How Many Pounds Does The Scale Say I Weigh?

December 8, 2009

I want to create a scenario for you. You started a diet last week, seven days ago. During the week, you ate very little. You were following your friend’s fad diet, eating granola bars for breakfast and lunch and a salad for supper. By 8:00 pm every night, you had to have a snack because your stomach was empty and growling. The first few days of the diet, you lost a lot of water weight. You could feel it. Now, getting on the scale, it looks as if you have lost 3 pounds. You thought maybe you had lost more, but 3 pounds is an excellent start. So, now it is Monday or Tuesday, and you are ready for the second week of granola bars and salad.

With a 3 pound loss, you begin to feel empowered. This week, when you begin feeling hungry at 8:00 pm, you reach for an apple, pear, or a banana. By Sunday morning, you hop on the scale, and you are 1 pound lighter than you were last week at the same time. One pound! All that work (and suffering) for 1 pound. You are now feeling the pangs of discouragement. No one is around to tell you that losing that pound is very normal. If the body loses weight slowly but surely, you will keep it off. Also, there is no one around to encourage you to continue the good work.

The one pound loss is not enough to keep you empowered, so you fall off the diet wagon. Why is it that everyone that is overweight wants to lose the pounds sooner rather than one or two pounds a week until the extra weight is gone? For one thing, our society is used to having things happen instantly or sooner rather than later. Another reason is we do not want to diet for a long time without seeing the pounds come off quickly.

People that are more than twenty pounds overweight, may see the first 30 pounds come off quickly. For example, the first week, many obese people may lose from 5 to 8 pounds of water weight. For those individuals with less weight to lose, 2 to 5 pounds may be the maximum weight loss the first week. This is very normal for both groups. As a matter of fact, those people with 10 pounds or less to lose, their weight loss will be 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds the first week.

People who want to lose weight need a realistic approach to dieting and weight loss. A realistic view would be to lose 1-2 pounds per week until you get to your goal. I realize you would like to lose the weight faster than 1-2 pounds per week; however, your body will not cooperate and keep the weight off  when you stop dieting. That’s why it is so important to use a diet program i.e., Weight Watchers or a 1000 calorie diet, that will be easy to maintain when you have reached your goal weight.

Don’t get me wrong! I’m not advertising for Weight Watchers or any other diet program, although, my advice is to research as many diet programs as you can before you start following one. There are quite a few programs that are very good i.e., Jenny Craig (food is separate and expensive), Nutrisystem (food is expensive, but less than Jenny Craig), Melaleuca (requires membership and a 35 point minimum delivery of products every month), Medicenters (an expense involved), etc. Weight Watchers program also involves a membership expense, however, the diet has two alternatives. The Point System requires an expense to buy the ready-made products. The regular program can be incorporated into regular meal planning for your family with less of an expense and with some modifications.

If you are overweight, don’t wait until January, the New Year, to start losing weight. I know it is difficult to start a diet around Christmas time with all the tempting sweets, parties,  and Christmas dinner. You may surprise yourself by being able to control yourself at the office Christmas party, only having one glass of wine instead of three or four at a friend’s party, or eating a very balanced Christmas dinner with only one dessert instead of two.

Whether you are obese or only 5-10-20 pounds overweight, the best time to start taking care of yourself is right now. Take the time to decide on the diet and establish a goal weight. Decide on a date to start your diet. Also, decide on the type of exercise you will do 4 to 5 times per week, because exercise is a very important part of your weight loss program. You will also need to build in a splurge day into your week. If you know you can splurge, you won’t have guilt feelings. After awhile, you won’t need to splurge every week.

The really important aspect of dieting is you will be assisting your heart, muscles, joints, and bones. Your heart won’t have to work as hard to send the blood to a less heavy body. The muscles in your legs will not have to work as hard to support you. Your ankles, knees, and hips will thank you for eliminating the extra pressure. Lastly, your bones will definitely be happy because you will be exercising your muscles and joints, making them stronger and less stressed. In other words, you will live longer and be happier with less weight. So, get on the diet wagon as soon as possible.

If you need assistance choosing a diet plan or just need someone to talk to, please write me a comment with your contact information. I will respond to every comment and provide personal assistance to anyone who needs it.

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By Diane | Posted in Alternatives to Obesity, Feel Great!, Lose Weight | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

What about our overweight children?

November 10, 2009

Yesterday’s article was about the best diet plans to use to lose extra pounds. How appropriate was that article? What is really uncanny is an article I found in my email this evening about whether or not it is the parents’ fault that their children are overweight. Scotland and England are taking children away from parents and putting them in foster homes if they are severely overweight, but not until parents have been given chances to help their children slim down.

According to the article, a family’s socioeconomic status has a lot to do with the food they buy. For example, lower middle class individuals buy food high in carbohydrates and fat but very little protein as in lean meat and fish, fresh fruits and vegetables. Considering how expensive meat, fish, fresh fruit, and vegetables are these days; it is no wonder that lower income families do not buy these items. These families cannot afford to eat foods high in protein and low in fat, which may be one of the reasons children tend to be overweight. Can we blame parents with these problems, I think not!

What about school lunch programs? For the most part, children eat chicken nuggets, french fries, spaghetti, and other high fat foods. Children are spending their lunch money on soda and junk food from vending machines. How can parents monitor their children’s diet when they eat lunch at school?

Dieting is not an easy road especially when the entire family is overweight. Parents need to encourage each other and the children to eat healthy meals (to the best their income can provide) and exercise every day. If possible, the family practitioner (MD or Nurse) may be a resource to provide nutritional support and closely monitor weight loss. If the family has extra cash, a nutritionist can identify differences in adult and adolescent diets that will help each family member lose weight.

Are overweight parents to blame for their overweight children? We shouldn’t be blaming them, in which case, we should be educating them. According to the article, when questioned by authorities, overweight parents did not see their children as overweight. In this case, these parents need education not a jail term or a monetary fine. If these parents did not recognize that their children were overweight, perhaps there are more people out there that need to be educated as well.

Rather than place blame on the parents, we need to work with overweight adults and children to find out what they know. If parents are unsure about nutritional facts and appropriate foods to feed their children, they need to be educated. After the family has been educated, children will likely help their parents so everyone can eat the right foods. If family members have difficulties losing weight, perhaps there is a physical problem that needs to be addressed by the family physician or practitioner. No matter what, overweight families need support the entire time they are on weight loss programs. No one should have to lose weight without someone to help them through the difficult times.

By Diane | Posted in Alternatives to Obesity, The Power of Education | Tagged | Comments (0)

Counting Calories, Sugar & Fat Grams Too!

November 9, 2009

Quite a few people in our society today are overweight. They don’t just have to lose 5 or 10 pounds. Suffice it to say that there are thousands of obese adults and children out there. According to Wikipedia,

“Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing difficulties during sleep, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive dietary calories, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, although a few cases are caused solely by genes, endocrine disorders, medications or psychiatric illness. Evidence to support the view that some obese people eat little yet gain weight due to a slow metabolism is limited; on average obese people have a greater energy expenditure than their thin counterparts due to the energy required to maintain an increased body mass.

Treatment for obesity is to diet, that is, the individual must decrease the amount of calories he or she takes in every day and physical  exercise is important as well. To supplement this, or in case of failure, anti-obesity drugs may be taken to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In severe cases, surgery is performed or an intragastric balloon is placed to reduce stomach volume and/or bowel length, leading to earlier satiation and reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food. Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. Obesity is stigmatized in the modern Western world, though it has been perceived as a symbol of wealth and fertility at other times in history, and still is in many parts of Africa.”

This is a lot of information to understand. It is vital for everyone to realize that being obese can shorten one’s life. Obese individuals are more likely to get Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease. Both of these diseases are preventable. Type 2 Diabetes can cause blindness, kidney problems, decreased circulation, and nerve degeneration in the lower extremities. So many people have had toe, foot, and even leg amputations due to Type 2 Diabetes.

Blindness is caused by degeneration of the optic nerve. Surely, obese individuals would rather do anything than risk becoming blind. Even though doctors explain these conditions to their obese patients, many find it difficult if not impossible to lose weight by dieting and exercise. That is why many people are opting for bariatric surgical procedures, like the ones described above, plus gastric bypass, stapling, balloon procedures, etc.

There are quite a few effective diet programs that obese people can take advantage of that can assist them in losing weight. For example, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, and many others. Weight Watchers diet programs have been around for quite a few years. The food programs have changed from measuring, weighing, and eating as many green vegetables as you can handle to the new and improved number system. If the diet is followed to the letter, a person can lose weight; and, with the maintenance program, keep it off.

Jenny Craig’s system is another effective way to lose weight. With this program, a person has to purchase the food, which could cost over $500.00 every 2 weeks. For people with extra cash flow, $500.00 every 2 weeks is not that expensive; however, for the majority of people this is a lot of money, and many cannot afford to use this diet. Even though this is an expensive diet, those that use it rave about the support they receive from their individual counselor. The counselor stays with the dieter until his/her goal is achieved. Valerie Bertinelli does a tremendous job praising  the Jenny Craig program. She too identifies the personal counselor as the best part of this diet.

Nutrisystem is another diet program that comes with pre-packaged food. Many people really like this diet program because of the food. Celebrities like Marie Osmond praise this program on local and cable TV channels daily, putting Nutrisystem in front of millions of viewers.

These diet programs are based on good eating habits which is why they are so effective. Diets that incorporate proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in appropriate proportions, in combination with an exercise program 3 or 4 times a week are generally effective in helping people lose weight. The first week, dieters usually lose from 5 to 10 pounds of water weight. After the first week, weight loss should be gradual, e.g., 1 to 3 pounds per week. This is a very healthy way to lose weight.

If a person cannot afford to use programs like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem, the best alternative is to buy a Weight Watchers diet book. The book provides meal exchanges and menus for every economic class. There are alternatives for proteins that vegetarians can substitute, and there are foods available for even the most discriminating eater.

These diets may not help everyone but they can work if the person has a positive attitude. Heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes can kill people. These diseases hang over each obese person’s head if the individual does not at least try to lose weight. If diets don’t work, the alternatives mentioned above are available to people. Surgery should be utilized as a last resort. Good health and a long life are distinctively better goals than Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes. Think about it and choose life.

By Diane | Posted in Alternatives to Obesity | Tagged | Comments (0)