caloric intake. At the very least, order something you sip slowly, such as wine, rather than something you may drink larger amounts of such as beer.”

– Gabriella Vetere, dietitian nutritionist

“Kilojoules are not just kilojoules. There are foods that will nourish the body, preserve and protect lean muscle mass, and foster a healthy metabolism – such as lean proteins, fresh produce, and whole grains. And there are foods that will contribute kilojoules but very little else nutritionally – such as refined grains, processed foods, and added sugars. Having a kilojoule limit is a good idea, but it’s critical to meet that goal with as many healthy choices as possible.”

– Dr Caroline Apovian, director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center, Boston University

“Exercise is important for so many reasons, with metabolic health and weight loss being only one. While it is true that focusing on diet makes more of a difference in terms of weight loss, the two disciplines work together to maintain a healthy body and metabolism, especially as you age. I advise my patients to do strength train twice per week and cardio most days of the week.”

– Dr Apovian

Why not give these 7 fast fat burning exercises a try?

“I refer to sleep as the third pillar of weight loss. Getting less than 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night ramps up the hunger hormone ghrelin and decreases the satiety hormone leptin. Lack of sleep also interferes with impulse control, making it less likely that you will stick to healthy food choices and portion sizes the following day. Getting less sleep than needed also heightens cortisol, which prompts the body to overeat to refuel after fighting off a stressor.”

– Dr Apovian

Finding it difficult to doze off? Here are 16 bedtime snacks that will help you sleep.

“The amount of lean muscle mass we have is the primary determinant of metabolic rate. In other words, the more muscle mass we have, the more kilojoules we will burn. Our muscle mass naturally begins to decline around age 30, and that process, called sarcopenia, accelerates around age 40. Lift weights and eat a protein-rich diet to preserve your muscle strength as you age.”

– Dr Apovian