1. Skeletal muscle is metabolically active. Build it and it will burn more calories throughout
the day.
2. Building and strengthening skeletal muscle fortifies the bones, ligaments, and tendons.
This will minimize the risk of injury that can occur at work, in sport competitions, getting
out of your car, or playing with your kids.
3. Skeletal muscle gives you shape, "tone,” and that “fit” look. Build muscle - lose fat - look
great. Skeletal muscle takes us less “space” than body fat.
4. Skeletal muscle helps you live longer. A recent study found the more muscle mass you
have, the better your chances of a longer life.
5. More skeletal muscle means more insulin receptor sites. Our skeletal muscles use glucose
for energy; this can also help control blood glucose levels.
6. Skeletal muscle can improve your posture. Having the strength to hold good posture can
help other things, as well - it can help with chronic pain due to sciatica and other back
ailments.
7. Skeletal muscle makes everyday activities easier. Becoming stronger and building
muscle gives you a fighting chance each day when you must lift, bend, and stretch.
8. Combat sarcopenia by strength training. Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of muscle
tissue. The harsh reality is we lose muscle mass as we age, up to 50% between the ages of
20 and 90.
 Depending on how often you exercise and the intensity of your workouts, give it between
four to eight weeks to see progress in your strength.
 Focus on strength-training via circuit-training:
o Moving quickly from one exercise to the next means your mind has less time to
wander and circuit based weight training may lead to less burn out.
o An all-strength circuit burns 30% more calories than a typical “weight only”
workout and offers more cardio benefits.
o A circuit is a series of strength or cardio exercises (or both) repeated two or three
times with little or no rest between sets. You'll need a watch or timer, the cardio
equipment of your choice, plus a set of dumbbells. Find the workout that suits your
needs and stick with it.
 If muscle growth is your goal, you have to add more PROTEIN into each meal. Those are
the building blocks for strong muscles. Please speak with your Dietitian!
Having too much body fat, particularly if it is distributed in the abdominal area, can upset how
well the hormones and chemical messengers it naturally produces’ work. If most of your body
fat is around your waist, rather than at your hips, you are at a higher risk of health problems such
as heart disease, high blood pressure, fatty liver, infertility, type 2 diabetes and certain types of
cancer.
This risk goes up with a waist size that is greater than 35 inches for women or greater than 40
inches for men.
To correctly measure waist circumference:
 Stand and place a tape measure around your
middle, just above your hipbones
 Make sure tape is horizontal around the waist
 Keep the tape snug around the waist, but not
compressing the skin
 Measure your waist just after you breathe out
 Men should make sure they don’t measure where
their belt goes, which is typically below waistline and
belly
Women
Men
32-35 inches (81-88cm) = increasing health risk
35 inches (88cm) or more = high risk
37-40 inches (94-102cm) = increasing health risk
40 inches (102cm) or more = high risk
 When we lose weight we burn fat from fat stores all over our body. But studies suggest
that abdominal fat stores are especially responsive to regular physical activity which gets
your heart rate up e.g. walking, running, cycling, dancing, kick-boxing, exercise classes
and other aerobic activities.
 Cardiovascular exercise is the key to burning abdominal fat – SWEAT!
 Adding in some regular resistance exercise such as weights may enhance the benefit
too.
 For example a US study amongst obese, middle-aged women found that despite losing
the same amount of weight, women who watched their diet and used the treadmill for
30 minutes or more, three times a week, reduced the size of their abdominal fat cells by
18%, compared to women who only dieted.
The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight isn't about short-term changes. It's
about a lifestyle that includes healthy eating, regular physical activity, and balancing the
number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses.
If you have already achieved a healthy weight and would like support to maintain this
– we are here for you!
Staying in control of your weight contributes to good health now and as you age.
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Make a commitment. You need to make a commitment to you to eat healthy, move more, and
reduce screen time. All of these actions will help keep you in energy balance. Take some time to think
about what's really important to you and how your weight ties into it.
Create a support network. It helps to have family, friends, and co-workers who will support you in your
new lifestyle habits. Families can serve healthy meals for gatherings and your friends can limit drinks
with social occasions. At work, go on short power walks with colleagues and talk to co-workers about
making healthier choices at the cafeteria or vending machine. If you lost weight with a Dietitian,
keep checking in with that person every now and then.
Set realistic goals. The best goals are specific, possible, and forgiving (not perfect). "Eat three servings
of fruit a day" is a better goal than "eat more fruit."
Track progress. Tracking progress can help you feel good about your successes and can show you
where you may need to make some changes if everyone is not meeting their goals. It doesn’t mean
you have to step on the scale often, but when you do, it’s more about having a plan of what to do
when the scale changes. Don’t wait – take action.
Be ready. Having a list of ideas for eating healthy and moving more will help you stay in balance.
Learn how to handle setbacks. Setbacks sometimes happen. What is important is to keep trying and
have a positive attitude. If you turn to food in times of stress, learning new ways to handle your
emotions is important.
Reward yourself. One way to help you stay motivated is to regularly reward yourself. Choose nonfood rewards as much as possible.
Prize exercise. Physical activity is an absolute must for maintaining any amount of weight loss, as well
controlling your current weight. Enjoying being physically active is a life-long positive habit.
Limit screen time. Whether it's your tablet, phone, computer, or TV, screen time tends to be idle time.
It's easy to overeat while you're parked in front of a screen. Give yourself a curfew: You're only going
watch or surf for a certain amount of time a day.
Eat breakfast. Breakfast isn't a magic meal. Weight loss depends on what you're eating and your
overall calorie balance throughout the day. One theory is that eating breakfast sets the tone for the
rest of your day. So start out with something that gives you nutrients, not empty calories. You could
have oatmeal topped with fruit and nuts, or low-fat yogurt with berries and granola, or an omelet
loaded with veggies and some whole wheat toast on the side.
Favor fiber. Make your diet rich in fiber. You get it from plant foods like vegetables, fruits, whole
grains, beans, nuts, and legumes. Fiber helps you feel full, so you're less likely to overeat later on.
People who eat plenty of fiber -and who also get regular physical activity, eat fewer calories, and
track their progress (such as by weighing themselves regularly or wearing a pedometer) -are more
likely to succeed at long-term weight maintenance.
Get back on the wagon. Vacations, holidays, and stressful life situations happen, and no one eats
according to plan all the time. The trick is to get back on course as soon as possible. Make it a
learning experience, not a failure. Remember that you can move on from setbacks, and
maintenance is a marathon, not a sprint.
BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. A high BMI can
be an indicator of high body fatness. BMI can be used as a screening tool but is not diagnostic
of the body fatness or health of an individual.
To determine if a high BMI is a health risk, a healthcare provider would need to perform further
assessments. These assessments might include skinfold thickness measurements, evaluations of
diet, physical activity, family history, and other appropriate health screenings.
Weight loss goals start simple, 3% body weight loss. Example, a person weighing 220#, this
would be 6.6#. Even a 3% body weight loss without regain, has been shown to improve health
risk factors.
1. Log your foods and beverages.
2. Write down your goal and post it – make it visual.
3. Practice Portion Control
 Eating smaller portions of foods is one of the best ways to control calories and lose
weight. Know your portion sizes. A plate of pasta or a 10-oz top sirloin is not one
portion! Use a food scale.
4. Eat Breakfast
 Eating a healthy breakfast gets your metabolism started after a long nightly fast.
People who eat breakfast are less likely to overeat later in the day, which reduces the
total amount of calories consumed. Do not skip meals. When you are hungry, it is
harder to practice portion control.
5. Eat Slowly
 It takes the brain 20 minutes to register that your body has had enough to eat. Slow
down at meals to give your body time to recognize when it is full. Put the fork down
between bites, and engage in conversation at meals. Take the time to enjoy your
food and you will eat less.
6. Don’t Drink Your Calories
 With the exception of low fat milk, it is best not to drink your calories. Fluids do not fill
you up as much as whole foods. An orange is more likely to fill you up than a glass of
orange juice.
7. Set Realistic Goals
 Healthy weight loss should be gradual. Aim for no more than a 1-2 pound weight loss
per week. Make gradual lifestyle changes over time, and you are more likely to stick
with it. Be realistic and honest with yourself.
8. Indulge Yourself
 If you feel like a cookie, have one! Do not completely deny yourself the foods that
you love. Practice portion control and moderation. You can have a cookie just
don’t eat five!
9. Exercise
 Exercise does not always mean joining a gym. Make an effort to get extra steps
throughout the day: take the stairs, park farther away, and get up during
commercials of your favorite TV program. Find activities that you enjoy and will do
frequently. For instance, play a sport with your kids or take the dog for a walk.
10. Drink Plenty of Water
 Sometimes people mistake thirst for hunger. Your body needs 6-8 glasses of water a
day to stay hydrated and prevent fatigue. Make an effort to drink frequently
throughout the day.
11. Fill Up With Fiber
 Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (whole wheat bread, brown rice, and whole
grain pasta) provide fiber, which will fill you up so you will eat less. Aim for a least 5-9
servings of fruits and vegetables each day and at least three 1 oz servings of whole
grains.
12. Be Committed to a Lifestyle Change
People who have lost weight and kept it off successfully are those who are committed to
permanent lifestyle changes that include a healthy diet and regular physical activity.
Targeting a specific area of the body — such as doing crunches — isn’t a realistic way to
reduce body fat. The only way to reduce body fat in any part of the body is reduce it
everywhere by losing weight and improving your overall fitness through changes in diet and an
exercise regimen that includes regular cardiovascular workouts.
1. The “ideal” body fat percentage for any adult varies depending on factors like age,
gender, exercise level, genetics and bone structure.
2. In general, for adults over 50, a target healthy range of body fat is 20 to 25% for women
and 10 to 15% for men. Generally, women with more than 32% body fat and males with
more than 25% are considered to be at higher risk for heart disease and other conditions.
3. Body fat isn’t useless. It cushions and protects vital organs such as the liver, kidneys and
heart, and helps our body to stay at the right temperature. It produces hormones and
many other chemical messengers that are important for fertility, bone strength, immunity,
regulation of sugar and fats in the blood, and appetite control.
4. There are two ways to lower your body fat: Lose fat and build muscle. Extra muscle will
boost your metabolism to help mobilize fat storage and burn fat for energy. Plus, it’ll
make you look leaner overall.
1. Exercise moderately with aerobics (walking or cycling) and weights (12-15 repetitions),
gradually increasing the intensity as weight is lost.
2. Moderate aerobics are likely to burn a greater amount of body fat if the intensity is kept
at around 70% of maximum heart rate, and taken beyond the 30-minute mark (with one
hour being the eventual goal).
3. With weight training, more repetitions with low-moderate weights would work best during
the initial stages of training.
4. It is important to remember that both weight training and aerobics should be done in the
same program to maximize results.
5. Advanced - alternate strength-training with high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
o An example of a HIIT session could be as follows: Two minutes of walking followed
by fast running for 30-60 seconds, for 20 minutes total.
Full body strength training 2-3 times per week, with sustained lower/moderate intensity
exercise 2-3 times per week. Make a plan. Be consistent.
Eat right. You cannot be active with a bad diet so you’ll need to fuel your body with
nutritious protein, fruits, and veggies throughout the day. Please speak with your Dietitian for
more information!
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Eat more good fats such as the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and cut out saturated fats.
Eat more complex carbohydrates (brown rice, beans, oats, and potatoes – full of fiber) and limit
intake of added sugars (aka – junk food).
Focus on lean sources of protein – evenly spread throughout the day.
Drink plenty of water to maintain feelings of fullness and help with fat mobilization.
Cut back on alcohol, or eliminate it entirely.