Losing Weight Gets Rid of Knee Pain
Do your knees ever hurt? Clearly, there are many contributing factors to knee pain, but one common factor is excess weight.
Recently on a CNN segment, a reputable doctor reported that for every 1 pound of weight you lose, you take 2 pounds of pressure off your knees. Think about that for a minute. Let’s say you are 10 pounds overweight. That is like having a 10-pound weight strapped to each leg everyday as you walk around - 20 total pounds of pressure on your knees.
What happens with a lot of us who say we’d like to lose weight, we look at too big an amount to start with, and we get overwhelmed. Bite-size chunks (no pun intended) is the way to lose weight. Don’t start with “I have to lose 60 pounds.” Start with, “I am losing 2 pounds per week.”
Ray Burton wrote an excellent book entitled Fat to Fit. I am a big fan of Dr. Phil’s approach to psychology - and Ray Burton reminds me of Dr. Phil (which is probably why I like his book so much). His approach is very sensible and absolutely doable for anybody. But it is all up to you - as the saying goes, “No one will do your pushups for you.”
Bottom line on weight loss is simple math: You have to burn more calories than you take in so that you will be at a calorie deficit. Most people try to do this solely by cutting calories from their diet. That is way too hard. If you want to lose 2 pounds per week, that’s 7000 calories you’ll have to cut per week (there are 3500 calories in one pound). That is 1000 calories per day. You can’t just reduce your food intake by 1000 calories and still be healthy. You’ll have to get rid of the calories in different ways. Here’s one suggestion for getting rid of 1000 calories per day:
- 400 calories by diet
- 350 calories from just a 1/2 hour of cardio exercise
- 250 calories from just 20 minutes of weight/strength training
I really like Ray’s approach and philosophy. He presents a realistic, manageable plan for anyone who wants to lose weight and who is willing to do what it takes. He also offers recipes for healthy eating. It is one of the best books I’ve found. Read more about Fat to Fit - It might be just what you’re looking for.
And, remember: Every pound you lose decreases the pressure on your knees by 2 pounds!