How to lose weight safely?

Now that Chinese New Year is coming to an end, we are all regretting the extra pineapple tarts and bakwa that we indulged in. Now comes the difficult part of trying to lose weight after gaining all that weight during festivities. The question is, how do we lose weight safely without getting injured?

How to lose weight?

The concept of losing weight is a very simple one. You calorie intake has to be lower than your calorie output. If your calorie intake is lower than you output, you will lose weight. There are two ways that you can achieve this. The first is by decreasing your calorie intake. In other words, controlling your diet. The second way is to increase your calorie output. This usually means exercising. A combination of both reducing your intake and increasing your output is the most effective way you can lose weight.

What to do to lose weight safely?

The key to losing weight safely is to do it in a sustainable manner. Trying to do too much both in terms of diet and exercise can be dangerous to you. Going on harsh diets can lead to various health problems while doing too much exercise all at once can lead to injuries.

So what exercises should you do to avoid those injuries? The best kind of exercises are those that are low impact because they do not stress your joints and muscles as much and are less likely to cause injuries. Here are some exercises you can try:

• Walking – it is easily one of the best form of exercise because it is easy to do and puts minimal stress on your joints.
• Cycling – It is another form of exercise that is low impact that puts minimal loading on your body. It is also fun to do.
• Swimming – this is an exercise that works your entire body without stressing your joints.
• Pilates – Pilates is a great beginner-friendly exercise that may help you lose weight. Although Pilates may not burn as many calories as aerobic exercises like running, many people find it enjoyable, which makes it easier to stick to over time.

Conclusion

While exercise in crucial in your attempt to lose weight, equally important is monitoring your diet. Doing too much exercise can lead to injuries, while there are health concerns to doing harsh diets. The best thing to do is to do both in moderation and do low impact exercises in order to avoid injuries.

Winsen Citra
Principal Physiotherapist

Winsen is graduated from University of Melbourne in 2012. He worked in organisations of various sizes such as Singapore General Hospital, Pain Relief Practice, and Physioclinic before working at Elevate Physiotherapy. He specialises in sports and musculoskeletal injuries and has worked with athletes of various sports such as fencing, dancing, dragon boating, and cycling.

In his spare time he enjoys singing and playing chess.