Weight Loss FAQ

Weight loss is an important part of overall health, in no small part because it reduces the stress on your joints and can improve the effectiveness of your chiropractic treatments. Our San Antonio chiropractor has answered some of the questions he most commonly receives about weight loss.

Q: Are the calorie-burn readouts on machines accurate?

Not necessarily. There are many variables in calculating the number of calories burned, including your weight and your form while exercising.

Q: Am I doomed by genetics to battle my weight?

While your genes may make you more susceptible to weight gain, you can overcome your genetic vulnerabilities by eating right and exercising regularly. You can still enjoy the food and lifestyle of San Antonio without worrying about gaining weight.

Q: Does extra walking help that much with weight control?

Extra walking helps you lose weight because it helps you create a calorie deficit, albeit more slowly and less dramatically than other forms of exercise.

Q: What’s the best way to keep the weight off once I lose it?

Continue eating a sensible diet and exercising regularly. Chiropractic care by Dr. Phillips' San Antonio Chiropractic can help too, as our professionals provide the nutritional and exercise guidance you need to prevent weight from coming back.

Q: Is the bathroom scale the best way to measure the fitness I’m gaining and the pounds I’m losing?

The bathroom scale measures your total body weight; it cannot determine whether you are losing fat or muscle. Fitness refers to your overall health and ability to engage in physical activity – something a bathroom scale cannot measure.

Q: I started exercising regularly, but I’m actually gaining weight. What’s going on?

When you exercise, you replace fat with muscle. Muscle is heavier than fat so you may experience weight gain but actually lose fat.

Q: If I eat healthy during the week, can I splurge on weekends?

You might find it easier to stay on a weight loss program if you reward yourself now and then but splurging each weekend might undo all your dieting efforts throughout the week.

Each pound of fat represents about 3,500 calories. This means you gain one pound of fat when you consume 3,500 more calories than you burn with exercise. Conversely, you need to burn 3,500 more calories than you consume to lose one pound. If you wanted to diet five days a week and eat a normal diet on the weekends, you would have to shave 700 calories from your diet each day Monday through Friday to lose a single pound.

Q: Is it true that both walking and running burn 100 calories?

You can burn 100 calories by walking or running but you will burn calories much more quickly when you run. Someone in San Antonio who weighs 160 pounds burns about 204 calories when he walks at 2 mph for an hour. That same person would burn more than 600 calories running in that same hour. While running burns more calories quickly, the impact of running may negatively affect joints and bones. Consult with your local San Antonio chiropractor to make sure your joints are healthy enough for running.

Consult with Dr. Phillips' San Antonio Chiropractic to learn more about weight loss. Call us at (210) 545-1144

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