When you first begin your medical weight loss plan, we will screen you for underlying conditions that might make exercise or weight loss more challenging for you. Assuming you receive the all-clear signal from our physician, you will then choose a form of exercise to support your goals.
The point is to burn more calories than you consume through your eating plan, so that your body is forced to dig into its reserves via fat stores. But we also want to boost your base metabolism level, or the rate at which your body burns calories all the time (even when resting). And in order to accomplish these two goals, we actually recommend two different forms of exercise.
Aerobic exercise. This is the type of exercise that gets your heart pumping; think walking at a fast pace, jogging, swimming, cycling, and so on. This type of exercise burns hundreds of calories during the session itself, and it also gives your heart a workout. That’s important for preventing cardiovascular disease and improving your health in general.
We want you to perform 30-45 minutes of aerobic exercise, five days per week. If you haven’t exercised in a long time, it might be appropriate to start with 20 minute sessions and then gradually increase your time.
Anaerobic exercise. Your heart rate will increase a bit during this type of exercise, but that’s not the main point. Anaerobic exercise aims to build lean muscle tissue, which takes up less space per pound than fat, and requires more energy to support. That means your body’s base metabolism rate will have to increase in order to maintain these tissues.
So which form of exercise is right for you? That’s a bit of a trick question, because we recommend both! Aerobic exercise helps you to burn fat stores, but anaerobic exercise helps you to build the muscle mass that boosts your metabolism. Incorporate both forms of exercise into your weekly program, and you can lose weight now while keeping it off in the future.
Of course, we definitely recommend that you consult with a physician before beginning a medical weight loss plan or any other program. This is the best way to ensure that your plans are appropriate for your level of health and individual goals. Call us for an appointment, and we will discuss your eating plan and exercise regimen in more detail.
