Unlock the Power of Nutrition and Exercise

Introduction

One of the fundamental calculations behind the science of weight management is caloric balance. Caloric balance is the number of calories that you consume minus the number of calories that you burn. We gain control over caloric balance and weight management when we understand how to improve our nutrition and consumption habits. We also gain greater control when we learn to establish healthy activity and/or exercise habits.

This article, written by guest author, Sharlene Codner, discusses nutrition and exercise and provides helpful information on establishing good habits.

Discussion

Summary

Nutrition and exercise are a firm foundation on which to build all your weight management goals. The proof is evident in the way each aspect can solidly stand on its own as a tool. For example, physical trainers focus on exercise and nutritionists focus on diet. If entire businesses can be built with such a focus, imagine the power of combining both for your personal journey.

Understanding Weight Management

Weight management can be understood as the process of maintaining healthy body weight through a combination of healthy eating habits, physical activity, and, if necessary, the use of medical interventions. With weight management, the goal is to reach and maintain a healthy weight. This is determined as a weight being appropriate for a person’s age, height, body composition, and overall health status. Weight management might involve the use of medications, surgery, or other medical interventions to help with weight loss and maintenance. However, these options should only be considered under the guidance and supervision of a healthcare professional.

Weight management is a long-term endeavor. It should be approached with the mentality that incremental gains are much more beneficial than immediate and drastic superficial success. For instance, one could always experience immediate transformation from doing any of the popular surgeries available. In that sense, it is important to acknowledge the difference between approaching weight management with a health-focused orientation and managing weight from a cosmetic point of view. Although both approaches produce the same outcome, this article focuses on the merits of nutrition and exercise as a strategy. Here, weight management is the by-product and the desired outcome. This is opposed to weight management being the goal to be accomplished quickly with cosmetic procedures. Using the combination of nutrition and exercise is a long-term approach.

The Role of Nutrition in Weight Management

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), “Eating a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, as well as limiting added sugars and saturated fat, can help support a healthy weight.” Since we all need to eat , we must decide what, how much, and how frequently we consume. All of this is strictly within your control and unlike exercise, the basis of the activity is already embedded into your daily routine.

All that is needed to get results is to pay a little bit more attention. You must be aware how you prepare your meals, what you include in them, and how frequently you consume them. The type of food you eat is also important. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that “diets higher in fiber-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and lower in fat, sugar, and calories, can help prevent weight gain and promote weight loss” (Kant, Anding, & Erdman, 2009).

Using Nutrition as a Weight Management Tool

The first step toward using nutrition as a weight management tool is mastering portion control. According to the AHA, “Portion size is the amount of food you eat at one time. [This can be either in a restaurant, from a package, or at home]. Portion size affects how many calories you eat and how much you weigh” (American Heart Association, 2021). Depending on how seriously you want to use this strategy, portion control can be mastered down to a science. You can pay extra attention to the very minuscule details including the size of your plate, or even how many calories a slice of avocado really contains. Food packaging also details nutritional facts such as serving sizes, and the ingredients list.  You can also use food scales and measuring cups to ensure you are planning your meals according to the suggested daily intake.

However, more than this focused attempt at control, which can get you into unhealthy territory if it becomes an obsession, it’s important for you to listen to your body. You need to fully consider your relationship history with food. Do you enjoy eating out more, or do you enjoy preparing your own meals? When do you find yourself overeating? Is it usually when you are sitting in front of the television? What do you like to eat the most? When do you find yourself having indulgent cravings the most? These are the practices you really need to pay attention to. When you have fully grasped those personal details then you can devise a portion control strategy for yourself.

Nutritional Hacks to Help you with Weight Management

Use Smaller Plates

Using smaller plates works as a strategy because it can help to trick your mind into thinking you’re eating a larger portion. This results in reducing the amount of food you consume. By using a smaller plate, your food will seem like there’s more of it in comparison to the plate. This makes you feel like you’ve eaten enough even with a smaller serving. This can keep you from eating too much and causing weight gain. In addition, a smaller plate can lead you to make healthier food choices by making you take smaller portions. But if you use a bigger plate, the opposite will happen – the food will look smaller compared to the plate, making you feel like you haven’t eaten enough. This could make you want to eat more, leading to overeating and an increase in weight.

Eat Slowly

Eating slowly is another strategy that can help you with portion control. When you eat slowly, your brain has more time to register that you are full and satisfied. This means that you are less likely to overeat and consume more calories than necessary. Additionally, taking your time to eat allows you to fully enjoy and savor each bite, making your meal experience more pleasurable. Eating slowly also helps to reduce stress and improve digestion, which are important factors for overall health and weight management.

Eat Mindfully

Mindful eating is another beneficial practice, similar to eating slowly. Practicing mindful eating is a great way to control your portions. This means paying attention to your food and the sensations you feel when you eat. By doing this, you can slow down and savor your food, allowing your body to tell you when you’re full. As a result, you’ll be less likely to overeat and more likely to feel satisfied with the amount of food you’ve consumed. Mindful eating is a simple but effective tool for anyone looking to manage their weight.

This suggestion is significant if you gain or lose weight easily; Don’t skip meals. Skipping meals can cause overeating later in the day. Stick to a regular meal schedule to avoid getting too hungry.

Another aspect to consider is that energy balance is also a key factor in weight management. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “Energy balance is the relationship between the amount of energy you take in from food and drinks and the amount of energy you use through physical activity” (NIH, n.d.). While you work on mastering portion control, you will begin to understand more deeply how much food you need to consume based on your routine activities.

The Role of Exercise in Weight Management

Increase Your Energy Expenditure

While nutrition deals with diet and what is put into the body, exercise deals with physical exertion. One of the major ways that exercise helps with weight management is with increased energy expenditure. You burn calories through exercise, and you can start to create a calorie deficit, which is necessary for weight loss. You will experience varying levels of success and results depending on the type and intensity of the exercise you choose to engage in.

Build Muscle Mass

Exercise can also help you to build muscle mass if that is one aspect of your weight management that you want to control. You can adapt an exercise program that focuses on strength training. Strength training helps to increase muscle mass, which in turn boosts metabolism. When you do strength training, your muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue, so when you have more muscles, it can lead to you having a higher metabolism. This is true even when you are not exercising. You end up burning more calories throughout the day and this in turn helps with your weight management.

Improve Your Appetite

Exercise can also be used as a means for improving your appetite. Exercise also helps to regulate hunger and improve control over food cravings. Physical activity can also help reduce the production of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates hunger and increases the release of peptide YY, which helps regulate appetite. By reducing hunger and improving appetite control, exercise can help you with your weight management by reducing the cravings you have and the likelihood of you overeating and snacking on high-calorie foods.

Improve Muscle tone, Blood Flow, Circulation, Etc.,

Food, nutrition, and metabolism have an impact on the processes that control how much fat is stored in the body, while exercise will help you to shape those effects the way you like. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Regular physical activity can help prevent and manage a variety of health conditions, including obesity.” Exercise can also result in the strengthening of muscles, an increase in cardiovascular efficiency, an improvement in flexibility and coordination, and many more benefits. These results come from increased blood flow and circulation, increased oxygen and nutrient delivery to the cells, and the activation of hormones that promote growth and repair.
Engaging in regular exercise will directly impact your physical characteristics such as your muscle size and strength, endurance, agility, and coordination. This is the ultimate aim – to have more fluid and eased movement and an increased ability to perform different physical tasks. There are additional health benefits to physical exercise, including the release of endorphins, which are natural painkillers and mood boosters.

Be Consistent

The significance of establishing healthy activity and nutrition habits is paramount for successful weight management. Inconsistent or sporadic exercise and unhealthy eating patterns can hinder progress and result in setbacks. To experience positive results, it is necessary to stick to a consistent exercise regimen and nutritious eating over time. This consistency helps to establish healthy habits that can be sustained long-term, promoting lasting success in weight management.

Track Your Progress

Tracking progress when exercising and practicing good nutrition as weight management techniques is important because it allows you to monitor your progress and make necessary adjustments along the way. It also provides motivation by helping you to see the positive changes in your body and how far you’ve come. When tracking, it’s important to record things like weight, body measurements, food intake, and physical activity levels. This information can then be used to set realistic and achievable goals and create an individualized plan that works best for you. Tracking progress also helps you identify patterns, such as areas where you may need to make changes to your diet or exercise routine, or areas where you may be struggling. By regularly tracking progress, you can still maintain progress towards reaching your weight management goals and make any necessary adjustments to ensure success.

Seek Help if Necessary

It is important to seek help when using exercise and good nutritional practices as a weight management technique when facing challenges that cannot be addressed independently. Some examples of such challenges include experiencing difficulty in adhering to a healthy eating plan, suffering from eating behavior disorders, struggling with chronic health conditions or injuries that impact physical activity, or experiencing extreme fluctuations in weight that cannot be attributed to natural causes. Seeking help from a qualified professional, such as a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, or mental health practitioner, can provide support in developing and implementing a personalized weight management plan that addresses specific needs and concerns.

Research into the prevention and treatment of weight problems in adults has shown that working with a qualified professional can lead to greater weight loss success and long-term weight management compared to self-directed efforts alone (Hutchesson et al., 2015). In addition, seeking help from a professional can provide education and guidance on healthy weight management practices and help to dispel common weight loss myths and misconceptions. This can be particularly important in an era where social media and marketing can promote unhealthy and unsustainable weight loss practices. By working with a qualified professional, individuals can learn evidence-based strategies for long-term weight management that prioritize health and well-being over quick fixes and fad diets.

Achieving Weight Management Using Nutrition and Exercise

Winning the battle with weight management requires a synergistic approach that combines healthy eating habits and regular physical activity. By unlocking the power of nutrition and exercise, individuals can achieve sustainable weight loss and improved overall health outcomes. It is important to approach this journey with commitment, motivation, and a willingness to adapt and make lifestyle changes. For those facing challenges that cannot be addressed independently, seeking professional help is an important option to consider. Working with a qualified professional, such as a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, or mental health practitioner, can provide personalized support, guidance, and education that is tailored to an individual’s specific needs. With the right mindset, support, and resources, anyone can win the battle with weight management and achieve a healthier, happier life.

Conclusion

This article provides an overview of and strategies for both sides of the weight management equation – nutrition and exercise. Along with the usual calories that you burn throughout the day, they are the two main factors used to calculate The Difference, or your caloric balance. Please email us at Info@TheDifferenceApp.com for more information or join our mailing list. Click here to find out more about The Difference App.

References

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Hutchesson, M. J., Rollo, M. E., Krukowski, R., Ells, L., Harvey, J., Morgan, P. J., … & Collins, C. E. (2015). eHealth interventions for the prevention and treatment of…a systematic review with meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews, 16(5), 376-392.

Johansson, K., Neovius, M., Hemmingsson, E. (2014). Effects of anti-obesity drugs, diet, and exercise on weight-loss maintenance after a very-low-calorie diet or low-calorie diet: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 99(1), 14-23. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.113.082026

Mayo Clinic. (2022). BMI calculator. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/bmi-calculator/art-20309060

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2022). Calculate your body mass index. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm

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