Losing Safely

How can I lose body weight without losing valuable muscle tissue?

* Eat a wide variety of foods, consuming a minimum of 1200 calories per day to prevent the starvation response of under-eating.

* The best way to get the maximum amount of nutrition from the food you eat without gaining weight is to decrease your intake of concentrated "empty" calorie sources such as fat, sugar and alcohol.

* While cutting back on these concentrated calorie sources, increase your intake of higher fiber whole grains, low fat and fat free grain products, fruits, vegetables and legumes.

* Incorporate a program of regular aerobic exercise to also help burn fat as fuel as well as to help improve cardiovascular endurance, increase HDL cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, improve self-esteem and relieve stress.

* Strength training with weights can help to maintain, if not increase, muscle mass to boost metabolism and improve body composition.

Some general guidelines for losing weight safely are:

* Eat fewer calories. The best formula for losing weight is to decrease the number of calories you get while increasing your physical activity every day. Depending on how active you are, you may need between 1,500 - 2,500 calories a day. A safe plan is to eat 300 to 500 fewer calories a day to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week.

* Lose weight slowly. It is best to aim for losing 1/2 to 2 pounds a week. By improving eating and exercise habits, you will develop a healthier lifestyle. And, this will help you to control your weight over time. You will also lower your chances of getting heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. "Crash" diets may take off pounds faster, but can cause you to gain back even more pounds than you lost after you stop the diet.

* Exercise. Get active for at least 30 minutes every day. You don't have to train for a marathon to be active! Brisk walking, gardening, riding a bicycle, tennis and dancing all count as exercise. You can also break up the 30 minutes into three 10-minute periods. To get even more active every day, you can do things like park farther away from the mall in the parking lot and take the stairs instead of the elevator. The idea is to use up more calories than you eat each day. This will keep the calories from being stored as fat in your body.

* Eat less fat and sugar. This will help lower the number of calories you eat each day. Select foods whose labels say low, light or reduced to describe calories or fat, including milk products and cheese. Eat lean types of meat, poultry, and fish. Eat less sugar and fewer sweets (don't forget that soda and juice can have lots of sugar). Drink less or no alcohol.

* Eat a wide variety of foods, including starches and dairy products. This helps your body to get the nutrients and vitamins it needs to be healthy. Include plenty of vegetables, fruits, grain products and whole grains each day. Don't skip dairy products - there are many good tasting low, no, and reduced fat milks, yogurts, cheeses, ice creams, and other products to choose from. Proper calcium intake is needed for all women to prevent bone loss.

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