KUALA LUMPUR – Those keen to reduce their weight are advised to have a balanced diet and not expect drastic changes within a short period of time.
FitMalaysia X programme sports dietary officer, Noor Kamsina Aziz said the ideal rate of weight loss should be between 500 gm and 1 kg in a week.
She explained that if the weight loss happens at a drastic rate reaching 2 kg per week, there is a possibility of it affecting the person’s health and reducing the body’s metabolism rate.
“At the early stage, a loss of up to 2 kg is normal; it could be water weight. But if it goes down 2 kg each week, that’s excessive, it’s not healthy. The body keeps getting thinner but from the health aspect, it’s unhealthy and unfit.
“Usually, it will endanger our health till it upsets the metabolism, in addition to slowing down the recovery (of muscles) after exercise, which will make us tire faster and affect our emotional and mental state.
“What’s important is we enjoy seeing the progress taking place with our bodies and health, not forcing ourselves to monitor the increasing amount we are losing,” she told Bernama after an award ceremony for the best participant of the FitMalaysia X Armed Forces programme series today.
Noor Kamsina said to ensure that we remain energetic as we reduce our food intake and also exercise, we need to ensure our calorie intake matches our bodies’ requirements to ensure a calorie deficit occurs.
She added that a balanced calorie intake occurs through macronutrients, namely food that builds the body and provides energy, and comprises three main food groups — fat, protein and carbohydrates.
Meanwhile, the best participant of the FitMalaysia X Armed Forces programme, Corporal Mohd Fariuddin Ismail managed to reduce his body weight by 14 kg within eight weeks.
He previously weighed 114 kg and admitted that he was still not satisfied with his current body weight and is determined to continue with what he learnt during the programme to achieve an ideal body weight of 80 kg.
“The main challenge in losing weight is to change one’s eating habits,” he said and vowed to make that change in order to achieve his goal.
— BERNAMA
