In the spring of 2009, London Drugs will be introducing clinics to help you determine the number of calories you burn when your body is at rest (your BMR). Knowing this figure will help you to better control your weight and to determine how much physical activity you require. Making small changes to your diet and lifestyle will help reduce your risk for a number of diseases.
If you are overweight or obese, you will have an increased risk for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Although you may work out and restrict your calorie input to lose pounds, like many others, you may not be as successful at managing your weight as you had hoped. You may even have been told by friends or family that you have a “slow metabolism.” This may be true, but how do you find out? The inability to lose pounds or maintain an appropriate weight is not as difficult as it may seem once you understand your personal Basal Metabolic Rate BMR).
BMR explained
Have you seen those tables that ask you if you are sedentary, active or moderately active, before calculating how many calories you require to attain and maintain a specific weight? While these can provide a general idea of how many calories you metabolize (burn) in a day, they don’t take into consideration your personal body composition or conditions such as an underactive thyroid, which may influence the way your body burns calories.
Your BMR can be defined as the minimum number of calories required to sustain your body’s vital functions and processes, when you are at rest. In the average adult, the BMR utilizes close to 70 per cent of the total daily calories. (The average BMR for adults ranges between 1200 and 1800 kcal.) A person who has dense muscles generally burns more calories at rest than a person whose body mass is composed of more fat, even though their weight may be the same.
BMR is regulated by a hormone known as thyroxin, which is produced by the thyroid gland, and helps to control the body’s metabolic activity. BMR generally decreases as we age.
How many calories are you burning?
During the metabolic assessment clinic, the pharmacist will use an innovative new measuring system to determine how many calories your body burns when resting. Once you have this figure, you can add to it the number of calories burned during your active periods to better determine the number of calories you require to sustain your weight. The pharmacist can then help you achieve your health goals.
If you have a health condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease, your dietary goals will differ from those of someone who does not have the same wellness concerns. For example, a person with diabetes will need to keep her blood sugar levels in check, while a person with hypertension may need to limit foods and beverages containing salt.
The clinic may also help you if you are healthy but needing a little assistance in understanding the role of certain food groups in your diet. During the clinic, you will be able to determine if your present daily meal plan provides the nutritional balance desirable for good health. The pharmacist will be able to recommend the often-minor changes that may result in improved health.Small changes can bring big resultsIf you are overweight with other risk factors—such as high LDL (bad) cholesterol, low HDL (good) cholesterol, or elevated blood pressure, losing a mere 10 per cent of your current weight may help reduce your risk of disease.
Similarly, when it comes to successful management of weight and energy levels, it’s the little things that count. For example, substituting whole milk with one per cent milk in your coffee can result in a reduction of 15 calories a day (assuming three cups of coffee and two tablespoons of milk), or 5,475 calories a year. That’s a little over 1.5 pounds in weight loss. If you combine this with a brisk 15 minute walk, four times a week, you will burn up an extra 80 calories a day (assuming you weigh 140 pounds). That’s almost five pounds of lost weight in a year. If your health goal is to lose weight, small changes in your diet and activity level can add up over the long term, allowing you to successfully achieve your goal without dieting.
The importance of lean body mass
The consumption of calories, exercise, and the amount of lean tissue (muscle) in your body all impact your personal BMR. If you are able to increase your BMR through the development of lean body mass, you will burn excess fats and lose fat-weight. If you are overweight, an increase in your BMR will provide you with a number of health benefits including reduced risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack, and/or developing diabetes. During the clinic, you will be also able to discuss your activity level with the pharmacist and learn ways of developing lean body mass. There will be a nominal charge for participating in the clinic and the dates and locations will be posted on our website, www.londondrugs.com, as soon as they have been finalized.