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Monday, June 04, 2007

Factual Fiction- Whose Loss – Rather Gain- is it Anyway? & 1st post on Weight Management

And now even the mangoes are restricted.
First it was chicken- twice a week only- I agreed.
Then it was chocolates, cakes and chips- I resisted.
And now mangoes?
How could she?
Forget it. Let me have it.
I will not tell her that I had one full mango, that too large size for breakfast today.
She will be no wiser. And God help me on the weighing machine.

The gymming is here to stay but mangoes? They will come only next year.
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Well, above is a post a chose specially for today as I am starting the gym series which updates on the lessons I learnt during the weight loss program at the gym. We will alternate between factual fiction and Gym series for now.

Holistic Weight Management- The Basics

In our tryst to lose weight, it is important to remember that the entire process of losing weight does not involve dieting or exercising in isolation.

It is a combination of the right type and duration of exercise, consumption of the right calories which are drawn from the right composition of food comprising fibre and carbohydrates along with the necessary vitamins/ minerals etc, relaxation, medical monitoring, support and guidance. Not to forget the time factor.

Weight loss will be reflected in loss of actual kilos, improvement in BMI (change in fat component of the body), increase in muscle weight, inch loss, removal of water retention, shaping up of the body, firming of lose flesh and improvement in stamina and cardio fitness. The signs of inch loss would reflect n the clothes that will start looking loose on you and the rings/ bangles that would be easier to slide off.

Therefore, a guided program for weight management will have the following components-

Program Guide- The person responsible for designing the program. (S)he will chalk out the kind of exercises you need to do during each cycle, even the number of sets you need to repeat and the kind of resistance you need to apply, depending upon your goals or problem areas or specific needs. Stay in regular touch with this person discussing your performance and reminding him/ her of your goals frequently so that you are not lost in the crowd.

Physical Trainer- The person who teaches you the exercises, technique and keeps an eye on you during the exercise session. This person is a shared resource for a set of exercisers.

Personal Trainer- The person who is a dedicated to you during the time you are exercising. The trainer is your moral/ physical police. (S)he pushes you, goads you and almost forces you to stretch yourself to the maximum (or more) limit. They also make sure you get the best stretches and relaxation post the exercises. You need to pay extra for this service and in some places their incentive gains depend upon your loss! Let them not push you too hard if you find it adversely affecting you your giving you discomfort.

Nutritional expert/ Dietician/ Basic Medical advisor- This person analyses your food lifestyle, preferences and designs a suitable diet chart depending upon your goals. They keep a strict watch over the daily intake and the affect on the next day’s weight. This helps them in analyzing what food works for your body and what does not. For cause elimination purpose, they also suggest some general medical tests like thyroid/ sugar etc which are sometimes responsible for inordinate weight gain.

Masseur- Depending upon the goal- weight loss/ toning etc, there are designed massages. They differ in terms of duration and the kind of oil used and also concentration of strokes. Whether it helps in losing weight or not I am unsure, but it is also true that stress is known to cause weight gain. A massage is believed to de-stress, improve the body metabolism and contribute to weight loss. I used to read advices that punching the flesh and generally agitating it helps in losing weight as it sets the muscles into motion and burns calories. Therefore a massage may help.

Facilities needed
Exercise Equipment
Cardio equipment- generally treadmill, stepper, EFX, stationery bike

Machines for focused exercises/ strength training- too many to list but there will be machines for all specific body parts- classified into upper body and lower body- triceps, biceps, back, chest, inner thigh, outer thigh, abdominal etc

Weights- range of them of varying weights- dumbbell, ankle weight, flat rings that fit into the machine slots for increasing resistance.

Gym Ball- Large to small size
Abs belt
Floor Mats

Relaxation Facilities
1. Steam
2. Sauna
3. Changing Rooms
4. Shower Areas
5. Massage Room
6. Music

Monitoring Facilities
Weighing machine
BMI Calculator
Inch Tape

Others
Cafeteria/ Juice Bar- refresh and recoup after a tough work out

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great! The thing I like a lot (fiction) with the thing I hate most (gym) :-() that's one confused smiley!

But on second thoughts, maybe your Gym series would inspire me! can you make it as fun as possible, please? else I just know I wont even try! :-)

Artnavy said...

hey i admire ur drive

no chicken for u must be like no potataoes for me

u shld do a take on thr types of gymmers at your gym- like the one i did a while back?

Minka said...

Hi ,

Bets of luck with the weight loss. And don't let it get in the way of factual fiction.


De-lurked Minka ( BTW I just loved the Crossing 60 post - I gotta keep an eye out for the Black Swift now )

Coffee said...

Way to go!!!! Keep 'em coming. :) Will look out for more. :)

30in2005 said...

Interesting to see how the series develops as I am trying desperately to lose some weight - have been going to the gym for 41 weeks now with a very small difference so any pointers are helpful.

BTW, you are on my blogroll!

rayshma said...

umm... do they serve choc fudge brownies in the cafeteria...? :)