Losing weight the healthy way in a three-month program

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

The maxim has been niggling at Heidi a lot lately since she found that it takes a lot of effort to acquire the shape she has been dreaming of.

It has been three months since she started her fitness program at the Jakarta Hilton International's LifeSpa and Fitness Center.

The program is aimed at recovering Heidi's fitness, long lost as the result of long periods of inactivity, a sedentary lifestyle and endless hours at work as a desk-bound reporter.

The past two years have been crazy, ever since Heidi started her reporting job in fact. She had gained eight kilos at one stage, up to a whopping 64 kilograms, which made her nearly obese for her 1.55 cm height.

She weighed 62 kilograms before the program commenced and now, three months later, the scale has moved down a bit to 60 kilograms.

It's certainly a lot harder to lose weight than to put it on.

"Why, oh why did I let my body balloon out like this?" Heidi groaned.

There are, however, other things that Heidi has gained from the exercise. Despite the small weight-loss, her body is more toned. She has also become fitter, stronger and lither.

Something else has also improved in her lifestyle. In the past month, instead of staying in bed longer like she used to, she wakes up earlier to play badminton in addition to going to the gym.

Occasionally, she also goes to the batting cage at the Senayan Sports Center to hit some baseballs. Blisters and all, her motivation is still high.

"I'm desperate to lose weight. But on the other hand, I don't want to do it destructively, like becoming anorexic or taking diet pills. So, I guess this is the only way for me," she said.

The Center's manager, Thomas Weber, who assists Heidi with her program, recently gave her his evaluation. Here are some of the highlights:

* Increased strength

Over the three months, Thomas said that Heidi had shown an increase in strength. At the beginning of the program, she started by doing eight exercises with two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions for each exercise. After two weeks, this had increased to 11 exercises with three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions per exercise.

In the middle of the program, there was also an experiment with "circuit training", which Heidi liked due to the quicker tempo.

* Weight loss

With regard to weight loss, Thomas said that the healthy way was to lose no more than two kilos a month.

"People who say they can lose more than that are usually starving themselves. Also, don't be tempted to take supplements or by any of the other ways that are said to make you lose five to eight kilos a month. That's not healthy. Besides, it's most likely that the weight is going to bounce right back on again," he said.

"You might have lost only two kilos. But that's weight that you're not going to put back on again quickly."

* Heidi's shoulders, back and arms are apparently pretty weak. However, it is not necessary for her to concentrate on exercising these. Instead, she should continue to work on her entire body, doing the basics first and building a foundation. After that, she can focus more on her weak points.

What's next?

* Keep up the rhythm

After three months, Heidi decided to take a break for two weeks as she felt a little fatigued. She did not stop exercising completely though as she continued to play badminton and do some batting in the cages.

According to Thomas, taking a break for a week or two is fine.

"I've always advised my clients to take a break once in a while. But beware, because that one week of a break can become two weeks, three weeks, and suddenly, you're sedentary again."

Thomas said that Heidy was already in the rhythm of regular exercise, so she should not get out of it.

* Continue the program for the next four weeks, and then change it.

Right now, Heidi is doing 20 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the stepper, a series of abdominal exercises and weight training.

Thomas suggested that she do more on the stepper to work on her mid-section ("Oh God, I must have a bump like those girls Sisqo's been singing about!" Heidi sighed.)

* Combination

Doing exercise regularly at the gym can be boring after a while, unless you are surrounded by gorgeous hunks. So, combine the exercise with a variety of cardiovascular activities outside, like biking, running or swimming.

If you do get bored, just go twice a week to the gym, and combine the gym work with sport.

"You've also been playing badminton and going batting, which is good. So, come by here two times a week, and then play badminton two times a week and also softball. So, it's practically everyday," he added.

"What? Isn't that too much?" Heidi asked.

"Nope!"

* Weight training is important.

"Say I don't exercise at the gym, but I play a few different sports three times a week on the same days I usually go to the gym. Would that be OK?" Heidi asked.

According to Thomas, this depends on what the goal is. Since Heidi still wanted to shed a lot of kilos, it would not be enough.

"Playing sports like badminton and softball does not involve continuous calorie burning. You will only be running for the ball occasionally and quickly," he said.

"In the gym, you continuously burn calories. Weight training is also important because it focuses on different muscle groups."

Research also says that weight training is good for women so as to increase the strength of their bones.

* Fifty percent of the success in losing weight is due to good diet.

* On top of that, be patient. Keep up your motivation because hard work really does pay off.

"Imagine if you keep doing it for the next six months, you will have lost, what, five, six kilos? That's good, isn't it?" Thomas said.