"There are no shortcuts--no magic pills," says Lori Love,
M.D., Ph.D., of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition. Losing weight sensibly and safely requires a
multifaceted approach that includes setting reasonable weight-loss goals,
changing eating habits, and getting adequate exercise. The first step in losing weight safely is to determine a realistic
weight goal. The height / weight table, developed by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, offers a
range of suggested weights for adults based on their height. A physician, dietitian or nutritionist also can help you set a
reasonable goal. To reach the goal safely, plan to lose 1 to 2 pounds
weekly by consuming approximately 300 to 500 fewer calories daily than
usual.
The
Reply 42 Basal Metabolism Calculator can calculate your individual caloric needs. After determining a reasonable goal weight, devise an eating plan based
on the cornerstones of healthful eating--moderation, variety and balance,
suggests Victor Herbert, M.D., J.D., professor of medicine and director of
the Nutrition Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Bronx VA
Medical Centers in New York City, and member of the board of directors of
the National Council Against Health Fraud. "Moderation means not eating too much or too little of any
particular food or nutrient; variety means eating as wide a variety as
possible from each, and within each, of the five basic food groups; and
balance refers to the balance achieved by following moderation and
variety, as well as the balance of calories consumed versus calories
expended," he explains. To lose weight, fewer calories should be
consumed than expended; to maintain weight loss, the number of calories
consumed and expended should be about the same. Because fat is the most concentrated source of calories (9 calories per
gram compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrate and protein), it is
usually the focus of weight-maintenance and weight-loss diets. Limiting
fat intake alone will likely limit calories, as well. Just as for the
general population, weight-conscious consumers should limit fat intake to
no more than 30 percent of total calories, according to the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans. Alcoholic beverages also are a source of calories (7 per gram of
alcohol). Twelve ounces of regular beer, for example, provides 150
calories; the same amount of "light" beer, 105 calories. Five
ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits provide 100
calories. But alcohol provides few, if any, nutrients, so if you drink
alcoholic beverages and want to reduce your weight, consider reducing or
eliminating your alcohol intake.
In selecting your diet, follow the five basic food groups and the
recommended number of servings from each as incorporated into the
Food Guide Pyramid developed by USDA and HHS. These groups are (1) bread,
cereal, pasta, and rice; (2) vegetables; (3) fruits; (4) milk, yogurt and
cheese; and (5) meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts. A sixth
group (fats, oils and sweets) consists mainly of items that are pleasing
to the palate but high in fat and/or calories; these should be eaten in
moderation. Avoid low-calorie fad diets that exclude whole categories of food such
as carbohydrates (bread and pasta) or proteins (meat and poultry). These
diets may be harmful because they generally do not include all nutrients
necessary for good health. "Every fad diet that demands an unusual
eating pattern, such as emphasizing only a few types of foods, deviates
from one or more of the guidelines of moderation, variety and balance,"
says Herbert. "The greater the deviation, the more harmful the diet
is likely to be." Regular exercise
is important for overall health, as well as for losing
and maintaining weight. There is evidence to suggest that body fat
distribution affects health risks. For example, excess fat in the
abdominal area (as opposed to hips and thighs) is associated with greater
risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, early heart disease, and certain
types of cancer. Vigorous exercise can reduce abdominal fat and thus lower
the risk of these diseases. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a half hour or more of
moderate physical activity on most days, preferably every day. The
activity can include brisk walking, calisthenics, home care, gardening,
moderate sports exercise, and dancing. Regular exercise
can help the body
use up calories consumed daily, as well as excess calories stored as fat.
Weight-bearing exercises also help tone muscles and may reduce the risk of
osteoporosis.Weight Loss - It's about Calories, Nutrition, Eating the Right Foods - Reply42.com
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