Self-quiz can reveal your determination to stay on diet
Detroit News: 5/30/02
Nutrition
Self-quiz can reveal your determination to stay on diet
By Hollie W. Best / Gannett News Service
One in every 3 Americans is fighting the weight-loss battle. Losing weight and eating more healthfully requires a commitment to permanent lifestyle changes. Your attitude about weight loss can be the difference in success and failure.
The American Dietetics Association recommends that you ask yourself the following questions before starting a weight-loss program:
* Have I thought about my eating and exercise routine and know what I need to change?
* Am I ready to make permanent changes in these habits to be
successful?
* Am I comfortable losing weight slowly?
* Am I willing and able to increase my physical activity?
* Am I willing to commit time to organizing eating and exercising?
* I choose to lose weight because I really want to, not to please someone else?
If you answered "yes" to most of these questions, you have the right attitude about making lifestyle changes. You know changes need to last to keep the weight off. Only you can determine the success of your weight-loss program.
Begin today by making the right choices. Before beginning any diet or fitness program, you should consult your physician.
There are many steps you can take to battle the bulge. Before you get started on a weight loss program, consider the following five tips. Theyshould help you reach your goal of obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight.
1. Safe weight loss: Experts say the best way to lose weight (and keep it off) is to shed pounds gradually. The most important thing to consider is a sage weight loss (2 pounds a week). You do not want a quick fix where you lose the weight fast and regain it back in six months. Once you lose the weight, you want to keep it off for good. In order to lose weight, you should eliminate 500 calories a day. One pound equals 3,500 calories. Don't go on crash diets that limit your food intake to less than 1,200
calories a day.
2. Never skip a meal: Your first meal after waking starts your
metabolism. When you skip meals during the day, your metabolism slows down. The goal is to keep your metabolism burning by eating enough of the right foods to stay full.
3. Limit your alcohol consumption: Alcoholic beverages have many calories and little-to-no nutritional value.
4. Choose a healthy eating plan that includes a variety of choices:
All foods can fit into a nutritious, reduced-calorie, eating plan, rich in foods with complex carbohydrates and fiber, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and low in fat. The American Dietetic Association recommends the Food Guide Pyramid as the base of a healthy eating plan. The number of servings you need depends on your age, gender, activity level and weight-loss goals. Usually for weight management you should choose
serving amounts from the lower end of the range for each food group.
5. Physical activity: Exercise is probably the most important
predictor of whether you will succeed at long-term weight loss and maintenance. Regular physical activity is important to help you lose weight and build an overall healthy lifestyle. Physical activity increases the number of calories your body uses and promotes the loss of body fat instead of muscle and other non-fat tissue. The more muscle tissue that you have, the more calories you will burn.
Hollie W. Best is a registered dietitian in Monroe, La.
|
