Lose weight without losing bone

For many of us, the day has not begun until the bathroom scale has been confronted. Making our sleepy way to the bathroom and taking that faltering step onto the scale, we know we are faced with only three possible scenarios: weight loss, weight maintenance and weight gain. Climbing on the scale to find that you’ve lost weight is usually the favored scenario, and with it comes a feeling of sheer bliss that can last for days.

The gift of watching the dial on the scale recede and point to numbers you haven’t associated with your body since grade school often offers the incentive you need to stay on course and reach your goal weight. But what if you found that a percentage of the weight you were losing was attributed to bone loss? How quickly would your bliss turn to fear if you learned that, rather than making you leaner, your calorie-restricting diet was weakening your skeletal system? A University of Illinois study recently found that the way you diet can have a major impact on whether you lose bone or fat when dieting.

Over the course of the eight month study, the University of Illinois scientists and researchers put two groups of overweight individuals on different diets in order to study the effects of their diet on bone loss. One group consumed a calorie-controlled diet high in protein, while the other group ate a calorie high in carbohydrates, but low in overall calories. Those who ate the high-carbohydrate diet were found to lose bone density and suffer a decline in bone health.

The results of this study show how important it is to find a way to lose weight without losing bone. By choosing a low-calorie, low-fat diet that is high in protein, you will not only help your body become lean and powerful, you will also help keep your skeletal structure dense and resilient. A diet that incorporates lean meats and cheeses, nuts, and low fat dairy products such as yogurt, will keep you satisfied while you lose weight and retain bone mass. While stressing the point that protein is imperative to keeping your bones strong, the U of I study also discussed the importance of following the food pyramid as a guide to good nutrition and including fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Another way in which to ensure that you lose weight without losing bone is to add exercise in to your daily routine. Exercise helps you to lose weight in two ways. First, exercise helps you to burn additional calories, thereby decreasing your stored calories and fat. Second, exercise increases your muscle mass which then increases your metabolism, resulting in an increased amount of calorie burn while resting. Perhaps even more important than the effects exercise has on your weight loss is the effect that exercise has on your bone. High-impact, resistance based exercise has been shown to strengthen your bones and guard against bone loss.

Between 1995 and 2001, the University of Arizona conducted the Bone Estrogen Strength Training (BEST) study in order to discover what type of exercise improves bone density in women who were post menopausal. The study showed that strength training exercises along with cardio were the best exercises to stave off bone loss. The study results suggest exercises such as squats, leg presses, and lateral pull downs for strength training and walking, stepping and jogging for suggested cardio activities. To receive maximum bone conserving potential from these exercises, U of A suggests 3 - 45 minute exercise sessions per week.

With knowledge, determination and discipline, it’s not hard to make sure you lose weight without losing bone. By integrating more low-fat proteins into your diet, ensuring daily calcium consumption, and making the time to exercise 3 times a week, you’ll be well on your way to stronger bones and a smaller waist.