Weight Control: By: Mary Strub, Leah Rittenhouse, Alicia O’Neal, Margo Williams, James Shepherd, and Kelli Crubaugh What are the best methods for maintaining or losing weight and are all diets safe?

Best Methods to Maintaining Weight Exercise –Balance the number of calories you expend through exercise and physical activity with the calories you eat. –Prevent many diseases Heart Disease and Stroke Diabetes Back Pain Osteoporosis –It is suggested to work out for 30 minutes of moderate intensity 3 or more times a week and to do some type of muscle strengthening and stretching twice a week. –It does not matter what type of exercise you perform

Best Methods to Maintaining Weight, Continued… Portion Control –People underestimate their daily caloric intake as much as 25% –Recommended serving sizes are much smaller than realized. –Ways of maintaining portion control other than measuring: Use smaller dishes Serve appropriate portions and do not go back for seconds Store leftovers in portion-controlled amounts Never eat out of the bag or carton Don’t keep platters of food on the table At restaurants, ask for smaller portions, and if having dessert, share

Lose Weight for the Long Term Setting effective goals is an important first step Reward yourself for meeting weight control goals, just not with food Monitor and record eating behaviors, calories, or exercise Identify situations that tend to lead you to undesirable habits that would oppose your goals and begin to stray away from them Slow down the rate at which you eat Eat more fruits and vegetables which can make you feel fuller can make you feel fuller

Keeping the Weight Off To lose weight permanently, you must make a commitment you must make a commitment to gradually adopt a healthier to gradually adopt a healthier way of life way of life Portion control, wise food choices, and a regular exercise routine are essential to maintaining your desired weight. –Keep low calorie and fat foods readily available –Choose foods high in fiber –Do not skip meals –Eat a wide variety of foods to obtain needed nutrients

Are all diets safe? Facts –40% of adults (mostly obese) are on a diet –Americans spend $33 billion annually on dieting –Roughly 5-10% of people who lose weight actually keep it off –Most weight loss products and services do not work or do not prevent weight regain –There are many failures in the weight loss industry. Products are not tested for safety

Are all diets safe? Only 2 diet pills have been approved for longtime use in obese people –Meridia (sibutramine) Enhances satiety (reducing food intake) Side effects: increases blood pressure and heart rate, headaches, and dry mouth –Xenical (orlistat) Partially blocks fat absorption in intestines Side effects: primarily causes stools which is bothersome if high fat meals are consumed

Are all diets safe? For a weight loss program to be successful, one must be able to keep the weight off –Weight cycling- repeated loss and gain of body weight It is unknown whether organized programs such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Overeates Anonymous are successful

Conclusion The goal is to achieve improvements in lifestyle, fitness and health, not to lose a certain number of pounds a week Fat is put on slowly and that is the best way to take it off. Gradual loss in body fat requires only small changes in diet and activity Routinely engaging in vigorous activities can contribute to body fat loss, weight loss maintenance and fitness

Resources Brown, J. E. (2005). Weight control: The myths and realities. In Nutrition Now (4th. ed., unit 10, pgs ). California, USA: Thomson Wadsworth.