The Truth About Losing Weight

by Diane Huffman

It is a well known fact that obesity in growing in the world today. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are over 1 billion overweight people in the world today and this number is constantly growing. Their internet address is http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/facts/obesity/en/.

There are many fad diets available that promise fast results that can interfere with normal body functioning. Those include many pills, shakes, powders, etc. There are also diets that insist you buy their food products plus you have to buy additional food to complement the food you buy from the company. Most of these fail for these and other reasons:

     1. They do not work
     2. They are too hard to follow
     3. The person gains the weight back when they get off the diet
     4. Keeping counseling appointment takes up too much time

The truth of the matter is we need to eat properly and exercise to lose weight. Aerobic exercise is recommended, however, many people are unable to do aerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise can also help lose minimal weight, strengthen and tone muscles and increase pleasure endorphins. The increase of these endorphins can promote a positive attitude.

The WHO promotes healthy behaviors to encourage and support weight loss such as:

     1. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables
     2. Moderate exercise most days of the week
     3. Substantially limiting intake of fats and carbohydrates (including sugar)
     4. Substitute saturated fats from animals to unsaturated fats found in vegetables
     5. Make sure your diet is balanced with proper nutrients.

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has published a national guidelines report on overweight and obesity in adults. In addition to losing weight to reduce elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides the report provides other goals and suggestions. Their internet address is http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/recommen.htm. These are a few suggestions:

     1. The first goal in weight loss is to lose 10% of the baseline body weight. Then proceed from there as    warranted.
     2. Reduce calories as well as fats and simple carbohydrates.
     3. Do not try to lose more than 1 or 2 pounds weekly.
     4. Modify your behavior for a life-time not only to lose weight. Increase physical activity, as previously mentioned, and maintain the activity and healthy eating throughout your life. (You can still enjoy the foods you love from time to time.)

What about negative calorie foods - are they a myth? According to Donald Hensrud, M.D. states there is no evidence that negative calorie foods exist though it is theoretically possible. It takes 10% of our total calorie in take to digest and absorb nutrients. Some foods are harder to digest. These are the foods deemed as “negative calorie” foods. These are citrus fruits and vegetables. Some are celery, grapefruit, asparagus, berries, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

A positive attitude and self confidence plays important roles in weight loss. Repeating daily affirmations such as “I will lose this weight”, “I am eating healthier”, “Exercise makes me feel better”, etc can promote a positive attitude. Losing weight with a friend or relative can promote a positive attitude as you support each other. Ask your friends and family to encourage you in your weight loss goal. Some may find it competitive which can further encourage some people to lose weight. Getting off track may happen from time to time, but it is not the end of the world. You must not be afraid. Forgive yourself and move on. You can succeed. You may also increase your happiness.

Drinking water helps to flush the body of unwanted wastes and toxins and maintains proper kidney function. Drinking 8 ounces of water eight times daily is recommended if you have no health condition prohibiting it. A study done at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, suggests that drinking water may promote weight loss in overweight women who are dieting. This document can be found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18787524.

The Department of Health and Human Services internet site offers a lot of information on the dieting and losing weight for life process. As I am sure you already know, this is a life long investment. This is an investment that will produce healthy gains in your future. The internet site is, http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/ .

If you are overweight, losing weight is imperative for decreasing elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, and improving your general health and even happiness. Most “fad” diets are ultimately not successful. A positive attitude and self confidence can help change bad behaviors to good ones that last a lifetime.

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