Losing weight effectively

How can I lose weight?

Losing weight should be easy - you must eat less, do more exercise or eat less and do more exercise! However if you get it wrong as an athlete i.e. do not eat enough or do too much exercise your overall performance will suffer or you may cause injury or illness. Common ways of tackling weight loss are as follows: Simply cutting down on fat and fat-containing foods and basing each meal around carbohydrate, eating plenty of vegetables and snacking on fruit and other low fat, nutrient-rich snacks; If you are already confident that your diet is already high in carbohydrate, low in fat then it may be that you just have to eat slightly smaller portions; Working out approximate total daily calorie (energy requirements) and taking off 20% - counting calories does not suit everyone as it is time consuming and often frustrating. You must then still make sure that you are getting sufficient carbohydrate and that your diet is balanced to provide all other nutrients. Working out the number of portions you require from each food group, using the Food Pyramid or Balance of Good Health Plate Model (this is a combination of all the methods)

Check out a sample meal plan using the number of portion technique.

Is it better to do more exercise or eat less energy (calories, typically from fat)?

Exercise is important, but not essential for weight loss- watching what you eat is essential. Exercise can improve mood, encourage the release of growth hormone and maintain or build lean muscle. If someone was doing little or no exercise, then of course the advice would be do more, and to do it regularly.

Steps for success Step 1 - assess your body composition

However you decide to tackle losing weight you need an absolute commitment to make changes to your diet this will require time and effort on your behalf. Being committed is one thing, being over eager is another. Research has shown that at the start of the programme over eagerness and failing to spend enough time planning can mean the difference between success and failure.
What is your BMI?

To be successful in any sport, you need to be healthy to train hard and recover quickly. Your weight should therefore reflect health during training. A common way of determining a sensible weight range is finding out your BMI.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

For example, if you weight is 73 kg and your height is 1.80 m: but if you weighed 62kg and were 1.68 tall:

If you are in a sport which has a weight category e.g. rowing, judo, wrestling, your BMI should not be greater than 25. If it is nearer 25 than 20, you may be carrying excess weight.

This weight could be fat or lean tissue (muscle). Many athletes have a BMI of above 25. This does not necessarily make them overweight - it may mean that this extra weight is muscle rather than fat.

However, if you are in a sport where your power: weight ratio is important you need to be very lean with good muscle strength i.e not carrying excess body fat and not carrying excess muscle as both will add to your final weight.

If your BMI is already 19, and yet you would have to lose more weight to achieve your target weight it is unlikely that you will be successful in the long run. Finding out your BMI and trying to achieve between 19-23 is a very quick and easy guide to assessing your body's composition, but it does not tell you how much fat you are carrying.

There are number of find out how much you can afford to lose safely.

Am I carrying excess fat?

Method 1: 'Pinching an inch'

Typically 2 sites in the body are looked at to get a rough overall picture of fat. It is no good simply looking at one area of the body to decide as another area may be very lean:

The triceps area (back of arm) is good to grab hold of and test for fat. Grab what you think is fat covering your triceps muscle of your non-writing arm, shake it so that make sure that you have only fat and not muscle (muscle will hurt if you pinch it and shake it!) and
the waist area - particularly good for men. Measure your waist and compare it with others. Measure your waist whilst standing up, using a non-stretchy tape measure at the narrowest point (half way between your lowest rib and the top of your pelvic bone / iliac crest). Waist measurement is useful when monitoring weight loss over time.

Method 2: Using skinfold callipers

This method is more scientific and must be performed by someone trained in the technique and if the measurements are to be repeated to monitor fat loss, the same trained person must be used each time. Typically 4 sites will be measured - the biceps, triceps, supra-iliac (waist) and sub-scapula (shoulder). Sometimes the results are expressed as a percentage of the body e.g. 15% body fat.

More recently however, body fat is simply being explained as millimetres of fat e.g. 9 mm triceps, 7 mm biceps, 8 mm supra-iliac, 10 mm sub-scapula i.e. 34 mm total fat. This helps avoid the mathematical errors that exist when calculating the results as a percentage.
Looking at mm of fat lost over a period of time is useful when monitoring weight loss.

Other Methods: Bio-electrical Impedance and "BOD POD"

Bio-electrical impedance is based on the principle that the body's lean compartment (muscle, bone and water) conducts electricity far better than the body's fat compartment. The impedance or 'resistance' to electricity means that measurements can be made which when put in the correct mathmatical equation can provide an accurate estimation of fat and lean tissue. Some machines are now able to detect levels of dehydration or fluid retention, which in the past gave odd results.

BOD POD uses the same whole-body measurement principles as underwater weighing (the 'gold standard'), but uses air rather than water. Its accurate, comfy and hassle-free the only drawback is its rather more expensive than a pair of calipers, although a number of hospitals, universities and even a couple of top Football Clubs have made the investment.

Step 2 - calculate your correct training/competing weight. for example

As well as looking at body composition, other factors such as dieting history and weight history should be considered. Some athletes find it easier to lose weight and maintain the weight loss. Avoiding rapid losses and rebound gains. Yo-yo weight should not feature in a gradual weight loss programme - the aim is to achieve a slow loss of weight (fat).

If you are in a weight category, your training weight is likely to be slightly higher than your race or fighting weight, but your training weight should only be higher than your final desired race weight by 1-4%.

present weight = 78 kg height = 1.80 m BMI = 24 desired training weight 74 kg (to be achieved slowly over 2-3 months) BMI = 22.8 proposed race weight 71.5 kg (2.5 kg loss or 3.3% loss of training weight) BMI = 22.1 (i.e. above 19)

Step 3 - Calculate your time schedule

For a gradual, permanent loss of body fat, crash diets will not work. 'Hard dieting' by over-zealous food restriction will result in you losing muscle glycogen (needed for hard intense training), losing lean muscle (and hence power), and may lead to injuries and infections. Such methods for long term results are potentially dangerous and will impair performance.
Fat loss will be at a rate of 0.5 - 1.0 kg weight loss each week. Weight does not come off regularly - it may be that you lose 1.0 kg during the first week and none in the second, then 0.5 kg in the third and so on. This is normal.

Therefore on average expect to lose 2-3 kg per month. Plan this into your time schedule.

Tips

Use graph paper to plot weight loss against time. You will see your personal weight loss profile.

Weigh yourself no more than twice a week e.g. Tuesday and Friday morning.

Try to weigh yourself at the same time of day, with the same clothes on (or in nude).
If you weigh yourself too often what you will be measuring is your hydration status - if you lose 0.5 kg after an outing, this is water you have lost and not fat and means that you should have drunk 0.5-1.0 litres of fluid. (1 kg weight lost quickly = 1-1 1/2 litres of fluid not drunk that needs replacing)

Step 4 - Check with a doctor

Check for any medical conditions.

Check that a weight loss programme through diet and exercise will not pose any risk to health (mental or physical)

If you are under 18, losing weight needs careful planning as it may prevent further growth and development. Your requirements for certain nutrients e.g. Calcium, Zinc and Iron will be higher to allow for growth. Ask your doctor to refer you to an accredited sports dietitian.

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How can I lose weight?
Losing weight should be easy - you must eat less, do more exercise or eat less and do more exercise! However if you get it wrong as an athlete i.e. do not eat enough or do too much exercise your overall performance will suffer or you may cause injury or illness. Common ways of tackling weight loss are as follows: Simply cutting down on fat and fat-containing foods and basing each meal around carbohydrate, eating plenty of vegetables and snacking on fruit and other low fat, nutrient-rich snacks; If you are already confident that your diet is already high in carbohydrate, low in fat then it may be that you just have to eat slightly smaller portions; Working out approximate total daily calorie (energy requirements) and taking off 20% - counting calories does not suit everyone as it is time consuming and often frustrating. You must then still make sure that you are getting sufficient carbohydrate and that your diet is balanced to provide all other nutrients. Working out the number of portions you require from each food group, using the Food Pyramid or Balance of Good Health Plate Model (this is a combination of all the methods) Check out a sample meal plan using the number of portion technique.	Is it better to do more exercise or eat less energy (calories, typically from fat)? Exercise is important, but not essential for weight loss- watching what you eat is essential. Exercise can improve mood, encourage the release of growth hormone and maintain or build lean muscle. If someone was doing little or no exercise, then of course the advice would be do more, and to do it regularly.
Steps for success	Step 1 - assess your body composition
However you decide to tackle losing weight you need an absolute commitment to make changes to your diet this will require time and effort on your behalf. Being committed is one thing, being over eager is another. Research has shown that at the start of the programme over eagerness and failing to spend enough time planning can mean the difference between success and failure.	What is your BMI? To be successful in any sport, you need to be healthy to train hard and recover quickly. Your weight should therefore reflect health during training. A common way of determining a sensible weight range is finding out your BMI.

Am I carrying excess fat?
Method 1: 'Pinching an inch' Typically 2 sites in the body are looked at to get a rough overall picture of fat. It is no good simply looking at one area of the body to decide as another area may be very lean: The triceps area (back of arm) is good to grab hold of and test for fat. Grab what you think is fat covering your triceps muscle of your non-writing arm, shake it so that make sure that you have only fat and not muscle (muscle will hurt if you pinch it and shake it!) and the waist area - particularly good for men. Measure your waist and compare it with others. Measure your waist whilst standing up, using a non-stretchy tape measure at the narrowest point (half way between your lowest rib and the top of your pelvic bone / iliac crest). Waist measurement is useful when monitoring weight loss over time.	Method 2: Using skinfold callipers This method is more scientific and must be performed by someone trained in the technique and if the measurements are to be repeated to monitor fat loss, the same trained person must be used each time. Typically 4 sites will be measured - the biceps, triceps, supra-iliac (waist) and sub-scapula (shoulder). Sometimes the results are expressed as a percentage of the body e.g. 15% body fat. More recently however, body fat is simply being explained as millimetres of fat e.g. 9 mm triceps, 7 mm biceps, 8 mm supra-iliac, 10 mm sub-scapula i.e. 34 mm total fat. This helps avoid the mathematical errors that exist when calculating the results as a percentage. Looking at mm of fat lost over a period of time is useful when monitoring weight loss.
Other Methods: Bio-electrical Impedance and "BOD POD"
Bio-electrical impedance is based on the principle that the body's lean compartment (muscle, bone and water) conducts electricity far better than the body's fat compartment. The impedance or 'resistance' to electricity means that measurements can be made which when put in the correct mathmatical equation can provide an accurate estimation of fat and lean tissue. Some machines are now able to detect levels of dehydration or fluid retention, which in the past gave odd results.	BOD POD uses the same whole-body measurement principles as underwater weighing (the 'gold standard'), but uses air rather than water. Its accurate, comfy and hassle-free the only drawback is its rather more expensive than a pair of calipers, although a number of hospitals, universities and even a couple of top Football Clubs have made the investment.

Step 2 - calculate your correct training/competing weight.	for example
As well as looking at body composition, other factors such as dieting history and weight history should be considered. Some athletes find it easier to lose weight and maintain the weight loss. Avoiding rapid losses and rebound gains. Yo-yo weight should not feature in a gradual weight loss programme - the aim is to achieve a slow loss of weight (fat). If you are in a weight category, your training weight is likely to be slightly higher than your race or fighting weight, but your training weight should only be higher than your final desired race weight by 1-4%.	present weight = 78 kg height = 1.80 m BMI = 24 desired training weight 74 kg (to be achieved slowly over 2-3 months) BMI = 22.8 proposed race weight 71.5 kg (2.5 kg loss or 3.3% loss of training weight) BMI = 22.1 (i.e. above 19)
Step 3 - Calculate your time schedule
For a gradual, permanent loss of body fat, crash diets will not work. 'Hard dieting' by over-zealous food restriction will result in you losing muscle glycogen (needed for hard intense training), losing lean muscle (and hence power), and may lead to injuries and infections. Such methods for long term results are potentially dangerous and will impair performance.	Fat loss will be at a rate of 0.5 - 1.0 kg weight loss each week. Weight does not come off regularly - it may be that you lose 1.0 kg during the first week and none in the second, then 0.5 kg in the third and so on. This is normal. Therefore on average expect to lose 2-3 kg per month. Plan this into your time schedule.
Tips
Use graph paper to plot weight loss against time. You will see your personal weight loss profile. Weigh yourself no more than twice a week e.g. Tuesday and Friday morning. Try to weigh yourself at the same time of day, with the same clothes on (or in nude).	If you weigh yourself too often what you will be measuring is your hydration status - if you lose 0.5 kg after an outing, this is water you have lost and not fat and means that you should have drunk 0.5-1.0 litres of fluid. (1 kg weight lost quickly = 1-1 1/2 litres of fluid not drunk that needs replacing)
Step 4 - Check with a doctor
Check for any medical conditions. Check that a weight loss programme through diet and exercise will not pose any risk to health (mental or physical) If you are under 18, losing weight needs careful planning as it may prevent further growth and development. Your requirements for certain nutrients e.g. Calcium, Zinc and Iron will be higher to allow for growth. Ask your doctor to refer you to an accredited sports dietitian.