Weight Loss Diets

Why do I need to lose weight if I am overweight?

Being overweight increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. If you are overweight, losing just 5 to 10% of your weight and keeping it off lowers your risk for developing most of these diseases.

Your health care provider can give you a good sense of whether you have an increased risk of health problems because of your weight.

What can I do to lose weight?

Losing weight requires a change in behavior that almost always involves:

• a better understanding of your own health
• healthy eating habits
• a plan for rewards for following your program
• an increase in regular physical activity.

Diets for losing weight involve:

• making smart choices from every food group: fruits, vegetables, grains, milk products, and meat.
• finding a balance between how much food you eat and how much physical activity you have
• getting the most nutrition out of your calories.

If you are trying to lose weight, this most often means eating fewer calories and avoiding some foods. A weight loss diet needs to provide adequate nutrition and a good variety of foods as well as a reduction in calories.

What is most effective is a gradual change in eating and physical activity habits that you can continue for the rest of your life. The best diet is one that helps you lose weight slowly but steadily, so you can maintain a healthy weight after you have reached your goal. Ask your health care provider for a safe, healthy, effective weight loss program.

What foods should I choose to lose weight?

A healthy eating plan is one that:

• Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
• Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and soy protein.
• Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

Keep a food diary. As soon as you eat or drink, write it down. It may be helpful to use a small pocket diary. Seeing what you eat and drink will help you examine your eating patterns and food habits.

What foods should I limit or avoid?

Significantly limit how much you eat of the following:

• refined carbohydrates (sugar) and foods containing sugar
• refined grain products such as white rice and white flour.

Avoid:

• saturated fats such as butter, margarine, poultry skin, and fat on meats
• other foods that contain fats, such as pastries, cakes, and cheese
• fried foods
• processed meats (they are often high in fat, salt, and preservatives).

If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Moderate drinking means up to 1 drink a day for women and up to 2 drinks for men. A drink equals 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1 and 1/2 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits. Remember that alcoholic beverages have calories but are low in nutritional value.

What are calories?

A calorie is the energy value of food. Your body burns calories to use for basic body functions. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats contain calories and produce energy. To lose weight, reduce the calories in the food you eat (without giving up nutrition). Increase the number of calories you use in physical activity.

Eating 500 calories a day less than you need to maintain your present weight can result in losing 1 pound a week. One to one and a half pounds (2 pounds maximum) is the ideal amount to lose in a week. If you lose more than that each week, you begin to lose muscle rather than fat.

Most weight reduction diets suggest 1200 to 1500 calories a day for women and 1500 to 1800 calories a day for men. However, calorie needs can vary a lot depending on your activity level and current weight. Ask your health care provider or dietitian to help you determine how many calories you need a day.

You must eat a minimum quantity of calories in appropriate food or your body will shut down its metabolism in an effort to survive the lean time. This happens when people go on "starvation diets." The body's survival response prevents them from losing weight.

What are some of the popular diets?

There are several popular diets. Some may be dangerous. Broad categories of popular diets are:

• high-protein diets
• specific food diets
• calorie-conscious commercial programs.

High-protein diets result in a quick initial loss of weight. These diets allow unlimited amounts of high-protein foods, but little or no carbohydrates (carbs). Examples include the Atkins diet, South Beach diet, Cambridge diet (the University diet), Herbalife diet plan, Stillman diet, and Scarsdale diet.

• In recent studies, dieters on the popular Atkins diet lost more weight in the first 6 months than dieters on a calorie-controlled, low-fat diet. However, the amount of weight lost in the 2 groups after 1 year was about the same. It is unclear if the Atkins diet is better than the calorie-controlled, low-fat diet for maintaining weight loss.
• The South Beach diet is similar to the Atkins diet, but it restricts saturated fat as well as some carbs. It also has different guidelines for eating carbs.
• The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has reported cases of acute illness from the Cambridge diet requiring hospitalization. A warning has been added to the product label.
• The Herbalife diet plan may cause diarrhea, nausea, heavy sweating, headaches, and cramps.
• The Stillman diet does not include the 5 basic food groups. It provides only small amounts of vitamins A and C, thiamine, and iron.
• In the Scarsdale diet there is little iron, vitamin A, calcium, and riboflavin because the diet limits milk, bread, and cereals. It can lead to dehydration because fluids are limited to coffee, tea, and water. (Coffee and tea have diuretic effects, which means you may lose more water than you consume.)

Research has yet to determine the long-term benefits or risks of high-protein, low-carb diets. On the positive side, many participants in recent studies of the Atkins Diet lowered their triglyceride (unhealthy blood fat) levels and increased their HDL (good cholesterol), despite eating a diet rich in saturated fat. The downside is the diet restricts the foods (whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) that help reduce the risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other health conditions.

Specific food diets are based on food combinations. These diets don't count calories, are monotonous, and encourage unrealistic eating habits. You may develop vitamin and mineral deficiencies after a few days on one of these diets. Examples of these diets are the Mayo (or grapefruit) Diet, the Beverly Hills Diet, and high-carbohydrate diets.

• The Mayo Diet is based on the belief that grapefruit causes weight loss by causing fat to be burned faster. One of the problems is that the diet is high in saturated fats and cholesterol.
• The Beverly Hills Diet is low in protein, vitamins, and minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium.
• High-carbohydrate diets (for example, Jane Fonda, Pritikin, Bloomingdale's Eat to Succeed) are based on high-carbohydrate, high-fiber foods. Some are balanced but others are not.

Calorie-conscious commercial programs and weight loss clinics offer group support and motivation for the dieter, a wide variety of foods, and a calorie intake between 500 and 1500 a day. These programs are often expensive and should not be used without medical supervision. Some programs can provide excellent support in changing bad eating habits and maintaining a program over time.

Very low calorie diets and total fasting (eating less than 500 calories a day) are potentially fatal and require medical supervision.

How will physical activity help me lose weight?

In addition to diet, daily walking can help you manage your weight. Start with a comfortable goal: 5, 10, or 15 minutes a day. Walk this amount at least 4 to 7 times a week. Each week add 5 minutes to your time until you have worked up to at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. Moderate aerobic exercise is generally defined as requiring about the energy it takes to walk 2 miles in 30 minutes. You may need to exercise 60 minutes a day to prevent weight gain and 90 minutes a day to lose weight. Invite someone to walk with you, for example, your spouse or a child you've been meaning to spend more time with. Be sure to check with your health care provider before starting your exercise program.

As you walk you will burn calories. By exercising regularly you will also increase your metabolic rate. This means you will be burning more calories for several hours after exercise. If you are unable to walk, ask your health care provider to recommend a different type of exercise.

In addition to helping you lose or maintain your weight, regular physical activity lowers your pulse, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. It also increases your energy level and improves your sleep.

What if I can't stop overeating?

If you compulsively overeat, Overeaters Anonymous may help. The program is free. Write or call:

Overeaters Anonymous

Phone: 505-891-2664

Web site: http://www.overeatersanonymous.org