Clearing the Path for Successful Weight Management

Dieters striving for success in their efforts to manage their weight may have more than just unwanted pounds to lose. First, they have to shed some common myths about dieting.

Myths about dieting instil false hopes in people striving to manage their weight, misleading them to formulate lofty expectations that only serve to frustrate their efforts and stunt their progress.

Indeed, there is little evidence - if any at all - to support three common myths about dieting, as reviewed in a recent edition of Healthy Weight Journal. Demystifying the myths about dieting and learning the trust about the effects of calorie restriction are important steps in beginning to give up dieting and start eating normally as part of a healthy lifestyle that supports success at weight management.

Myth #1: Dieting makes you thin

Most people who lose weight by dieting eventually regain the pounds, and most gain back even more than they lost. A review by the National Institutes of health of all published studies on the efficacy of weight loss treatments indicates that people, regardless of their weight, lost an average of only 10 pounds over many weeks and months of dieting (and for many of these people, 10 pounds was a trivial amount of weight). Further, most of the weight lost was regained within one year, and almost all of the weight, for all of the people, was regained within five years.

What’s the reason for the lack of success? The authors of the article speculate that one reason may be the body’s natural reaction against weight loss. That’s not to say that we can’t optimize our natural tendencies in the weight arena, but the fact remains that genes predispose some people to obesity, particularly when they are in an environment that promotes overfeeding.

And that leads us to the second reason for the lack of success most people see with dieting. The inability to lose significant amounts of weight, or maintain weight loss, through dieting likely has a lot to do with the overeating that occurs when people go off the diet. You’ve heard it here before: If dieters think they’ve eaten foods they shouldn’t (which usually means beloved, high-calorie foods), they usually abandon their diets and splurge on large quantities of “forbidden” foods.

Myth #2: Dieters eat less than non-dieters

Not so. Studies show that restrained eaters (or dieters) often consume more snacks and eat more frequently than unrestrained eaters (normal eaters). Overeating and increased hunger occur after periods of physical and psychological deprivation induced by periods of food restriction. The consequence? Very often, it’s a binge.

Myth #3: Dieting makes you happier

Wrong again. Instead, the outcome of dieting seems to be the opposite - feelings of depression, anxiety and frustration. The fluid loss and empty stomach in the early stages of dieting are, in effect, come-ons. They offer encouragement to the dieter, but within a short period of time, the “baggage” attached to dieting begins to produce negative effects. The dieter can’t eat when, where or what she wants. Socializing becomes unappealing if the dieter is determined to stick with her diet. Some dieters become irritable and energy-depleted due to hunger. And obsession with food and eating begin to cloud the dieter’s ability to think about other things.

It’s not hard to see why Americans are struggling with an obesity epidemic, given that for several decades, most of the American population seemed to be permanently “on a diet.” Fortunately, more and more of us - and the health professionals who work with us - are getting the message that diets don’t work. As we have long promoted at Green Mountain, if we change our focus to health, we will take care of our weight. As important is the fact that achieving and maintain a state of health can be an enjoyable process. The keys are normal eating that includes the foods you love in amounts that leave you satisfied without feeling stuffed, regular physical activity that you enjoy, effective stress management, and feeling good about ourselves and our bodies, no matter what our weight. It helps to remember, as one speaker noted at a recent conference we attended, “Life is too short for self-hate and celery sticks!”

©2006 Green Mountain at Fox Run, Ludlow, Vermont. Alan H. Wayler, PhD is director of health communications and senior nutritionist at Green Mountain at Fox Run For over 34 years, Green Mountain at Fox Run has developed a healthy weight loss program http://www.fitwoman.com/weightloss program.htm, exclusively for women. The non-diet focus on lifestyle change helpls to foster long-term success. Learn more about this all-women’s weight loss retreat http://www.fitwoman.com and begin to understand why this is not just another fat farm http://www.fitwoman.com/fat-farm.htm or health spa.

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How does one best lose weight? Well, there are many different things that I can
say but none as important as this: Self-control. And by control, I mean, willpower.
One has to view the unhealthier things as discomforting and consciously tell
yourself that the healthier choices will yield happiness. Working on your willpower is
no different than working a muscle. Maybe it would be helpful to purposefully
choose the healthy things that seem so unappealing at first as an act to develop
willpower as if lifting a dumbbell. Eventually, you will be making healthier decisions
more often than not, which is the ultimate goal, to tip the scales in the right
direction. On a further note, don’t bite off more than you can chew; take baby steps
toward your healthier goals. If you dive in altogether, then most likely you’ll be
overwhelmed. Start slow and set goals that are a bit challenging but obtainable.

Underneath this canopy of Self-control sits vital concept if weight loss is the
goal: portion control. Eat more meals, but eat smaller portions. Ideally,you want to
eat more than the typical 3 square meals a day. In at all possible, aim for 5 meals.
The reason being that your body becomes hungry during the lulls between meals
while on the traditional 3 meal plan. You might be saying, “Well, I was always told to
only eat when hungry.” Well, it’s now been discovered that your body panics when
hungry, not knowing when its next meal will be, and slows down its metabolism and
hoards fat in order to conserve valuable energy. Think of your body as a furnace and
the meals as adding coal to the fire. The greater the fire, the more calories burned.
Next, I’ll give you some useful tips on figuring out adequate portion sizes for
different foods. For fruits and vegetables, one serving equals one cup. The American
Diabetes Association says that 1/2 cup looks like a halved tennis ball sitting on your
plate. So at each meal, imagine a full tennis ball’s worth of colorful vegetables, fruit,
or starchier vegetables sitting on your plate. For lean meats, 3 ounces equal a single
serving. In the case that you don’t feel like measuring, just imagine putting a piece
of chicken or fish on your plate that’s the size of a deck of cards. Now, when dining
out, large portions seem almost mandatory. The best way to fix that is to have the
server immediately box up half of the meal and have you take the rest home for
lunch the next day. Or, you could always just split an entree with someone and, if
you haven’t indulged in awhile, then split a dessert with someone.

Also beneath this umbrella of self-control and even beneath the canopy of
portion control, lies another important tenet of healthy weight loss: insulin control.
Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas that’s main role is to regulate
carbohydrate metabolism. Essentially, when blood sugar levels start getting past a
certain threshold, insulin is released to drag off the excess glucose to the liver,
muscles, or to fat stores. Unfortunately, when you have a lot of simple, refined
sugars like sodas or sweets, then the bloodstream is hit with too much glucose from
the breakdown of simple carbs and, as a result, insulin is released in large
quantities to get rid of the excess and return the bloodstream to normal blood
sugar levels. However, too much can be released and the excessive insulin can rid
your blood of most of its glucose rather quickly. This is why one feels exhausted
and cloudy not too long after making a meal made out of sugary stuff. So, ideally,
one wants to eat complex carbohydrates like colorful vegetables, grains, and
starches. The reason being that complex carbohydrates have what is called a low
glycemic index score. The glycemic index is a means to rate how quickly a
carbohydrate hits the bloodstream, Table sugar has a score of 100, while a golden
delicious apple rates as a 39. Typically, any carbohydrate that has a glycemic index
score less than 55 is usually considered to be a good carbohydrate source since the
raise in blood sugar is gradual and thus insulin isn’t over-released (an exception
would be carrots, with a score of 92). Now, if one spends a long time eating a lot of
refined sugary foods, then one would not only become obese but would most likely
develop a resistance to insulin that would eventually lead to diabetes. Essentially,
your body finds itself unable to use the insulin that is already in the bloodstream
and yet the pancreas still produces more and more. Many researchers believe that
any carbs ingested would immediately be taken to be stored as fat since both the
liver and muscles don’t need to be replenished of energy. So, in order to avoid these
maladies, control the amount of carbs ingested. Aim for no refined and processed
carbs like white bread and sodas, even if that means eliminating one soda at a time.
By replacing your potato chips and french fries and Wonder Bread with broccoli,
apples, asparagus, and bell peppers, then things like Alzheimer’s disease, strokes,
arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes can all be sidestepped. As the noted English
author and critic, Samuel Johnson once said, “Few things are impossible to diligence
and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.” So,
persevere, for trimmer waistlines and longer lives await thee.

My name is Ian Robertson, I’m 21 and am a Certified Personal Trainer working on my
Master Trainer credits in Nashville, TN. I work for Basics and Beyond Personal Fitness
Professionals and specialize in functional and intense strength training that will
guarantee Navy Seal level conditioning for those that so desire it. Also, I’m engaged to
be married to my lovely fiance, Talia, in late April of 06.

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Losing weight doesn’t have to be boring when you focus on bright, colourful meals. What does this mean? Simply by making sure your plate reflects a range of colours, you’ll naturally create more balanced and healthful menus. Not everyone has the rime or the patience to count calories, but assessing the colours on your plate is something anyone can do - and it only takes an instant!

Why Colour Is Important

Many fatty and caloric foods, such as dairy products and startchy carbs, are beige or brown. When there are too many of these drab colours on your plate, weight gain is almost certain.

That’s because these beige foods often are high in calories and can leave you feeling hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200 calories….but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a hundred! Add fresh greens, deep purple-reds and bright yellow-orange to a meal, and water the nutrient content go up, while calories go down! Plus, you’ll get more enjoyment from eating when there’s a variety of colours and flavours on your plate.

Although these ideas may sound whimsical, they’re grounded in scientific fact. Dr David Heber, renowned nutritional expert from UCLA’s Centre for Human Nutrition established the role of colour in his book, “What Color is Your Diet?” So, next time you visit the refrigerator, think colourfully. And remember to mix, not match!

Kim Beardsmore M.B.A. (H.R.M.), B.Sc. (Biochemistry) is an independent Herbalife distributor, weight loss coach and creator of the online weight loss & fitness magazine Weight Loss Health. For a free weight loss consultation, newsletter and resources to help you lose weight and keep it off forever, visit http://weight-loss-health.com.au Online Herbalife store at http://weightlosshealth.herbalcoach.com Herbalife home business opportunity http://free2liv.com

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