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| home : how we can help : prevention, screening, & diagnostics : answers to cancer : diet & nutrition
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Year after year one of the most popular New
Year's resolutions is losing weight. This is not surprising
in our weight obsessed culture that keeps getting heavier
and heavier. But how many of us really follow through on this
resolution and make it a reality. Losing weight is not easy,
never has been. What is needed is a calorie or energy deficit,
either fewer calories going in or more calories being expended
in the form of physical activity. It isn't easy to make these
fundamental changes in our daily living routines to produce
a calorie or energy deficit. But it certainly can be done.
Here are some hints to help you get in the right mind frame
to increase your chances of success.
- Have realistic goals. True weight
loss is a slow process. Do not expect to lose more than
½ to 1 ½ pounds per week depending on your body size and
age. The smaller you are and the older you are, the slower
you will lose weight. Don't be discouraged; it will happen,
but just a little slower perhaps than for others or when
you were younger. Remember, quick weight loss, particularly
in the beginning of a diet is water loss, not fat loss.
Also very restrictive dieting produces more muscle loss
in the beginning. Slower weight loss is better quality weight
loss because you are losing fat and less lean tissue and
water. When you are losing true fat, the weight loss is
more stable because a temporary increase in calories is
not going to totally negate the progress made. This is in
contrast to weight loss that is mainly due to water loss
and will quickly revert back when carbohydrate is increased
in the diet. Even if you only lose ½ pound a week, that
is 26 pounds a year. Now wouldn't you have been happy if
you had lost that last year or even half of that? Half of
that would be 13 pounds and could be achieved with ¼ pound
lost per week. You can do it this year. Stay the course.
Never was it truer than in the effort to lose weight that
the turtle is the one that finishes the race.
- Don't be overly restrictive or depriving
of yourself. Surely this is the reason many New Year's
weight loss efforts fail rather quickly. After being totally
disgusted with the indulgences during the holidays and perhaps
even gaining a few pounds, it is not uncommon for some of
us to promise to forsake any dessert, candy, cookie, soda
pop, pastry, sugar, French fry, sugar, carbohydrate or fat
for the next 10 years! Not that it isn't a good idea to
decrease our intake of high calorie, low nutrient foods,
but making them so prohibited can set us up for binge eating
or just totally giving up on weight loss goals. Delta Burke
of television fame is now in a new series DAG and has lost
considerable weight since her days on Designing Women. She
was recently on a talk show and was discussing her weight
loss. She said that whenever she tried to diet, she would
get very frustrated and give up or even gain more weight.
What really helped her was to not focus on losing weight
but to just try not to gain weight. When she did this, she
started eating healthier and she said the weight just gradually,
slowly came off. She looks great and she is a wonderful
example of getting in the right mindset to be successful
with weight loss. Now she has very healthy eating habits
that will help her maintain her weight loss. Many times
it seems that the less one focuses on the actual weight
loss, the more successful one is. We are human and we don't
like to feel like we are being deprived!
- Focus on healthy eating. Instead
of focusing on how you need to cut out your favorite foods,
try focussing on including higher nutrient, lower calorie
foods into your meal plan. This results in eating more foods
at the base of the food guide pyramid, which are grains,
fruits and vegetables. These foods are less dense in calories
than foods higher on the food guide pyramid. They are high
in fiber and bulk, and if eaten in sufficient quantity will
give a feeling of fullness and satiety. Even eating large
portions of these foods can produce very nice weight loss,
in addition to making your diet more nutritious. Low-fat
dairy products and lean meats are also good choices and
good sources of protein. Reduce those foods high in fat
and sugar at the top of the food guide pyramid and you're
on the right path. Remember variety, balance and moderation
continue to be the cornerstones of a healthy meal plan.
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