Physical appearance matters. This is the 21st century and it would be idealistic to say that people won’t judge you by your good looks or lack of them. The entertainment industry has not helped the situation. War has been declared on males without chipped bodies and females without hour-glass figures. Being obese isn’t necessarily better anymore, not even in the African society. 

On the other hand, this is the age of information and now more than ever, we are aware of the fact that the more fat we pile on our bodies, the higher the chances of acquiring diseases such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.

People, especially females, are now trying to become or stay thin. However, in losing weight it’s important to know that the end does not justify the means and that there are healthy and unhealthy ways to get rid of the excess fat.

Exercising has no expiry date

Jeannette Mahoro is a new mother. Previously thin, she now struggles to fit in her clothes. Her solution is running five kilometres every evening.

A few meters behind Mahoro is Jean Baptiste Umuhire, a middle-aged man who is jogging, panting and sweating. He explains that he is trying to "reduce my size because at my age, I can’t afford the excess fat.”

Like Mahoro and Umuhire, when most people think of losing weight, they think of exercising. They are right.

According to Yvan Munyengango, a certified personal trainer at Cali Fitness in Kigali, exercise and diet are the only two healthy ways to lose weight.

However, most people always get disheartened almost as soon as they start the journey to weight loss. In the article "How to lose weight the healthy way” by Net Doctor, UK’s leading independent health website, disorientation comes as a result of wanting to do too much, too soon. "Someone who hasn’t exercised for years shouldn’t rush into running miles or pounding the treadmill. Not only will the struggle to do so leave you feeling disheartened and demotivated, you’re also far more likely to injure yourself and set your fitness levels back further,” the article states.

So what is the right amount of time that a person should spend exercising in order to lose weight? There are different schools of thought when it comes to exercising. Some experts say that 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity is enough to keep us healthy. Others recommend that we exercise for an hour, at least four days a week.

However, Munyengango says that the amount of time and the frequency in exercise differs from one exercise to another. "If someone jogs and another person lifts weight, they are not exercising with the same amount of intensity. Therefore, the amount of time they spend doing the respective exercises without doing self-harm differs,” he explains.

Some people hold the notion that the more hours one spends exercising, the better the results will be. However, Miles Mbabazi, a fitness trainer in Kigali, says that there is such a thing as over-exercising and that it has dire health consequences such as injuries, psychological effects such as mood swings or even depression.

Therefore, if you’re interested in exercising as a way to lose weight, it’s advisable to consult fitness trainers about the different techniques and pre-cautions to take. For instance, it’s not advisable to eat a heavy meal less than three hours before you exercise. Alcohol is also discouraged and you are advised to be well hydrated and with enough sugar in the body.

Exercise is an effective way to lose weight. However, Net Doctor asserts that weight loss should be permanent and that the end game should be to sustain changes over the months and years. Mbabazi agrees with this saying: "The mistake people make is that after they have acquired their desired weight or size, they stop exercising.” This, he says is likely to cause you to ‘backslide.’

At the same time, it’s important that exercise alone is not enough to get you to your desired weight. Weight gain occurs when we eat more than the body requires for daily activities. The excess energy is stored as fat.

Therefore, experts say that exercise and diet go hand in hand. "To lose weight, what you eat should be less than what you burn,” says Munyengango.

Don’t skip meals

"Eat less than what you burn.” It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, not exactly. Our bodies need to stay nourished at all times. Therefore, when nutritionists, dieticians and fitness trainers tell us to regulate what we eat, they are not telling us to starve ourselves. Skipping meals, therefore, is largely discouraged by health experts.

According to Dr Rachna Pande, a specialist in internal medicine at Ruhengeri Hospital, when we skip meals, the stomach acid is not neutralized causing burning abdominal pain and nausea. One can have low blood glucose causing fatigue and dizziness, thus unable to focus on work at hand.

When a person eats after skipping a meal, he may tend to over eat, thus adding more calories and this might make you obese, thus countering the weight loss efforts. On the other hand, skipping meals might lead one to become malnourished since one is likely to deprive oneself of essential nutrients.

Therefore, instead of skipping meals, it is advisable to focus on the quality of food that we eat and reducing food portion sizes. In the article, "Healthy Weight Loss and Dieting Tips” by Helpguide.org a mental and health well-being website, the trick to weight loss is ditching foods that are packed with calories but don’t make you feel full (for instance sugar, chocolates and candies, alcohol, bottled juices, sodas) and replace them with foods that fill you up without being loaded with calories (such as fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk without cream and non fattening milk products like yoghurt and butter milk.)

However, Dr Leonard Karemera, a general practitioner in Kigali, says that when someone starts dieting, they should not make sudden, rapid changes. "Weight loss requires a lot of patience. However, some people want quick results and they make the mistake of making sudden changes in diet. Extreme changes can promise quick results but they are not long-lasting because soon, you will feel starved and depressed and you might end up starting to eat even more than before.”

Additionally, Dr Pande says that the number of calories consumed should be as per weight, height and physical activity of a person. She further advises seeking help of a dietitian to know how much calories are to be consumed.

Avoid unhealthy short-cuts

Exercising is tasking and so is dieting. They require patience, discipline and persistence. This explains why some people might opt for ‘quick fixes’ such as pills and diet supplements. Although weight loss pills and diet supplements promise to give you the perfect weight and size in record time, they are known to have hidden or sometimes outrageous negative health effects.

According to experts, some weight loss pills could increase the heart rate, high blood pressure, sleeplessness, kidney problems, rectal damage and many others. Moreover, Dr Karemera says that diet pills and food supplements alone are usually not enough to get you to the desired weight. "Diet supplements are called ‘supplements’ for a reason. They won’t work alone.”

Almost every woman aspires to a slim mid-section. This explains why the waist training (wearing a corset-like contraption) is quickly becoming popular. It is supposed to be worn for a certain amount of time during the day and with time, the wearer obtains an hour-glass figure.

According to Dr. Travis Stork, an American Emergency Room Physician, the waist trainer is extremely unhealthy.

He says that by constricting the midsection of the body, one could potentially damage the internal organs that reside there. It constrains the function of the diaphragm, can cause digestive problems and restricts core muscular development.

These negative health effects are probably not worth it since health experts say that the waist trainer does not work because you can’t reduce a collection of fat in just one area of your body by ‘pushing it in.’

No matter the health expert, the recommendation for weight loss is the same: exercise and good diet.

When weight should worry you

Of course, exercise and good diet are not only for people who aspire to a smaller size. It’s for everyone. However, people don’t tend to check their lifestyle habits until it becomes necessary, until they are overweight.

Experts advise use of the Basal Metabolic Index (BMI) to determine if you are in the right weight range according to your height. Mathematically, BMI= weight in kilograms/ (height in meters) ². BMI between 18 and 25 is normal, less than 18 underweight, whereas more than 25 overweight.

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Benefits of regular physical exercise

1. Exercise controls weight

Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. You don’t need to set aside large chunks of time for exercise to reap weight-loss benefits. If you can’t do an actual workout, get more active throughout the day in simple ways — by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or revving up your household chores.

2. Exercise combats health conditions and diseases

Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent high blood pressure? No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good,” cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls.

3. Exercise improves mood

Need an emotional lift? Or need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.

4. Exercise boosts energy

Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores.

5. Exercise promotes better sleep

Struggling to fall asleep? Or to stay asleep? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. Just don’t exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energized to fall asleep.

6. Exercise can be fun

Exercise and physical activity can be a fun way to spend some time. It gives you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply engage in activities that make you happy. Physical activity can also help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting. So, take a dance class, hit the hiking trails or join a soccer team. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. If you get bored, try something new.

Agencies