In the News - May 2009
Sorry, there's no magic pill for weight loss
TEXARKANA, Ark. - Chances are you've seen the ads for pills, shakes and
supplements that claim to take pounds off with no exercise. If these claims
actually worked, everyone would be thin.
This is a good time to remember, "If it sounds too good to be true, then it
probably is," says Carla Haley, Miller County extension agent with the
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
"We all want to be fit and fabulous with little or no effort? And who wants
to spend hours on the treadmill or at the track? Unfortunately, there is no
magic pill for weight loss," Haley says.
Only two things can help you have successful weight loss - cutting back on
calories and exercising, she says.
You have to burn more calories than you consumer. Calories are a measure of
the amount of energy provided by the food you eat — the more calories you eat,
the more energy you're giving your body. If you give your body more calories
than it can use, it's stored as fat.
A pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. If you want to lose 1 pound in a
week, you have to cut your calories by 3,500 calories a week, or 500 calories a
day. To lose two pounds in a week, you have to create a calorie deficit of 7,000
calories a week, or 1,000 calories a day, and so on.
Experts recommend that you lose no more than 2 pounds per week, which is a
challenge for most people.
"If you want to meet your weight-loss goals, start by comparing how many
calories you take in with how many calories you burn," Haley says. Keep a food
diary of what you are eating and drinking throughout the day. Those little
nibbles have calories too.
"Add in the amount of exercise you get for the day. The best way to do that
is get a pedometer to track the number of steps you take in a day, on average,
2,000 steps equals a mile."
Online, you can find Web sites that have a calculator to help you determine
how many calories you will burn with various exercises.
Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise. It uses up oxygen, which
causes your body to burn stored fat. It also strengthens muscles, which tones
and shapes your body. The increased muscle mass boosts your metabolism, which
means you burn more calories, even after you stop walking.
"Although it's not a magic pill, it's very simple. Find a way to reduce the
amount of calories you take in and burn more calories, and the weight will come
off," she says.
For more information on balancing food and physical activity, contact your
county office or visit www.uaex.edu and select Health and
Nutrition. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of
Agriculture.
May 15, 2009
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
Related Link
Request an Interview
|
