47 A Christian Guide to Body Stewardship, Diet and Exercise • Make small, but permanent, changes in your diet: ◦ Drink more water ◦ Eat more lean protein ◦ Eat more fruits and vegetables ◦ Eat more high-fiber foods (e.g., whole grains, beans, legumes) ◦ Eat small amounts of healthy fats • Make small, but permanent, changes in your eating habits: ◦ Eat less added sugar ◦ Be conscious of portion sizes ◦ Establish regular eating patterns (e.g., not going too long between meals and snacks) ◦ Honor hunger and fullness cues (as restriction can lead to binging) Hierarchy of Fat Loss As mentioned previously, regular exercise is considered an effective weight management strategy. However, not all types of exercise will produce the same results. Research suggests that low-intensity steady-state exercise is relatively ineffective at promoting fat loss (Miller et al., 1997; Thorogood et al., 2011) and, despite decades of research, the physiological mechanisms by which exercise is used to regulate fat mass is still not clearly understood (Cosgrove, 2019; Melanson et al., 2009). Despite this uncertainty, current research suggests there may be a hierarchy of factors to consider in terms of losing body fat and keeping it off (Gilbert, 2019). Figure 3.4 depicts this hierarchy of fat loss. Figure 3.4. Hierarchy of Factors for Fat Loss
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