Losing weight

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Calories and fat per serving	Fish in diet	Food guide pyramid	Healthy diet
Hunger center in brain	Muscle cells vs. fat cells	Weight loss	Yo-yo dieting

Here are some steps for weight maintenance and weight loss:

• Increase your daily activity -- take the stairs rather than the elevator, or walk rather than drive when possible.
• Reduce your food intake gradually. This will help make these new eating habits lifetime changes. Reduce fat intake on a daily basis, and reduce intake of other high-calorie foods.
• Change any habits that make you eat more, or eat poorly.
• Learn about the calorie content of foods and the calorie expenditure of various physical activities.

SUMMARY

For weight loss to be successful, here is a summary of basic guidelines:

• Aerobic physical activity will assist in increasing muscle tissue which will burn more calories. You should plan on 20-minute sessions at least 3 times per week.
• Gradual changes in eating habits will help encourage a permanent lifestyle change.
• A slow weight loss of 1 or 2 pounds a week, until the desirable body weight is reached, is best.

RESOURCES

A registered dietitian is an excellent resource for individualized weight loss. Dietitians can provide information on classes and programs available in the community.

By far, the most well-known, community-based support group is Weight Watchers. Members meet every week and learn about healthy eating while encouraging each other in their weight loss goals.

Consumer brochures can be obtained from the Federal Trade Commission on evaluation of commercial weight loss programs.

FAD DIETS

A fad diet is one that makes unrealistic promises. Most fad diets are very low in carbohydrates and in calories, causing fluid loss from the body, which indicates a loss of weight on the scale. Once the body gets rehydrated with water, the weight will come right back.

Evaluation of a fad diet:

• Is the diet medically and nutritionally safe? Get an opinion from a physician and a registered dietitian.
• Red flags for fad diets include: overemphasis on a specific food group or groups, limited food choices, and a "calories do not count" approach.

These are ways to decide whether to use a diet or not. If there is no nutritionally or medically reliable information provided, and if there are no statistics to back the claims, then it is not a good diet to consider. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

Review Date: 10/17/2005
Reviewed By: Christos Ballas, M.D., Attending Psychiatrist, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.