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There are many ways to lose
weight, but it is not always easy to keep the weight off.
The key to successful weight loss is making changes in your
eating and physical activity habits that you can keep up
for the rest of your life. The information presented here
may help put you on the road to healthy habits.
Your body weight is controlled by the number of calories
you eat and the number of calories you use each day. To lose
weight you need to take in fewer calories than you use. You
can do this by creating and following a plan for healthy
eating and a plan for regular physical activity.
You may also choose to follow a formal weight-loss program
that can help you make lifelong changes in your eating and
physical activity habits.
A weight-loss "diet" that limits your portions to a very
small size or that excludes certain foods may be hard to
stick to and not work over the long term. Instead, a healthy
eating plan takes into account your likes and dislikes, and
includes a variety of foods that give you enough calories
and nutrients for good health.
Make sure your eating plan contains:
- Appropriate calorie level. The calorie
level of your eating plan should let you lose about 1/2
to 2 pounds per week. This means eating about 300 to 500
fewer calories a day than the levels needed to maintain
weight. You can find out how many calories are in the foods
you eat by reading the Nutrition Facts labels on food packaging.
- Enough vitamins and minerals. It may
be hard to get all of the vitamins and minerals you need
on a low-calorie eating plan. If you eat less than 1,600
calories a day, you may want to add fortified foods such
as breakfast cereal to your plan, or take a daily vitamin
and mineral supplement.
- Enough protein. If you are a woman aged
19 years and older, you should get about 46 grams of protein
each day. If you are a man of the same age, you should
get about 56 grams a day. Enough protein is important to
make repairs to the body and prevent muscle breakdown.
- Enough carbohydrates. About 55 percent
of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates like
whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. If you eat 1,500
calories a day, that means eating about 200 grams of carbohydrates.
Although popular low-carbohydrate diets may suggest lower
levels, you need at least 130 grams of carbohydrates each
day to prevent fatigue and nausea.
- No more than 30 percent of calories, on average,
from fat per day. Limiting fat may help you
limit calories, which in turn may help you lose weight.
Limiting fat to 30 percent of calories would mean that
if you eat 1,500 calories a day, you should eat no more
than 50 grams of fat.
- The Food Guide Pyramid from the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can help you make
your daily food choices and tell you how many servings
you should eat from each food group to meet your nutritional
needs. The number of servings is based on your age and
the amount of physical activity you do.
Regular physical activity may help you lose weight and keep
weight off. It may also improve your energy level and mood,
and lower your risk for developing diseases like heart disease,
diabetes, and some cancers.
Any amount of physical activity is better than none. Experts
recommend doing 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical
activity on most or all days of the week for good health.
To lose weight or maintain a weight loss, you may need to
do more than 30 minutes of physical activity a day, as well
as follow your healthy eating plan.
You can get your daily 30 minutes or more all at once, or
break it up into shorter sessions of 20, 15, or even 10 minutes.
Try some of these moderate-intensity physical activities:
- walking (15 minutes per mile or 4 miles per hour)
- biking
- tennis
- aerobic exercise classes (step aerobics, kick boxing,
dancing)
- energetic house or yard work (gardening, raking, mopping,
vacuuming).
There are two different types of weight-loss
programs—clinical and non-clinical. Knowing what a
good program will offer and what to watch out for may help
you choose a weight-loss program that will work for you.
Non-clinical
program
What it is: A non-clinical
program may be commercially operated, such as a privately
owned weight-loss chain. You can follow a non-clinical program
on your own by using a counselor, book, website, or weight-loss
product. You can also join others in a support group, worksite
program, or community-based program. Non-clinical weight-loss
programs may require you to use the program's foods or supplements.
What a safe and effective program will offer:
- Books, pamphlets, and websites that are written or reviewed
by a licensed health professional such as a medical doctor
(M.D.) or registered dietitian (R.D.).
- Balanced information about following a healthy eating
plan and getting regular physical activity.
- Leaders or counselors who show you their training credentials.
(Program leaders or counselors may not be licensed health
professionals.)
Program cautions:
- If a program requires you to buy prepackaged meals, find
out how much the meals will cost—they may be expensive.
Also, eating prepackaged meals does not let you learn the
food selection and cooking skills you will need to maintain
weight loss over the long term.
- Avoid any diet that suggests you eat a certain formula,
food, or combination of foods for easy weight loss. Some
of these diets may work in the short term because they
are low in calories. But they may not give you all the
nutrients your body needs and they do not teach healthy
eating habits.
- Avoid programs that do not include a physical activity
plan.
- Talk to your health care provider before using any
weight loss product, such as a supplement, herb, or over-the-counter
medication.
Clinical program
What it is: A clinical program provides
services in a health care setting, such as a hospital. One
or more licensed health professionals, such as medical doctors,
nurses, registered dietitians, and/or psychologists, provide
care. A clinical program may or may not be commercially owned.
Clinical programs may offer services such as nutrition education,
physical activity, and behavior change therapy. Some programs
offer prescription weight-loss drugs or gastrointestinal
surgery.
Prescription weight-loss drugs
If your BMI is 30 or more, or your BMI is 27 or more
and you have weight-related health problems, you may consider
using prescription weight-loss drugs. Drugs should
be used as part of an overall program that includes long-term
changes in eating and physical activity habits. Only a
licensed health care provider can prescribe these drugs.
See "Additional Reading" for more information about prescription
medications for the treatment of obesity.
Gastrointestinal surgery
If your BMI is 40 or more, or your BMI is 35 or more
and you have weight-related health problems such as diabetes
or heart disease, you may consider gastrointestinal surgery (also
called bariatric surgery). Most patients lose weight quickly,
and many keep off most of their weight with a healthy eating
plan and regular physical activity. Still, surgery can
lead to problems that require more operations. Surgery
may also reduce the amount of vitamins and minerals in
your body and cause gallstones.
What a safe and effective program will offer:
- A team of licensed health professionals
- A plan to help you keep weight off after you have lost
it.
Program cautions:
- There may be side effects or health risks involved in
the program that can be serious. Discuss these with your
health care provider.
It is not always easy to change your eating
and physical activity habits.
You may have setbacks along the way.
But keep trying—you can do it!
This wonderful information comes from the WIN - The Weight-control
Information Network (WIN) is a service of the National Institute
of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National
Institutes of Health. To read more, please click here: http://win.niddk.nih.gov/index.htm
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