Weight Loss
CHOOSING A WEIGHT LOSS PLAN
Selecting a successful weight loss plan can be difficult for adults, as well as adolescents. We are all looking for a "quick fix" to a problem that may have taken years to develop to the point we are at today. We certainly did not gain all of our weight in two weeks, so we cannot expect to lose that weight in two weeks. It just doesn't work that way!
The first step in beginning a weight loss plan is discussing it with your doctor. He or she may be able to give your the most up-to-date information about weight loss, and tell you which plans have the most proven success. A few years ago, many people tried the new prescription drug Phen-fen, and lost some weight initially, but had difficulty keeping it off once they went off of the medications. Some people experienced side effects from the medication, and others even reported having serious health problems as a result of taking this medication. It is for this reason that the best advice for weight loss may still be the oldest advice of "increasing your metabolism (by exercising) and decreasing your caloric intake (through less food intake). In other words, "less food in, and more exercise."
Eating in moderation, and selecting a balance of foods from all four food groups is the best way to ensure that you are getting optimum nutrition while trying to lose weight. If you decide that your must restrict some foods on your diet, it is helpful if you can still allow yourself some of the foods that you love while you are trying to lose weight. A severely restricted daily caloric total (less than 1,200 calories a day) will probably leave you feeling weak, hungry, agitated, and preoccupied with thinking about your next meal. Those diets that revolve around one food such as cabbage soup, bananas, hard-boiled eggs, or liquid drinks are not going to provide you with enough nutrition to give you the energy to get through your day.
Health experts tell us that the best way to lose weight is to lose weight slowly. When you lose the weight slowly, your chances of keeping it off are greater because you have slowly incorporated new eating habits which allowed you to lose the weight. In other words, you have changed your behavior. It is hart to break old habits, and if you try to change to a quick fix, you may find your willpower waning, and you go back to your old ways of eating, which led to the weight gain.
SELECTING
A PLAN 
For the past few years, the emphasis among health enthusiasts has been on maintaining a low-fat diet. This seemed like a healthy idea, since many of us worry about the amount of fat and cholesterol in our diets. Physicians tell us that diets high in fat lead to heart problems, diabetes, strokes, and other serious illness. However, we have discovered that many people are not able to lose weight on this type of plan, and their cholesterol and triglyceride levels still remain dangerously high.
Physicians such as Dr. Robert Atkins suggested, as early as 1972, that this type of diet only serves to make you fatter. He had discovered that he and many of his patients did better on a low-carbohydrate diet. Still very popular today, the person on this type of diet consumes larger amounts of protein, maintains a moderate amount of fat, and a low amount of carbohydrate in their daily diet. He contended that when you consume large amounts of carbohydrates in your diet, your bodies metabolizes those and breaks them down into sugars, which increases your insulin level. Insulin is a vital hormone in your body, but in excess amounts, it can cause significant problems.
According to Dr. Michael Eades, in his book "Protein Power", "Insulin is a hormone produced and secreted into the bloodstream by the pancreas. As it travels through the circulatory system, insulin regulates the level of sugar in the blood -- its most important function -- and performs a thousand other tasks. Insulin, by activating or inhibiting various metabolic pathways, can make us sleepy, hungry, satisfied, dizzy, stuporous, or bloated. It can raise blood pressure, elevate cholesterol levels, cram fat into fat cells, cause the body to retain excess fluid, damage arteries, and even change protein and sugar into fat" (page 24). WOW! Imagine the damage that we've been doing if you have been on a low-fat diet that consisted of "Lean Cuisine-type meals" which usually contain pasta (carbohydrates), or hidden sugars. Dr. Atkins and Dr. Eades both suggest keeping your daily carbohydrate intake in the 25-30 grams per day range until your reach a level of weight loss that allows you to stay on a maintenance plan.
Other popular eating plans in recent vogue have included the "Zone Plan" in which you base your diet on eating your carbohydrates, protein and fats in certain proportions. They typically recommend 30% carbohydrates, 40% protein, and 30% fat in your daily diet which allows you to have enough variety of foods to keep your hunger at bay. Remembering that carbohydrates and proteins have 4 calories per gram, and fats have 9 calories per gram will help you figure your total caloric intake while managing your food.
Some dieters find one solution that may help them win control over their eating habits. Some suggest making lunch the biggest meal of the day, and having a small salad and broiled chicken or fish at dinner. This allows them to spend the evening trying to find time to exercise in order to burn off that bigger lunch before they go to bed. Other focus on a particular workout/exercise program they like, and will therefore continue to follow to lose weight and maintain good health. Others allow themselves one favorite, "sinful' dessert or other favorite food per week, or whatever they want on their plates, and then allow themselves to eat only half. Either way, this cuts down on their feelings of deprivation that "going on a diet" often entails.
Spend some time thinking about what dietary changes you need to make, and which eating plan can best fit your needs and lifestyle. Look for support in whichever plan you choose. Encouragement from your physician, family, and friends and having an exercise "buddy" to provide additional motivation can mean the difference between success and never quite reaching your goals. Good luck!
Information
provided by Summit Medical Center Psychiatric Program
Hermitage, TN
August, 1999
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