Middle-aged people can walk off extra weight

- As you age, walking can keep the pounds away, according to new research presented at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society, an organization of weight-loss researchers and care providers.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh found that overweight middle-aged people who walked briskly for 30 to 60 minutes a day lost 7 pounds in a year and a half, while similar adults who didn't exercise consistently gained seven pounds in that time.

In the second study, University of North Carolina researchers did an analysis of data on young adults, ages 18 to 30, over a 15-year period and found those who walked four or more hours a week were the least likely to gain weight as they aged.

This adds to a growing body of evidence on the importance of exercise for weight control, says John Jakicic, director of the University of Pittsburgh's Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center.

Jakicic and colleagues recruited 209 adults, average age 45, who were about 15 to 29 pounds overweight. Participants were divided into three groups. The first group was given general exercise guidelines, which recommend up to 30 minutes of moderate activity daily.

A second group was advised to be physically active for at least 150 minutes a week, or about 30 minutes five days a week, and received weekly classes on how and why exercise is important. The third group was told to exercise 300 or more minutes a week, roughly 45-60 minutes a day. They also attended behavior classes.

All participants were advised to eat a healthy diet but told not to restrict their calories. About 75 percent chose to walk for exercise. At the end of 18 months:

- 40 percent of participants gained weight, an average of 7 pounds. Those most likely to gain were people who did not exercise regularly.

- 60 percent lost weight, an average of 7 pounds. These were people in any of the three groups who did about 40 minutes of activity seven days a week.

"This is a weight difference of 14 pounds between people who exercised and those who didn't," Jakicic says.

Penny Gordon-Larsen, an assistant professor of nutrition at North Carolina, analyzed data on 5,000 young adults over 15 years. She found that a slightly overweight woman who walked two extra hours each week over 15 years gained 9 pounds less in that time than a similar woman who didn't walk that much. Women who walked an extra four hours each week gained 18 pounds less over that time than women who didn't move that much. The effects were similar for men.

"Extra walking prevents weight gain at a time of life when many people are gaining," she says.

Source - http://www.azcentral.com/health/diet/articles/1024walkoffweight.html

Avoid Sugar for weight control

Avoid sugar from your food when dieting. Eating sugar causes a point in insulin making in the body thus increasing hunger and cravings.

In the long run, peaks in insulin level lead to decreased insulin sensitivity, which then leads to depositing excess fat in fat depots around the waist. These depots are indicators of high risk factors of diabetes and heart disease.

Dieting and weight control

Today there is no diet which is known as the best or top diet for weight loss. Everyone has different reasons for being overweight and there are different diets which suits them.

However, the massive amount of diets boils down to only three types:

• Low Calorie - requiring thorough planning and self-discipline


• Low Fat - is best for young physically very active people or for aging people naturally spending less energy


• Low Carbohydrate - attractive by the decreased appetite it causes and increased fat burning at rest

The point of dieting should not be to lose weight quickly – if you focus on this you'll just gain the weight back later.

Healthy food for weight control

You know diet pills; liquid meals and unusual combinations of foods are not the things, which are going to help in controlling you weight and managing your in the long run. The thing, which is going to help, is the variety of healthy food you eat.

While going for a new eating style, try to lower the calorie you consume as that is going to help you in weight loss. But lessening calories does not mean decreasing taste, contentment or even simplicity of food preparation. The best way of decreasing calories intake is by trying more plant based foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Go for range to facilitate you get your goals without compromising taste or nutrition. Cutting back on calories is easier if you focus on limiting fat.For losing weight, talk to your doctor about setting these daily calorie goals:

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Keep on motitoring your weight

You have to check your weight before starting any process for weight control. You should not expect the major changes in your appearance immediately. After one or two weeks, you might start noticing some changes. But it is necessary that you keep on monitoring your weight. Always keep one thing in mind that if you lose even few pounds that are going to be a big achievement for you.