Back to basics for overweight

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Calorie counting - and calorie restriction - should be the mainstay of your approach towards weight control, say experts at the Mayo Clinic.
With so many dietary plans jostling for attention - low carb, low fat, high fiber and the like - it's easy to lose sight of the key issue. To lose weight - and fat in particular - you need to be putting out a few more calories than you're taking in. This is the message that Mayo Clinic doctors want to remind people of.

It helps to take hold of some simple figures - namely, you need to aim for a calorie deficit of 3,500 a week to lose a pound of fat. That is, eat 500 fewer calories a day - equivalent to a dessert - or burn 500 calories more a day, with an hour of swimming or riding on an exercise bike. Or, better, go for a combination of the two - less food, more exercise. This, say the experts, is probably the simplest and most effective approach to weight loss.

Source
Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource August 2005

Please take a moment to give us your comments. For questions about Health matters you may check our "Questions & Answers" Portal and Service.