A Guide to Effective Weight Control
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Have you ever lost weight and then watched the pounds creep back on? Do you think of good-tasting food as something you must avoid when dieting? Are you still searching for that miracle weight-loss plan?
If you've answered yes to any of these questions, you're not alone. And you've probably been unsuccessful at long-term weight control. Unfortunately, many people who try to lose weight don't understand that successful weight control requires fewer calories and regular exercise, combined with healthy eating habits that can be maintained for life.
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When Losing Means Winning
Approximately 69 percent of Americans are trying to either lose or control their weight. And for good reason. It is estimated that 65 percent of adult Americans are overweight and 30 percent are obese.
What are the benefits of reaching proper weight? According to the National Institutes of Health, people who are obese (more than 20 percent above their ideal weight) are more likely to have hypertension, high blood cholesterol levels, diabetes and some kinds of cancer. Achieving a healthy weight reduces health risks. It also makes you feel better -- more energetic and more confident.
It is important to understand your weight loss needs. Ideally, both you and your physician should determine if you need to lose weight. If so, how far off are you from your "winning weight?" Is a complete change in eating habits necessary, or do you just need to cut back a little and watch the extra helpings? If you're close to your goal, you may not need to start a full-scale weight-reduction program. If you're more than 20 percent above your healthy weight, or if you've had a weight problem for many years, consult a health professional before starting any type of serious weight-loss program.
One of the first steps to weight-loss success is to evaluate how you feel, both physically and emotionally, then establish realistic goals. If you want to lose weight, set several short-term goals, and reward yourself (with non-food rewards) each time you make progress. Remember, even small weight losses have been shown to be beneficial. Should you reach a plateau that you cannot get past, perhaps you need to reevaluate your weight goal.
Nothing Worth Winning Is Easy
Although your mind may have high hopes for success, your body may have a different opinion. The human body reacts negatively when calories are reduced, even when a weight-loss plan is nutritionally complete. Cutting back on food threatens the body. Your body tries to protect itself by slowing its "basal metabolism," the rate at which it burns calories at rest. This makes weight loss harder. To counter this effect, its important to make gradual changes in your eating habits.
Searching for the Quick Fix
Many dieters try to find a quick fix for their weight problems, but there are no simple solutions. Americans spend billions of dollars each year on diet books, gimmicks and other products to try to lose weight ($6 billion per year, according to the Federal Trade Commission). Almost monthly, a new book or magazine announces the latest "miracle diet," promising dramatic weight loss. Beware of "fad" diets and know how to recognize one. A fad diet:
- doesn't include the variety of foods necessary for good health or doesn't teach good eating habits
- claims you can "trick" body metabolism into wasting calories or energy
- makes dramatic claims for fast and easy weight loss
Winning By Losing
Health professionals agree that the most sensible approach to weight loss is a balanced diet eating a variety of foods, all in moderation combined with exercise. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Heart Association, the American Dietetic Association and the American Medical Association all recommend this combined approach.
Your weight is determined by the number of calories you consume and the number of calories your body uses as energy. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. You will lose weight by eating less, by being more active or preferably by doing both.
For permanent weight loss, you also need to learn sound
eating habits. While fad diets may take the weight off, they
don't teach you how to keep it off. Remember, you're learning
a way to live, not just a way to diet. And to keep weight
off, you must stay motivated. Successful weight control
depends upon YOU not upon any particular
product or program.
You Too Can Lose One Pound a Week!
Most health professionals recommend slow weight loss as
the safest and most effective approach. A sensible
weight-loss program allows you to lose weight gradually --
about one-half to one pound per week. Gradual weight loss
promotes long-term loss of body fat, not just water weight
that can be quickly regained.
Most people leading moderately active lives need about 15
calories per pound to maintain their weight. For example, a
150-pound person would have to eat foods containing no more
than 2,250 calories each day to maintain his or her weight.
To lose one pound, a person must burn 3,500 calories more
than are consumed. For example, reducing calories by 300 per
day and increasing daily activity to burn off an additional
200 calories should result in a weight loss of one pound per
week.
A Perfect
Balance
When limiting calories, you still need to satisfy basic
nutritional needs. Eat a variety of foods every day. Choose
from each of the five food groups milk, meat, fruit,
vegetable and bread and allow for an occasional treat.
Balanced food plans encourage making wise choices about
everyday food choices you can make to stay at your
proper weight for life.
You should also evaluate your eating patterns. Sometimes
six small meals a day can help you control your hunger. If
you prefer to stay with eating three main meals, always plan
for some low-calorie between-meal snacks to help avoid
overeating at your next meal.
All foods and beverages can be consumed in moderation. Try
to cut down on foods high in fat and sugar, or substitute
with reduced-calorie and reduced-fat foods and beverages.
Most successful weight-loss plans call for a reduction in
both calories and the amount of fat eaten. The fat in your
diet should be limited to 30 percent or less of total
calories each day. And calories still count!
Getting
Physical
Determine what type of physical activity best suits your
lifestyle. You should work your way up to regular aerobic
exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging or swimming, since
it is a key factor in achieving permanent weight loss and
improving health. Aerobic exercise works the body's large
muscles, such as the heart, and should be moderately
vigorous, but not exhausting, to be most effective. For
maximum benefits, most health experts recommend exercising 30
minutes or more on most, preferably all, days of the week.
Try to incorporate some simple calorie-burners into your
everyday routine. Even the most basic activities (such as
taking an after-dinner walk, using the stairs at the mall
instead of taking an escalator, or parking farther away so
you have a longer walk) can get you prepared for more aerobic
activities.
Exercise not only burns calories, it may increase the
body's metabolic rate and actually decreases appetite for
some people. Exercise also has psychological benefits. It
improves your sense of well-being and decreases stress (which
often leads to overeating).
Lose It And
Never Find It Again
Controlling weight means having to learn two sets of
behavior: weight loss and weight maintenance. According to
many health professionals, weight maintenance is the more
difficult. Less than a third of the people who lose weight
are able to keep it off. Long-term success depends upon
continuing the good eating and exercise habits you developed
while losing weight.
It will take time to make these new habits a permanent
part of your life. Continue to modify your behavior by:
- accepting the fact that you will still be tempted by
"fattening" foods
- realizing you can eat tempting foods in moderation,
so you won't feel deprived
- increasing low-calorie and low-fat choices
- trying new forms of exercise (by making exercise fun,
you will likely stick to it.)
Know your eating habits. Do you overindulge when eating
your "favorite" foods? Do you eat when you're
depressed or worried? Do you use food as a reward? Keeping
track of your eating habits in a food diary may help you cut
down on how much you eat.
Don't let a temporary setback get you down. Go right back
to your winning ways!
Stay motivated focus on your goals. Seek help if
you cannot do it alone. Join a weight-loss organization or a
health club. Your local hospital may even offer a weight loss
clinic. Also ask friends and family for support.
Controlling
Weight Made Easier
Eating can still be fun! With the variety of low-calorie
and "light" foods and beverages available today,
watching your weight no longer means eating carrot sticks and
rice cakes. More and more good-tasting, reduced-calorie
dinner entrees, desserts, diet soft drinks and other foods
are now available. Also, the development and use of a wide
variety of low-calorie ingredients known as fat replacers are
making many new reduced-fat and light foods and beverages
possible.
Low-calorie sweeteners, as part of an overall
weight-control program, can help you reduce calories and
therefore reduce weight. Recent studies show this to be true.
Also, low-calorie foods and beverages can help make managing
weight easier. They can:
- satisfy the natural desire for sweet taste without
extra calories;
- provide more choices when juggling calories. Weight
can be maintained by saving calories, which you may
or may not "spend" later in the same meal
or the same day. As long as the calories are not
overspent, you will maintain your weight;
- help you stay on your weight-control program by
keeping your diet interesting and enjoyable.
Low-calorie and reduced-fat foods and beverages can easily
be made part of a lifelong, sensible weight-control program.
Recent surveys indicate that many people are consuming these
products as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.
You Can Do It!
Many people find it hard to accept the facts about weight
control. Miracle diets and quick cures are not the answer;
permanent lifestyle changes are. The best way to control
weight is to consume fewer calories and exercise more.
You can't just change your habits for a week or two and go
back to the way you were. You can successfully manage
your weight, but it means a lifetime commitment and permanent
changes in eating behavior. Weight takes time to gain, and it
takes time to lose. But, once the weight is gone, it's well
worth it. Now that you know how to "Win by Losing,"
get out there and beat the odds!
10
Tips to Reshape Behavior
- Pan-fry or saute foods with a non-stick spray or
low-calorie butter substitute. Bake or broil instead
of frying.
- Eat high-fiber foods, such as a bran muffin instead
of the morning donut.
- Use sugar substitutes when sweetening foods and
beverages.
- Order from the light menus now offered at many
restaurants, or purchase low-calorie or reduced-fat
products at the grocery store.
- Try a meal plan using "exchange lists"
based on foods grouped together according to similar
food values. Most exchange lists include several
"free" foods: those lower than 20 calories
per serving, such as many low-calorie, sugar-free
foods and beverages.
- Never skip meals. Eat three to six times a day in
smaller portions to keep from getting hungry.
- Use a smaller plate at mealtime to satisfy your
psychological need to see a full plate.
- Eat and chew slowly. Learn to stop eating before you
feel full. (It takes 20 minutes for the stomach to
tell the brain that it is full!)
- Weigh yourself on a regular schedule, but dont
become a slave to your scale.
- Reward yourself with pleasures other than food--buy
some new clothes, get a different hair style, see a
movie, visit a friend, etc
Contributors
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John P. Foreyt, Ph.D., is a leading authority on obesity, dieting and behavior. He is director of the Nutrition Research Clinic and Professor, Department of Medicine, at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. |
Gail Becker, R.D., is recognized for communications expertise on diet, nutrition and fitness. She is president of Gail Becker Associates in Great Neck, New York. |
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