Choosing a Safe Weight Loss Program

A Responsible and Safe Weight Loss Program

Almost any of the commercial weightless programs can work, but only if they motivate you sufficiently to decrease the amount of calories you eat or increase the amount of calories you burn each day (or both). What elements of a weightless program should an intelligent consumer look for in judging its potential for safe and successful weight loss?

A responsible and safe weightless program should be able to document for you the five following features:

1. The diet should be safe. It should include all of the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins, minerals, and protein. The weightless diet should be low in calories (energy) only, not in essential foodstuffs.

2. The weightless program should be directed towards a slow, steady weight loss unless your doctor feels your health condition would benefit from more rapid weight loss. Expect to lose only about a pound a week after the first week or two. With many calorie restricted diets there is an initial rapid weight loss during the first I to 2 weeks, but this loss is largely fluid. The initial rapid loss of fluid also is regained rapidly when you return to a normal calorie diet. Thus, a reasonable goal of weight loss must be expected.

3. If you plan to lose more than 15 to 20 pounds, have any health problems, or take medication on a regular basis, you should be evaluated by your doctor before beginning your weightless program. A doctor can assess your general health and medical conditions that might be affected by dieting and weight loss. Also, a physician should be able to advise you on the need for weight loss, the appropriateness of the weightless program, and a sensible goal of weight loss for you. If you plan to use a very-low-calorie diet (a special liquid formula diet that replaces all food intake for I to 4 months), you definitely should be examined and monitored by a doctor.

4. Your program should include plans for weight maintenance after the weight loss phase is over. It is of little benefit to lose a large amount of weight only to regain it. Weight maintenance is the most difficult part of controlling weight and is not consistently implemented in weightless programs. The program you select should include help in permanently changing your dietary habits and level of physical activity, to alter a lifestyle that may have contributed to weight gain in the past. Your program should provide behavior modification help, including education in healthy eating habits and long-term plans to deal with weight problems. One of the most important factors in maintaining weight loss appears to be increasing daily physical activity, often by sensible increases in daily activity, as well as incorporating an individually tailored exercise program.

5. A commercial weightless program should provide a detailed statement of fees and costs of additional items such as dietary supplements.

Weight Control Must Be Considered a Life-Long Effort
Obesity is a chronic condition. Too often it is viewed as a temporary problem that can be treated for a few months with a strenuous diet. However, as most overweight people know, weight control must be considered a life-long effort. To be safe and effective, any weightless program must address the long-term approach or else the program is largely a waste of money and effort.

Obesity affects about one in four adult Americans, and during any one year, over half of Americans go on a weightless diet or are trying to maintain their weight. For many people who try to lose weight, it is difficult to lose more than a few pounds! and few succeed in remaining at the reduced weight The difficulty in losing weight and keeping it off leads many people to turn to a professional or commercial weightless program for help. These programs are quite popular and are widely advertised in newspapers and on television. What is the evidence that any of these programs is worthwhile, that they will help you lose weight and keep it off and that they will do it safely? Endnote: This statement was developed with the advice of the National Task Force on Prevention and Treatment of Obesity, a subcommittee of the National Digestive Diseases Advisory Board. (Source: Weight-control Information Network (WIN))

Which Way to Weight Loss?

Americans are fatter than ever.

You've probably read this several times recently, in the newspaper, in women's magazines, or even in the introduction to many of the hundreds of diet books lining the shelves at your local mall or supermarket. The reason for our progressive pudge?-Some experts will tell you it's because we indulge in too many calorically-dense, nutritionally deficient convenience foods; others will claim it's due to misinformation about proper nutrition and exercise; still others claim current facts and studies are incorrect-and new theories are called for to control a weighty problem that is reaching pandemic proportions.

Last June the World Health Organization declared obesity an invasive industrialized disease afflicting half of the world's adult population! The statistics aren't much lighter for Americans either-according to a recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics, at least half of American adults are overweight; and our children aren't fairing much better, with 20 percent of adolescents ages six to 17 years weighing in over the acceptable range.

Obesity is defined as an excess of body fat exceeding 25 percent of a man's body weight or 30 percent of a women's body weight. Although hypothyroidism or medications can cause weight gain, fat accumulation occurs when a person's calorie intake exceeds the amount of energy burned. Extra fat is stored in the adipose tissues under the skin, increasing fat cell size. In individuals with extreme obesity, fat cell numbers are also increased.

Although obesity is now generally recognized as a disease caused by genetic, environmental, and psychological factors, (rather than a weakness or moral failing), it does have a cure-albeit a complex one involving permanent diet and lifestyle changes. Taking the cure does have its health advantages; as obesity is connected to a variety of serious non-communicable diseases including non-insulin, adult-onset diabetes; coronary heart disease; high blood pressure; stroke; several types of cancer; gallbladder disease; musculoskeletal disorders; and respiratory problems. Losing even a small amount of body fat will reduce one's risk.

Obesity also creates a tremendous psychological burden for men and women living with a fashion and entertainment industry that idolizes trim figures. Looking better is often the strongest incentive for losing extra body fat, and at any given time almost one-half of women and one-fourth of men are trying to lose weight.



WHO'S NEEDING THE ADVICE?

Despite the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) best efforts to direct us toward an active lifestyle that includes a diet that is well-balanced; low in fat and cholesterol; moderate in sugar and salt; and rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables-it's a fact, Americans tend to choose taste and convenience over nutritional content and generally don't get enough exercise.

A study in the September issue of Pediatrics reported that only one percent of young Americans (ages two to 19) eat a recommended healthy diet. In reality, young people are obtaining 40 percent of their fuel from fat and sugar (despite the USDA's recommended 10 percent or less). As many dietary habits and food preferences are adapted at an early age and are strongly influenced by environment-it seems the USDA's message has yet to sink in for children and the adults raising them.

The 1997 American Dietetic Association's Nutrition Trends Survey, reveals that about 20 percent of Americans believe eating well takes too much time, and would involve giving up foods they enjoy. The same number also say confusion or frustration over conflicting diet and health reports is a major barrier preventing them from doing all they can to eat well.

There is much truth in the confusion claims. Weight loss is a complex process involving how well food is metabolized in the body. Diet experts have been trying for years to come up with a formula that will work for most people, helping them to lose excess body fat without feeling deprived or frustrated. Veggie Life took a close look at four very different approaches to slimming from the best selling diet and weight loss authors of the 1990s. Each plan has its pluses and minuses, it's up to you to decide on a new diet and weight loss plan you'll be happy to live with.


IDENTIFYING A GOOD WEIGHT-LOSS PLAN

The USDA and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), recommend choosing a diet that contains the following criteria:

* LOWER IN CALORIES (300-500 calories fewer than normal daily), yet includes 100 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamins, minerals, and protein. Women in general need 2,000 calories a day to maintain weight-2,500 for men.
* A diet resulting in SLOW, STEADY WEIGHT LOSS of no more than one to two pounds per week. Any more will result in fluid loss, easily regained when regular eating habits are resumed.
* EAT A VARIETY OF NUTRITIOUS FOODS. Avoid low calorie "fad" diets that exclude whole categories of foods such as carbohydrates-they may be lacking in nutrients.
* FILL UP ON FOODS HIGH IN FIBER such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Fiber helps you feel full without adding calories.
* CONSUME LESS THAN 30 PERCENT CALORIES FROM FAT. Fat is the most concentrated source of calories (9 per gram-whereas protein and carbohydrates have only 4 calories per gram).
* PROVIDES GUIDELINES FOR WEIGHT MAINTENANCE once desired weight is reached.
* PARTICIPATE IN MODERATE EXERCISE a minimum of 30 minutes a day to increase calorie burning.
* CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR if you plan to lose more than 15 to 20 pounds, have any health problems, or take medications.