Issue Date: December 28, 2003
Step up to success
Diets don't have to fail. Dr. Tedd's big-picture tips can help you lose that weight -- and keep it off.
On any given day, about 45% of women and 30% of men are trying to lose weight. As New Year's resolutions kick in, that percentage is sure to balloon. And just as surely, most dieters won't succeed.
Let's make YOU the exception.
You not only have to want to lose weight -- you also need a long-term strategy. Do it right, and you'll come up with an enjoyable routine that will last you the rest of your life.
Here are five essentials for permanent weight loss:
Get real. Set goals that are realistic as well as good for your health. If you are significantly overweight, try to drop 10% of your weight. For example, a person weighing 250 pounds should make a 25-pound weight loss the initial goal. After you reach that goal, re-evaluate. Getting too dreamy about that first weight goal just sets you up for disappointment and failure.
Get going. I want you to read and re-read the rest of this sentence: No successful, healthful weight loss can be achieved without regular exercise. This is not negotiable! If you want to sustain a healthful long-term weight, find a practical, simple way to make physical activity part of your routine. It must be done consistently (five days each week is what I recommend), at a moderate level of intensity (enough to make you break a sweat and breathe a little heavily) and for an adequate length of time (30 minutes minimum). Believe me, exercise is the best investment you'll ever make.
Get consistent. When you're in it for the long haul, a little effort goes a long way. Believe it or not, if you can cut your calorie intake by just 100 calories a day, you'll drop 10 pounds over the course of the year. Making any small change in your day-to-day consumption really pays off; remember, you're not fat because of what you occasionally eat. So find everyday items you can cut out or minimize: alcohol, sweets, extra dinner rolls, late-night snacks. You know your habits. You also know your weaknesses. Look for "empty" calories that add little to your health and lots to your hips, and eliminate them.
Get data. Buy a good scale. Put it in the bathroom. Step on it every morning and record your weight. Weight loss is a slow process, so this isn't meant to discourage you when the pounds aren't falling off. Rather, it's to keep you honest with exercise and nutrition so your weight doesn't creep back up. Scales don't lie; they don't care why you're not exercising or following a good diet. They just show you the results of your efforts. It's like an old cartoon I once read: A pudgy gentleman was being weighed at the doctor's office, and, obviously miffed, his doctor proclaimed, "Yes, I suppose it's possible that the Earth's gravitational attraction has increased, but I think there's a much simpler explanation!"
Get help. Enlist family and friends. It doesn't help if the pantry is filled with high-fat snacks for the kids or if all the other family members spend hours parked in front of a TV. It does help when your entire family has the same health mind-set. If your household adopts healthful behavior in 2004, it won't just support your specific weight-loss goals; it will be good for everyone.
Tedd Mitchell, M.D., directs the Wellness Program at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas.
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Specifics for action
If you bite it, write it. Keep a notebook handy so you can jot down what you've eaten. People who keep track tend to stay on track.
Eat regularly. Skipping meals intensifies cravings. Eat three planned meals a day, each containing energy-sustaining protein.
Plan snacks. Skip sodas and sweets; go for small amounts of nutritious, low-sugar and high-fiber foods you enjoy.
Reduce portions. Learn how small reasonable serving sizes are: 1 cup of pasta is the size of a tennis ball; 3 ounces of chicken is the size of a deck of cards.
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How much did you gain? Not as much as you think.
The fear of putting on 5 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's is usually overblown. In fact, most people gain just a bit more than 1 pound in the winter months, according to a study in "The New England Journal of Medicine." But that 1 pound tends to stay with you. Considering that 64% of Americans already weigh too much, 1 pound is just one more burden. And over time, that small gain can become 10 or 20 pounds.
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