Research indicates that about 95% of people who begin a fat reduction program will fail to achieve their goals. Why? While there are a multitude of reasons why this occurs, undoubtedly the primary reasons are a lack of motivation and “weight loss” results not meeting personal expectations. This article describes the single most effective and scientifically based way of monitoring the success of your fat reduction program - using Bioelectrical Impedance Assessment to provide a “road map” for your quest.

What is Bioelectrical Impedance (BIA)?

BIA is an assessment that allows a very accurate determination of the two components of body composition: adipose/body fat tissue and lean tissue (muscle and bone) while simultaneously reducing the variation that can occur when using repeated skinfold measurement. BIA is comparable to the “Gold Standard” of body composition determination - underwater weighing. (BIA is less invasive than skin fold measurements as the test can be performed fully clothed).

The BIA test itself involves using a BIA machine that passes a tiny, imperceptible electrical charge between an electrode on your hand and an electrode on your foot. The BIA unit measures the resistance (impedance) of the electrical charge, and from this information accurately determines percent body fat and the percent lean tissue.

Basically the principle of its operation is this: muscle which is high in water content conducts electricity well and offers a lower resistance in comparison to adipose tissue which contains minimal water and offers a high resistance. Therefore, if the impedance reading is low, the percent body fat is low and vice versa.

Why does BIA help with motivation and adherence to a weight-loss program?

In another article on our website we explained the complications of using changes in body weight to judge the success of a fat reduction campaign. We mentioned that monitoring body composition is essential since “weight loss” is a relative term and fluctuations in body fluid and lean muscle tissue complicate scale readings. For example, if you include resistance training in your fat-loss campaign and you rely on the scale reading, you may get discouraged when you put on weight since muscle, which is high in water content “weighs more than fat”.

BIA is a great way of providing a plan or a map for tracking your progress and staying motivated since you are able to monitor both components of body weight - adipose tissue and lean (muscle and bone) tissue independently. BIA provides you concrete evidence of slight changes in lean muscle tissue and fat percentage - even when body dimensions and body weight may not give an indication. This is important because an increase in lean tissue percentage (from resistance training, for example) automatically decreases body fat percentage and vice versa.

What other benefits does BIA offer to help me stay motivated?

In addition to being able to measure fat and lean tissue, BIA is also able to provide ideal body fat and lean tissue ranges based on your actual test results - not from height/weight tables and other normative data. This makes your fat loss goal more personal and scientifically realistic - boosting motivation.

Most BIA units will also provide your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. BMR is the minimum amount of energy (calorie) required by the body to sustain essential life functions such as heartbeat and breathing. BMR is directly proportional to lean muscle tissue content, since muscle consumes energy and produces body heat. For example, even at rest, a bodybuilder will have a higher metabolism and consume more energy than an unconditioned sedentary individual.

In addition, some BIA units can even calculate an Estimated Average Requirement or EAR- the number of calories (energy) you require in a day to maintain your present weight based on your BMR and your reported daily physical activity level.

The EAR is probably the most useful piece of information a person on a fat loss plan can use, as it gives a scientifically determined calorie target based on their personal lifestyle to work from - again providing direction and added motivation to “stick it out” and lose fat mass and not just “weight”.

From the EAR you can calculate the number of calories a day to cut out using diet and exercise. For example, if your goal is to lose 2 lb of fat a week, then you will need to cut about 1 000 calories from your EAR [(3 500 cal/lb fat divided by 7 days/week) x 2].

Lastly, a BIA will also provide information on your hydration status. Hydration during fat reduction plans is essential as the products of low caloric diets like ketones and urea must be eliminated via the urine - increasing the risk of dehydration and slanting “weight loss” results.

Where can I get a BIA and what are some tips to getting a good test?

Most reputable weight loss centers, personal trainers or exercise physiologists can provide this assessment. Be careful though not to place a high reliability on hand-held BIA units (”body fat tester”) or a BIA scales you stand on. These units have electrodes in contact only with the hands or feet and measure impedance mostly of either the upper or lower body respectively.

Aim for a BIA that uses separate electrodes that attach to the hands and feet, as this will provide a more accurate reading since impedance is measured in the full dimensions of the body simultaneously. Also, make sure the tester is experienced, that he/she uses new electrodes and prepares the skin for electrode placement.

In conclusion, it is essential that to stay motivated and adhere to your fat loss program you need some sort of guide to help you along the way. Without a fat loss “road map” you will soon find yourself lost - lacking direction and motivation. Take the time and effort to get a BIA assessment and use it monitor your progress, and you will be less likely to be one of the 95% that fail in their fat loss quest and will be rewarded with a leaner, more attractive and healthier body.

David Petersen is a Personal Trainer/Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Golf Biomechanic. B.O.S.S. offers a wide variety of services including BIA. He is the owner and founder of B.O.S.S. Fitness Inc. based in Oldsmar, Florida. More articles and information can be found at http://www.bossfitness.com

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Are you thinking that some diet program you heard about or read about might help you with your weight loss problem? Do you wonder if that diet program is good for your health? You know that weight loss is generally believed to affect health positively, but does the diet program you’re looking at accomplish weight loss in a healthy manner?

Let’s take a look at some basic facts about diet programs, their health affects, and their effectiveness on weight loss.

1. DIETS ARE NOT FUN! Is this important? Well, as soon as you “go on a diet”, you feel as if you are being punished. You begin to think about the pleasures you are going to have to forego, and the difficulties you will have to put up with. You think about the lack of support from others around you, and the possiblity of failure. Your future begins to look a little grim…not deadly, but not fun either. How long will you be able to sustain your commitment feeling this way? A healthy eating plan for weight loss should include some elements of fun, pleasure, and rewards. That would be a little more encouraging.

2. DIETS CAN BE BORING! Again, how long are you going to be able to remain on a boring diet program? Many diets, in addition to limiting portion sizes and amounts, also call for foods that may be bland or unappetizing. Eating in much the same pattern day after day can become boring.

3. DIETS CAN GO BEYOND JUST BORING! Some make it all the way to disgusting, either in the foods you are allowed to eat (want to eat cabbage soup all day long), or simply by the fact that you DO have to eat the same thing day after day. Ice cream can become loathsome if it is all you ever get to eat.

4. DIETS CAN BE COMPLICATED! Eat this for lunch, that for dinner. Count carbohydrates, don’t count carbohydrates. Eat protein, don’t eat protein. What are the calories and nutrients in this food and that one? Which one is the best one? You almost need a full time dietician working with you to accomplish your weight loss goals on some diet programs.

5. DIETS INTERFERE WITH THE JOY OF LIVING! Well, are we surprised? They’re not fun, they’re boring and complicated. What else can we say about them? Well, could you see yourself not going on a trip, or missing a family gathering because you’re on a diet? If you go, you will possibly give in to the desire to savor the moment and enjoy the experience, but you will possibly feel guilty and weak before, during, and after the event. If you go, but stick doggedly to your diet while everyone else is sipping champagne or eating turkey and dressing, how much joy are you going to get out of it? Not only that, how are you going to treat everyone around you? Are you going to be snappish to your family because you are hungry all the time and miserable because you’re “on a diet”?

6. DIETS ARE TEMPORARY FIXES TO A PERMANENT PROBLEM! You will need to learn a whole new style of eating and living for weight loss to become permanent. Simply cutting down on calories for a while is not the real answer. You must change the way you live your life. This may be scary, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Is it bad to look in the mirror and like the person you see? Is it bad to become healthier and more alive?

7. DIETS CAN BE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH! Isn’t weight loss good for your health? Well, of course it is, but the diet itself may be bad for you. Your body requires a broad range of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, protein, carbohydrates, and yes, even fat, in order to remain healthy. It can be difficult to get the entire range of nutrients needed even in a normal diet, not to mention getting them in the amounts and combinations which are most effective. If your diet restricts foods, types of foods, and amounts, you may seriously injure your health.

8. DIET FAILURE MECHANISM NUMBER ONE! Diets are self defeating, even if we ignore the problems we have already mentioned. Your metabolism is the rate at which calories are used. This varies from person to person and even within the person based on life style, age, environment, inherited characteristics, etc. As we get older, our metabolism tends to slow down, for example. That’s why most people tend to put on weight as they age. There are ways to increase the metabolism, the most common being exercise. The body, whatever its normal state, called homeostasis, tries to maintain that state. If you decrease the flow of calories that the body is accustomed to receiving, it will, after a while, learn to establish a new homeostasis based on the lower amount of calories. In other words, although you may lose weight at first, you will probably eventually level out long before you reach your weight loss goal. Even worse, if you go off the diet after the body has learned to sustain itself on fewer calories, you may actually gain back the weight you have lost AND MORE!

9. DIET FAILURE MECHANISM NUMBER TWO! Remember that metabolism thing above? If you gain muscle mass, you will burn more calories, If you lose muscle mass, you will burn fewer calories. One common effect of exercise is an increase of muscle mass (no ladies, you are not likely to look like the new governor of California if you exercise…even if you lift weights. In fact you may look more like Miss America if you exercise…most Miss Americas do). Additionally, not only can you burn more calories during exercise, by exercising regularly, you can lift your body to a higher metabolic rate as it goes about its day to day activities…including sleeping. Unfortunately, on a diet, your body tends to rob your muscle mass since you are cheating it out of the nutrition it believes it needs. This will also tend to depress your metabolic rate as in diet failure mechanism number one, increasing the affects. Again, if you stop your diet, the loss of muscle mass may increase the weight gain.

10. DIETS DON’T LET YOU SNACK! Is that a biggie? Well, to me and a few other people it is. Those stretches from breakfast to lunch, lunch to supper, supper to bedtime. Do you really get thru them without a snack…even if you ate a big meal? Probably not. You want that little treat. You want to stop that little hint of hunger until it is time for a meal. You want to live normally, and for most of us, snacks are normal!

There you have it. Ten reasons why diets don’t work and may even be unhealthy. So what can you do about it? There’s a lot you can do.

You can substitute healthier items or remove unhealthy ones. Drink a diet drink instead of one with sugar. Put less on your plate the first time around, and eat more slowly. By the time you finish, your hunger may have begun to ease, you will have satisfied head, heart, and stomach…and everybody else will be getting up from the table.

Change your activities to help your body burn off a few more calories. You don’t have to start by running a marathon, just get out and walk a little more. Spend less time in front of the TV. Instead of a piece of pie, go have sex. That burns a lot of calories.

Find an organization or weight loss program which can make the foods more appealing, that can plan the food choices for you, that can help you snack and still lose weight. In addition to these, many weight loss programs such as NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, TOPS International, or Weight Watchers can also provide a key element….SUPPORT!

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service, has worked as an accountant, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, and instructor. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He developed an interest in health and fitness in the ’70s after reading numerous books, including Dr. Kenneth Cooper’s “Aerobics”. This has led him to continue his personal research into health and fitness for over 30 years, and to pursue course work on health and fitness. He now has an online health supplement store at http://eherbsstore.com. Find more weight loss tips at http://nodiet4me.com.

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Is eating at McDonald’s the new path to weight loss? Can fast food burgers, fries and sodas fit into your diet and weight loss program? For years, the answer has been a resounding NO. But lately, Wendy’s, Burger King and many other fast food chains have made changes to help consumers stick to a healthy diet.

Why have fast food companies finally started to pay attention to healthier food choices? Simply stated, because it’s good for business. Americans are trying everything from the newest weight loss pill to Weight Watchers to lose their extra fat, spending “..more than $40 billion in 2004 on weight control pills, gym memberships, diet plans and related foods, estimates Marketdata Enterprises, which studies the weight loss industry” (Source: cnn.com; 1-14-2005). Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that 80 percent of overweight individuals and almost 87 percent of obese individuals are trying to lose or maintain their weight.

Any fast foods company that’s paying attention to public sentiment and trends has made changes to make their menu more palatable to the health and fitness enthusiast. McDonald’s, long an industry leader, has made tremendous strides in this area culminating in their recent announcement that all fast food packaging will soon include nutritional information. But have they gone far enough?

-> Fast Food = Fat Food:

No matter how many healthy new products are introduced onto the fast food menu boards, the problem is that their core products are high in fat and calories. Consider these typical meals from McDonald’s:

* Big Mac, Large Fries, Large Coca-Cola, Hot Fudge Sundae = 1,730 calories, 99% of daily fat, 108% of daily saturated fat, 86% of daily carbohydrates

* Chicken Selects Breast Strips (5 pc), Large Fries, Large Coke, McFlurry with M+M’s Candies (12 oz.) = 2,290 calories, 151% of daily fat, 131% of daily saturated fat, 100% of daily carbohydrates

* Bacon Ranch Salad/Crispy Chicken, Newman’s Ranch Dressing, Large Coke, McFlurry Oreo (12 oz.) = 1,390 calories, 73% of daily fat, 81% of daily saturated fat, 69% of daily carbohydrates

(Source: mcdonalds.com)

Some consumers, in an attempt to reduce the number of calories and fat they’re eating, have opted for salads instead of traditional burgers and fries. Unfortunately, some fast food salads are almost as bad for us as a Big Mac. A California Cobb salad with Newman’s Own Cobb Dressing from McDonald’s, for example, boasts 490 calories and 42% of your daily fat. Compare that to a Big Mac, which has 560 calories and 47% of your recommended daily fat.

Although chastised in the movie ‘SuperSize Me’, McDonald’s isn’t alone in offering high calories foods. The Original Whopper with Cheese from Burger King will cost you 800 calories and 49 grams of fat. Make that a Double Whopper with Cheese and you’ll consume an incredible 1,060 calories and 69 grams of fat. The Big Bacon Classic from Wendy’s is better with 580 calories and 29 grams of fat, while the Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger from Jack In The Box is the highest on the list with 1,094 calories and a tremendous 78 grams of fat.

Clearly, high calorie fast food has become a problem. With approximately 65% of Americans classified as overweight, people are pointing fingers of blame. “In a lawsuit filed in 2002, two Bronx teenagers accused McDonald’s of making them fat by serving them highly processed food that affected their health. A judge tossed out the case a year later, but an appeals court reinstated part of the suit earlier this year, according to published reports.” (Source: cnn.com; 10-20-2005).

McDonald’s isn’t the only chain being accused of making people fat. “A New York City lawyer has filed suit against the four big fast-food corporations, saying their fatty foods are responsible for his client’s obesity and related health problems. Samuel Hirsch filed his lawsuit Wednesday at a New York state court in the Bronx, alleging that McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC Corporation are irresponsible and deceptive in the posting of their nutritional information, that they need to offer healthier options on their menus, and that they create a de facto addiction in their consumers” (Source: foxnews.com; 7-24-2002).

The fast food industry initially responded by arguing that customers have a choice of what to order when going to a restaurant. “It’s senseless, baseless and ridiculous,” National Restaurant Association spokeswoman Katharine Kim said. “There are choices in restaurants and people can make these choices, and there’s a little personal responsibility as well.” (Source: foxnews.com; 7-24-2002).

Our elected officials seem to agree with that assessment. “The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would block lawsuits by people who blame fast-food chains for their obesity. The ‘cheeseburger bill,’ as it has been dubbed in Congress, stems from class-action litigation that accused McDonald’s of causing obesity in children” (Source: cnn.com; 10-20-2005). This bill is not yet law, having passed the House but not yet the Senate. In the last Congress a similar bill passed the House, but the Senate never acted on it. About 20 states have laws similar to the ‘cheeseburger bill’.

-> Fast Food Makes A Change:

To their credit, McDonald’s and some others in the fast food industry have made changes to their menu making it easier for us to stick to our diet program or weight loss plan.

McDonald’s allows consumers to substitute Apple Dippers with Caramel Dip for the french fries in their meal, cutting calories from 350 to 100 and reducing fat from 16 grams all the way down to 1 gram (comparison vs. medium fries). McDonald’s also allows a no-cost substitution of 1% milk instead of a Coke, further cutting caloric intake by 50 calories and boosting protein and calcium (comparison vs. small Coke Classic).

Upon request, Burger King now provides Mott’s Strawberry Flavored Applesauce in place of french fries which will save you 270 calories and 18 grams of fat (comparison vs. medium fries).

Wendy’s will honor customer requests to substitute mandarin oranges for french fries, sparing you a belt-busting 360 calories and 21 grams of fat (comparison vs. medium fries).

Not only are the fast food giants allowing healthier substitutions, but they have also added a selection of fairly nutritious menu options. McDonald’s new Fruit & Walnut Salad has only 310 calories and 13 grams of fat, while their Fruit & Yogurt Parfait boasts 160 calories and 2 grams of fat. In some markets Burger King is offering a Veggie Burger that has only 340 calories and 8 grams of fat when you order it without the mayonnaise.

Now McDonald’s has given consumers looking for fast weight loss another tool: easy to read and easy to find nutritional labels. In the past, customers wanting to find nutrition facts on their fast food choices either had to search in the restaurant for a hard-to-find poster or go online. Now, in what is being called a ‘bold move’, McDonald’s is planning to put these nutritional facts right where they’re easiest to find - on the product wrapper itself. “McDonald’s Corp. customers will soon know that the Big Mac they bought contains almost half their recommended daily fat intake just by looking at the wrapper. In its latest measure to fend off critics that blame the world’s largest restaurant company for contributing to rising incidents of obesity and other health problems, McDonald’s said it will start printing nutritional information on the packaging of its food” (Source: cnn.com; 10-26-2005).

McDonald’s is to be commended for their efforts to educate their customers. This new informative label goes a long way towards answering nutritional concerns. Expected to be in most stores by the end of 2006, the new labels will include the amount of the nutrient (calories, fat, protein, etc.) and the percentage of the daily recommended intake, based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

-> Is It Enough?

The fast food industry has heard the public asking for healthier options and more nutritional information, and they have responded. But it is enough?

McDonald’s and others still sell high calorie and high fat products, and we shouldn’t expect those to disappear anytime soon. In our free market, as long as there is a demand there will be someone with a supply. “Data from USDA’s food intake surveys show that the food-away-from-home sector provided 32 percent of total food energy consumption in 1994-96, up from 18 percent in 1977-78. The data also suggest that, when eating out, people either eat more or eat higher calorie foods-or both-and that this tendency appears to be increasing” (Source: usda.gov).

Even with more information at their fingertips, there is some doubt that consumers will actually use that information to make healthier choices. Consider the limited impact from warning labels on cigarettes and alcohol packaging; despite such dire warnings, people still use these products. There is evidence that Americans will continue to eat what they want, no matter how much information they have available to them. “According to a 2000 Roper Reports survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,000 Americans 18 or older, the percentage of Americans who say they are eating “pretty much whatever they want” was at an all-time high of 70 percent in 2000, up from 58 percent in 1997″ (Source: usda.gov).

The question of ‘is it enough’ seems to be misdirected. Instead of asking the fast food industry to do more to educate the public and offer healthy options, perhaps what we as a country should do is ask ourselves if the information we have right now is enough. If we look for it, is there enough health, fitness and nutritional information out there to help us make the right dietary choices? As uncomfortable as it may be for some, the answer to this question is probably yes.

-> The Overlooked Answer:

All too often, when participating in a discussion of diet and weight control, we fail to mention the most obvious answer: exercise! Consistent exercise can balance out and make up for the occasional high calorie fast food meal, while at the same time providing countless other health benefits.

Exercise is the only path to quick weight loss that virtually every doctor in the world agrees upon. Exercise is safe, effective, and brings many more benefits to our lives than nutrition labels ever will alone. Exercise is fun, invigorating, motivating and the single most powerful way to improve our life and well-being.

Reaching your ideal weight via a healthy and active lifestyle has been found to lower health risks and medical problems in 90 percent of overweight patients. In addition to the exercise benefits listed above, fit people are eight times less likely to die from cancer than the unfit, and 53 percent less likely to die from other diseases. Fit people are also eight times less likely to die from heart disease.

Yes, nutrition labels are important insofar as we actually use them. But without a doubt, regular exercise is the most important piece of the puzzle and the best way to achieve rapid weight loss. Exercise is the safest way to achieve permanent fat loss, and when combined with a sound diet and nutrition program the body is turned into a virtual fat-burning furnace!

Consumers would be wise to use the new tools from the fast food industry. Order the healthier items off the menu, pay attention to the nutritional labels, and above all else remember to participate in regular exercise.

Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com/ for more information.

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